By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The controversy over the alleged conferment of the title Okanlomo of Yorubaland has taken a new dimension, with traditional rulers openly trading words over who holds the authority to bestow the chieftaincy.
The storm began when reports surfaced that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, had honoured Ibadan-based businessman, Dotun Sanusi, with the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland. The development immediately drew sharp reactions from the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, who in a blistering statement accused the Ooni of overreaching his powers.
Through his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin warned that the Ooni lacked the exclusive right to confer such a title, insisting that the privilege rests solely with the Alaafin of Oyo. He argued that the Ooni’s instrument of office confines his authority to Ife land – specifically the Oranmiyan Local Government, now divided into Ife Central, Ife North and Ife South.
“The Ooni should revoke that chieftaincy within 48 hours,” the statement thundered. “He has no power to appropriate what belongs to the Alaafin. The conferment of the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland is outside his jurisdiction.”
This biting rebuke has set off heated exchanges within the Yoruba traditional establishment. The Oore of Otun-Ekiti and paramount ruler of Mobaland, Oba Adekunle Adeagbo, stepped into the fray on Tuesday, dismissing the Alaafin’s attack as unfounded and misdirected.
In a counter-statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Akogun Banjo Ayinde, the Oore maintained that the Ooni had not, in fact, appointed anyone to the contested title. “For the avoidance of doubt, Ooni has never conceived it, let alone installing anybody as the Okanlomo of Yorubaland,” the Oore clarified.
But he went further to stress that the Ooni, as Arole Odùduwà and spiritual head of the Yoruba race, possesses the authority to bestow titles of pan-Yoruba relevance if he so chooses. “We therefore challenge anyone with verifiable evidence that Ooni has traditionally or culturally installed such a title on anyone to present it to the public,” the statement read.
The Oore faulted what he described as attempts to diminish the House of Odùduwà, reminding critics that the Ooni’s influence extends beyond Yorubaland to kindred peoples in Delta, Benin, Ghana and even East Africa. He noted that since ascending the throne, the Ooni has conferred only three major chieftaincy titles – Odole Oodua, Iyalaje Oodua and Yeye Oodua – all rooted in spiritual and ancestral tradition.
He also defended the Ooni’s leadership style, citing his various business and developmental projects such as Inagbe Grand Resort in Lagos, Ife Grand Resort and Industrial Hub, Ojaja University in Ilorin, and multiple employment-generating ventures across Yorubaland. “Our father Ooni does not distribute titles frivolously. His focus is on peace, unity, and progress for the Yoruba race,” the Oore declared.
While tempers continue to flare, observers warn that the dispute underscores a deeper rivalry over influence among Yoruba monarchs. The Alaafin’s sharp lash at the Ooni has rekindled debates about traditional authority, history, and relevance in a democratic era.
For now, the Ooni himself has not publicly commented on the controversy. But as Yoruba traditional rulers exchange words, the tussle over the Okanlomo title has become more than a question of chieftaincy – it is fast turning into a contest of legitimacy and supremacy within the royal hierarchy of Yorubaland.
