Like a bolt from the blues, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is in the news again- this time for romantic reasons.
The 48-year-old monarch married six women in less than two months.
There are unconfirmed reports that Ooni will marry three more women, totalling nine before the year ends.
Many Nigerians are indeed surprised at the recent developments. The unthinkable number of queens arriving the Ooni’s Palace in quick succession has caught the attention of many and also provoked a flurry of reactions.
While some feel his actions are in sync with traditional rites, he has drawn flak from others too.
Apart from Ooni’s many royal rumble, Ooni had a fair share of ‘romantic rumble’. He was previously married to Adebukola Bombata in 2008 but the marriage failed.
His marriage to Naomi Silekunola failed in December 2021.
Naomi his estranged wife, who runs an interdenominational ministry based in Ondo State, said she tried to make the union work but the 46-year-old monarch’s public identity is at variance with “his true self”.
Ooni previously had a broken marriage in 2017 when he parted ways with her Edo-born wife, Zaynab-Otiti Obanor, who he married on March 16, 2016. The marriage only lasted for one year and five months.
While it appears Ooni is unfazed by the avalanche of criticisms that have trailed his marital actions so far, the monarch, not minding his hecklers, has forged ahead in ushering his new queen.
Here are the new queens and what you should know about them;
· Olori Mariam Ogunwusi nee Anako
Olori Mariam is from Ebira ethnic group in Kogi State. She was traditionally married to the Ooni on September 6.
She worked at Nestoil Limited, an engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning company in the oil and gas sector.
According to reports, Olori Mariam lost her father at a young age and was reportedly brought up in the home of a former Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar. Her mother is a retired police officer.
· Elizabeth Opeoluwa Akinmuda
Not much is known about Elizabeth Akinmuda but she got married to Ooni in Magodo, Lagos.
She hails from Ondo State and is said to be a Scotland-based Electronic Data Processor.
· Tobi Phillips
Olori Tobi Phillips hails from Okitipupa in Ondo State.
According to available reports, Olori Phillips had worked for the Ooni for over six years before becoming his wife.
She is a fashion entrepreneur, a model and a graduate of Marine Science from the University of Lagos.
In 2012, she was crowned winner of the World Miss University Africa (WMUA) beauty pageant.
· Princess Ashley Adegoke
Olori Ashley is from the Lafogido ruling House of Ile-Ife.
The traditional wedding was held at the bride’s family house situated on Olubose Street, along Ede road, IIe-Ife, Osun state.
Adegoke has a bachelor’s degree in accounting as well as a Master in accounting and finance from the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom.
The entrepreneur is the founder of Ashley Adegoke Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).
· Princess Ronke Ademiluyi
Princess Ronke is the great-granddaughter of the late Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi.
She is a law graduate of West London University. In 2011 she founded Africa Fashion Week London, rated as one of the UK’S most significant annual fashion events that promote and nurture African and African-inspired design talent.
· Temitope Adesegun
She is a certified alumnus of several universities, including the University of Oxford, United Kingdom; INSEAD Business School, Fontainebleau, France; University of Cambridge, Judge Business School, United Kingdom; and Harvard Kennedy School of Government in the United States.
She has worked as the Personal Assistant to the late Secretary to the State Government, Princess Aderenle Adeniran-Ogunsanya.
Before that, she bagged diplomas in Linguistics and Data Processing from the University of Lagos in 1998 and 2000, respectively, and a bachelor’s in Business Administration from the same university.
In all of these, Ooni’s latest marital affairs have buried the Yoruba saying: “there is no respect for a king without a queen in the palace”
