Ooni: The storm that rocked the palace

OBA OKUNADE SIJUWADE, OONI OF IFE

Daring media reports of Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II’s demise unnerves Ife traditional royal authority
Why the chiefs won’t pronounce him dead just yet
Contenders to the throne campaign for support

A mortal plague assails the ‘State of the living spring’ – or Osun State, if you like. The golden diadem of her pride emits a cool flow of devouring fire. Osun, clotted with the blaze, seethes from the crown of her head. An unforgivable sacrilege has been committed: His Imperial Majesty Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, the 50th Ooni of Ife, has been declared dead. The royal palace is livid, the people are confused, Ife Kingdom crackles like embers beneath a simmering fire.

The scene prefigures the transition in Greek art from high classicism to Hellenistic style or radical shift from ancient didactic Yoruba folklore to the nuances and wild experimentation of contemporary theatre. Tradition tangled with modernity, is like Laocoon dying with his strangled sons or the ancient Yoruba god, Sango Olukoso, vanishing or transitioning if you like, in his rage at betrayal.

Ife feels betrayed. The primordial borders of the Kingdom are overwhelmed by the smirking vanity of modernity – severally depicted by web journalism, traditional press and the social media. It’s like a cultural holocaust and the apocalypse. Ife flounders at ground zero, her fabled civilisation incinerated by a distant invader, the new media in particular.

The ancient kingdom, regarded by the Yoruba as the cradle of civilisation, still smarts from the daringness of modern civilisation and the new media. Following web media reports that Oba Sijuade died at the age of 85, in a clinic located at 20, Devonshire Place, London, United Kingdom (UK), the Royal Traditional Council (RTC) of Ile Ife, moved to debunk the report, insisting that the monarch is actually hale and hearty.

The RTC, which comprises of all traditional chiefs and title holders in Ile-Ife. Speaking at the House of Chiefs located within the premises of Ile-Oodua palace of the Ooni, the Lowa of Ife, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, maintained that the report in the media that the monarch died in a London Hospital of an undisclosed ailment was untrue.

According to him, “Those behind the death story are enemies of Ife and as I speak with you, chiefs have not heard anything like that. This is not the first time such rumour will be carried about our father.”

Similarly, the Chairman, Ife Development Board, Prof. Muib Opeloye, maintained that the royal father was preparing for his son’s wedding, urging people not to panic and go about their normal daily activities.

Oba Sijuade was, however, absent at his son’s wedding. But his staff of office was on display at the wedding ceremony thus signifying his attendance by proxy.

In an ideal situation…

A radical fusion of traditional media comprising print, broadcast media and daring new media, comprising internet journalism and social media stung the Kingdom of Ife awake from its cultural stupor. A new social and cultural space replaces the ancient village square and challenges royal traditional authority to its throne of power.

No one has the right to announce the death of the Ooni, so argued a source within the palace. More importantly, it is only the RTC that possesses the authority and honour to announce the passage of the monarch, if at all he truly passes away, claimed the source.

Given that the death of Oba Sijuade has not been announced, it is impossible for any of the ruling houses, including the Giesi, to make their nominees known. Whatever permutations or scheming are taking place concerning the selection of the next Ooni of Ife must be done underground.

The Nation findings revealed that whenever the Ooni of Ife passes away, the Kingdom knows without being told. The signs are there for everyone to see. Ogunlaadin, the main entrance used by the monarch and all the markets in Ife will be closed for seven days as a mark of honour to the soul of the departed Ooni. Major trunks of major trees and their leaves would be cut in the market and within the palace. In the past, in addition to these signs, all women would shave their heads for 40 days. Also, the process of initiation and installation of the Oba-elect, picked among the Omo-Oye (princes) will only commence after all these rites had been performed.

After ascertaining that the Ooni is dead, the palace chiefs are expected to inform the other children of Oduduwa, particularly the Alaafin of Oyo, the descendant of Oranmiyan Akinorun, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, the Oba of Benin, the Onipopo of Popo, the Onisabe of Sabe, and the Owa Obokun Adimula. The news will also be broken to other towns and vassal towns and the days of mourning will be declared.

Rite of passage

Those to be actively involved in the rite of passage are the Onisoros: Obadio, Lokore, Eredumi, Modewa, that is, the Emeses, Ihare chiefs, starting from Obalufe, the head Ife chiefs and next in rank to the Ooni who is expected to be acting as Ooni till the next king exits the Ilefin to mount the throne.

The kingmakers are in three lines: We have in the first line, the Ihare chiefs, from the Obalufe of Iremo quarter, the Obajio of Imore quarter, the Obaloran of Ilode quarter, the Akogun of Okerewe, Jagunosin (war leader, no boundary), Waasin of Ilare, the Obalaye of Iraye and Ejesi. The second line known as Modewa chiefs are Loowa, Jaaran, Aguro, Arode, Isanire, Laadin, Lowate and Erebese. The third line only has Araba, who is the chief priest.

The process for selection of the new Ooni will begin with the Araba, a priest, being summoned after the ruling houses have submitted names of omo-oye (princes nominated to represent their households). No prince or contender is expected to have tribal mark on his face because it is believed that he would die during initiation if he sees an item of the initiation rites with his tribal mark. The Araba would cast his Ifa rosary on each name but he can only use the Ikin not the popular Opele, for Ifa divination. Ifa is the Yoruba oracle of divination.

Following the divination and the selection of the next Ooni, the Obalufe will pronounce Ifa’s choice. It is important that no chief mentions names submitted by all the ruling houses to members of the public until after the divination had been concluded and a choice had been made among the princes  inside the palace. At times, it is possible for Ifa to pick more than one omo-oye. When a situation like that arises and Ifa states that two or three of the omo-oye are good enough to be king and their reign would bring peace and prosperity to the town, the onus will fall on the kingmakers to cast their votes in order to pick a consensus candidate for the throne.

At this stage, several things are considered such as the character of the prince, his knowledge of culture, tradition and history of the town, his generosity, contributions to socio-economic growth and development of the town to mention a few.

The Enugeru is where the name of the preferred candidate will be announced. A day to the Ifa divination to pick the omo-oye, all the contenders to the throne must have left the town. After the choice has been made, the Emese will be sent to find him out and bring him in with songs and drumming just as they did for Oba Sijuade, who entered Ife in his time, through Ibadan.

The clan that may produce the next Ooni

Although the announcement of the death of Oba Sijuade has not been made official, a vigorous campaign has commenced underground by the ruling houses to position their prospective candidates. Four ruling houses – Osinkola, Giesi, Ogboru and Lafogido – are recognised to contest the Ooni stool going by the 1957 Western Region Chieftaincy Declaration and adopted by the reviewed old Oyo State Chieftaincy Declaration of 1976. Though Ife maintained the four ruling houses, it moved the Ogboru from number three to two because according to history, for 150 years up till the time the Olubuse I, the grandfather of Oba Sijuade, mounted the throne and ruled for 16 years (1894 to 1910), the Lafogido had three slots, the Osinkola, two slots but the Ogboru had only one slot. Thus in 1980, Oba Sijuade, from Ogboru Ruling House and with many qualities required for the revred stool – local and international contacts, wealth, education among other- was favoured.

The same criteria used for picking Ooni Sijuade was used for his predecessor, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, who reigned from 1930 to 1980. Aderemi contested the Ooni stool with Prince Adewoyin Ajagun Ademiluyi from Lafogido and Prince Adedire from Giesi but was said to have been chosen because he was rich and educated. In 1910, Adekola from Osinkola ruling house died in Ilefin and after him, Ajagun Ademiluyi became Ooni from 1910 to 1930. In all this, there was no rotation until the time of Oba Aderemi.

The four ruling houses cut across the five quarters: Ilode, Moore, Ilare, Iremo and Okerewe. And now that time is set for picking the next Ooni. Whoever emerges from these ruling houses will represent all the five quarters.  But since, Oba Sijuade was from Ogboru, Oba Aderemi from Osinkola, Oba Ademiluyi Ajagun from Lafogido, and the Oba-elect, Derinloro Ologbenla from Agbedegbede compound, it is believed that it would automatically be the turn of the Giesi.

In picking the next Ooni, the RTC will probably be guided by the charisma, popularity and financial muscle of the last two Oonis: Oba Aderemi and Oba Sijuade. Ife is not likely to settle for less. More so with the strategic and central position of the ancient town as the cradle of the Yoruba race. The princes, who are likely to join the race as soon as the death and the burial rites of Oba Sijuade are concluded include, Abdulraheem Adedoyin, Sikiru Adetona Ayedun, Tokunbo Sijuwade, Adekunle Adeyeba, Ademola Ademiluyi, Gboyega Ademiluyi, Adebambo Ademiluyi and Kanmi Ademiluyi.

The politics of denial

Although the palace is still denying his passing, further findings revealed that his body has already been secretly flown into Nigeria and placed within the palace to enable death rites of passage to commence.

His death is expected to be officially announced as soon as the required traditional rituals are concluded in Ile-Ife. The Ooni was rushed to London on Friday July 24, and was taken from Heathrow Airport in an Ambulance to the clinic where he allegedly died four days later. As expected of tradition, the death of Ooni is being wrapped in secrecy by the traditional council in Ile-Ife. Several news media reported the death of the monarch, but the traditional council, which began the required rites of passage last weekend, still maintains that the Ooni is “hale and hearty.”

There is no gainsaying the Ooni courted controversy by his open flirtation with power despite his heartfelt statement of 1980. Ooni Sijuade warned: “I like to warn that a society in transition like ours is a very delicate society which will always stand to benefit from the role which traditional rulers are so fitted to play as impartial, non-partisan mediators of rapid change in such a way as to preserve the soul of our society and minimise inter-group frictions.”

But in the flurry of accusations, counter-accusations and denials erupting in the wake of persistent news reports of his demise, Ife Kingdom and the whole of Nigeria’s traditional royal system will do well to take to heart and act by the profound wisdom in the Ooni’s acceptance speech as he mounted the throne in 1980. He said: Eighty-eight years ago (in 1892), my grandfather Ooni Olubuse ascended this throne and reigned till 1910. He championed the struggle that welded together the warring factions here and re-established Ife unity. The point here is that each age, indeed each reign, is confronted with its own peculiar problems which it tackles using the materials and methods of its times. Traditional rulers know very well that in socio-political environmental terms and indeed, even in physical terms, they live in a very much changed world from that of our ancestors…” The Ooni counseled that traditional institutions must make provisions to accommodate and recognise “the changed and still rapidly changing societies we live in.”

Perhaps the Ife Royal Traditional Council (RTC) would pay good mind to his words in future, lest the Kingdom gets tangled in the web and machinations of an increasingly liberal, skeptical and audacious new media.