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Tag: Ooni

  • Ooni: Giesi inaugurates screening committee

    Ooni: Giesi inaugurates screening committee

    •‘Govt, kingmakers stand for truth’

    A day after Ife kingmakers announced Giesi as the only ruling house eligible to produce the next Ooni, the leadership of the house has inaugurated a committee to screen intending contestants.

    An informed source said no fewer than 17 princes from the nine compounds of the ruling house have shown interest.

    The source, who pleaded for anonymity, said the screening committee supersedes the one earlier set up by the house to collate the names of contestants.

    Investigation revealed that more than 30 members of the Giesi have come out to signify intention to contest before the figure was reduced to 17.

    The authorities of Ife Central and Ife East local governments have written to the ruling house to send the names of its candidates within 14 days.

    A contestant from Moniki compound, Prince Sikiru Adetona Ayedun, a former Commissioner for Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, praised the government and Ife kingmakers to stand for the truth by limiting the contest to only Giesi ruling house.

    Prince Ayedun maintained that the 1980 Ife Chieftaincy Declaration is a reliable document for the selection and installation of the Ooni stool, assuring that his emergence as the next Ooni will bring development and progress to the ancient city.

    Speaking with reporters in Osogbo, the former commissioner said if he becomes the next Ooni, he would strategically position Ile-Ife for all time development.

     

  • Ooni: Aspirant urges kingmakers to be firm

    An Ife prince aspiring to the Ooni throne, Prince Adetunji Aderin, has urged kingmakers not to be influenced by money and politics in picking the monarch.

    Addressing reporters at the weekend in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the great grandson of Oba Aderin Ologbenla said it would be wrong to disallow a candidate of the Giesi Ruling House, from where he hailed, from mounting the throne.

    He said by right, the ruling house should be allowed to ascend the throne.

    Aderin, a graduate of Economics from the then University of Ado-Ekiti and an Associate Member of the Association of Business Executives, United Kingdom, said besides being his right by birth, he felt compelled to offer himself to help in the development of his town.

    He said: “As the great grandson of a warrior-king, it will be a disservice to the legacy of my ancestor, Aderin Ologbenla, who reigned from 1880 to 1893 as the last Ooni from the Giesi Ruling House, if I don’t join the race.

    “According to the rotational procedure, which requires each ruling house in a particular order to produce the candidate for the Ooni, the Giesi Ruling House was meant to be next in line, but Omooba Adeniran Aderin was denied his place in history and the Ogboru Family, who should have come up after Giesi Family, ended up producing the Ooni through the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II, whose father reigned from 1894 to 1910 after Aderin Ologbenla.

    “So, the rotational cycle from Aderin Ologbenla 1880-1893 (Giesi Ruling House), to Adelekan Olubuse I 1894-1910 (Ogboru Ruling House), to Ademiluyi Ajagun 1910-1930 (Lafogido Ruling House), to Adesoji Aderemi 1930-1980 (Osinkola Ruling House) should ideally have been Giesi again in 1980, but was given to Ogboru Ruling House, thereby denying the Giesi Ruling House the chance to produce an Ooni since 1893 when Aderin Ologbenla passed on.

    “It will be sheer injustice for anyone outside the Giesi Ruling House to be the next Ooni and the kingmakers are aware of this, despite the attempt of some to suggest otherwise. The throne of the Ooni is not such to be politicised or monetised, as the Giesi Ruling House has been shunned for too long. The time is ripe for it to take its rightful place. What is mine is mine and it will be wrong not to fight for my right or allow the hard work of my forefathers to be wasted.”

  • Ooni: Osun invites Giesi ruling house to pick candidate

    Ooni: Osun invites Giesi ruling house to pick candidate

    The process for the selection of new Ooni of Ife may have commenced.

    It was gathered that the Osun State government was set to formally write the Giesi Ruling House to present candidates for the stool recently vacated by the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Olubuse II.

    Sijuwade joined his ancestors on July 28, 2015 at the Saint Mary Hospital, United Kingdom after a brief illness.

    Informed sources said that a crucial meeting was held last Friday at the Oke-Fia Government House, Osogbo, with Ife kingmakers in attendance.

    The source, who preferred not to be named, further revealed that the kingmakers and government officials at the meeting resolved to formally write the Giesi Ruling House to present candidates.

    It was also gathered that the state government further resolved not to entertain or consider candidates from other ruling houses.

  • Ooni: Wanikin Family interested

    Ooni: Wanikin Family interested

    The Wanikin Compound of the Giesi Royal Family has signified intention to present a candidate for the Ooni stool.

    Addressing reporters in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, the family spokesman, Prince Adewuyi Adesoji, said the compound should produce the next Ooni because the last Ooni it produced was Ooni Laroka.

    He said other families from Giesi had produced about five Ooni after Laroka, including Agbedegbede and Deboye, stressing that the families should honour the memory of Laroka and concede the stool to Wanikin, “which is why the family is presenting Prince Olalekan Awojoju-Adesoji for the throne.”

    Speaking on the process of selecting a successor, Prince Adesoji said it was not different from what it was in the past, adding that the kingmakers must follow due traditional process to enable the best candidate emerge.

    Contrary to insinuation from some quarters that the richest candidate must be picked, he said the stool should be occupied on merit, based on good character, integrity and culture, adding that it should not be for sale.

    Responding to an accusation that Giesi House sold its right to the Ogboru Family, he said the allegation was baseless and a figment of the imagination of those spreading it.

    Adesoji cleared the insinuation that princes from male parents had more right than those from female parents, saying all princes, irrespective of the parents’ gender, had equal rights to the throne and selection would not be based on the origin of their gender.

    He hailed the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade for raising the standard of the stool, saying he brought fame and respect to the throne.

  • Ooni: ‘Lafogido House ‘ll not concede right’

    The Lafogido Ruling House of Ile-Ife in Osun State has said it will not concede the right of the vacant stool of the Ooni to the Giesi Ruling House or other houses.

    A statement by its head,  Sooko Walomo Adeleke Adewoyin, said: “Lafogido Ruling House does not intend to and will never concede its right to any other ruling house.”

    It added that contrary to rumours, the authentic chieftaincy declaration of the Ooni was the one gazetted in 1957.

    “A chieftaincy declaration is like the constitution of a country guiding the conduct of the people. It cannot be wished away just like that. The hallucination from some quarters that it is the turn of the Giesi Ruling House to produce the next Ooni is just like the noise of a crowded market, which nobody must listen to.”

    The statement said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the order of rotation in the 1957 gazette is listed in the following manner: (1) Osinkola (2) Giesi (3) Ogboru and (4) Lafogido.

    “It was the turn of Giesi Ruling House to produce the Ooni in 1980 upon the demise of Oba Adesoji Aderemi, who was from the Osinkola Ruling House. But Giesi, for reasons best known to them, conceded the stool to Ogboru Ruling House. The position of the law is clear on this and that is, they have to wait for their turn again.”

    It said the Lafogido Ruling House had qualified candidates for the stool. The statement listed 16 such candidates as Oluwole Adebayo Eludoyin, Adetayo Oladele, Prof. Charles A. Adesanmi, Prof. Adeyemi Adebisi, Ade Adefioye, Ajibade Olowoporoku, Aderotimi A. Adefioye and Aderemi Adekunle Okikiade.

    Others are Adediran Okikiade, Adedamola Adedotun Layade, Adeleke Adefaranye, Adeposi Adebola Odunle, Adesanya Adefisan, Adekunle Adefioye Abioye, Ademakinwa Solomon and Ahmed Aderoju Adewoyin.

    It said: “Lafogido is prepared to fill the vacant stool. This is not negotiable.”

  • Ooni: Osinkola house opposes rotation

    The Osinkola ruling house of Ile-Ife has opposed the rotation arrangement for filling the vacant Ooni stool.

    It urged the Ife kingmakers and high chiefs to throw the seat open to the ruling houses, in accordance with the tradition and custom of the land, to avert violence and chaos.

    The house advised the kingmakers and high chiefs not to accept demands by the other ruling houses clamouring for the rotation of the Ooni stool, saying they were doing so to favour them.

    It declared invalid, null and void, the declaration purportedly credited to members of other ruling houses, clamouring for the rotation of the Ooni stool.

    At a news conference in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, spokesman for the Osinkola ruling house, Prince Adetowo Aderemi, said statements were credited to Ile-Ife princes, claiming that it was their turn to produce the next Ooni. He said most of the personalities were not known to belong to the royal houses.

    The house said most of the self-acclaimed princes did not have the knowledge of the history, culture, tradition, custom and norm of Ile-Ife widely acclaimed as the ancestral home of the Yoruba worldwide, and the seat of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the royal dynasties in Southwest, including part of Kogi, Kwara, Edo, Delta and Onisha in Anambra State.

    The Osinkola house said it had never been in the traditional royal rules to either select or elect a new monarch through rotation, arguing that no Ooni had ever ruled on rotational basis.

    It said since the existence of Ile-Ife, rotation had never been part of the criteria or measures for the selection and enthronement of the Ooni, stressing that there had never been recourse to rotation as each Ooni was selected from the pool of eligible princes who were descendants of Lajodogun/ Lajamisan Royal Family, which comprised the four ruling houses.

    While faulting the 1957 and 1980 Chieftaincy Declaration, the Osinkola house said neither the 1957 Declaration nor the 1980 Declaration followed the prerequisite procedures in which a declaration of a recognised chieftaincy like the Ooni shall be made.

    The house said the declaration was not made in accordance with the recommendation of the appropriate Chieftaincy Committee, adding that no matter the fate of the 1957 Declaration, it could not stand the test of time and as such it was invalid, null and void because it was in breach of the legislation.

    The Osinkola house said the 1957 legislation purported to have been made pursuant to powers delegated by the then Governor, which according to them, there was no evidence of such delegation or indeed the proper person to whom the power to delegate was given, reiterating that the only version which existed had been tampered with and altered in ink without the alteration being initialled, thus rendering the document a nudity.

  • ‘It’s Lafogido’s turn to produce Ooni’

    The Lafogido ruling house of Ile-Ife has said it was its turn to produce the next Ooni.

    Following the transition of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, 35 candidates from the four ruling houses of Osinkola, Giesi, Ogbooru and Lafogido have signified their intention to occupy the stool.

    The Lafogido house of the Lajamisan dynasty has cried out over an alleged marginalisation.

    Addressing a news conference, the leader of the house, Sooko Adeleke Adewoyin, said the house had produced only one Ooni in the history of Ile-Ife.

    He lamented that a particular dynasty had produced not fewer than eight and held unto the stool since 100 years ago.

    According to him, the Lafogido house had been marginalised.

    Adewoyin said the house should produce the next Ooni for the sake of equity, adding that it had many qualified candidates.

  • Ooni: Abewela Royal House presents candidate

    Ooni: Abewela Royal House presents candidate

    Abewela Royal House, a branch of the Lafogido Ruling Dynasty, yesterday presented its sole candidate for the Ooni stool.

    He is Ahmed Aderoju Adewoyin, a lawyer.

    Addressing reporters, the Sooko of the royal house, Prince David Adeniji, said after the reign of Ooni Adegunle Abewela (1839 -1849), of the two original ruling dynasties (Lajodogun and Lafogido), only one section, i.e. Lajodogun, had produced seven Ooni in quick successions.

    He said he was delighted to present Adewoyin as a candidate and assured that “all things being equal, the lopsidedness that has characterised ascendancy to the throne for a while will be addressed, with the installation of the sole candidate from Abewela.”

    Prince Adeniji went on: “The family deems it fit to X-ray the ascension to the throne of Ooni in recent time and inform stakeholders, especially Ife high chiefs (i.e. Ife royal traditional council/ kingmakers) of the selection processes of a new candidate for the highly-revered Ooni stool to allow the dictate of justice, equity and fairness prevail in the selection of a new Ooni.

    “Abewela Royal Family is not oblivious of the order of rotation of the ruling houses as set out in the chieftaincy declarations regarding the method of selection of the Ooni.

    “By virtue of the 1957 declaration registered on June 7, the Giesi Ruling House conceded its turn in favour of the Ogboru Ruling House (which consequently produced the late Ooni Okunade Sijuwade in 1980). This also led to the emergence of the 1977 declaration, which order of rotation, besides being incorrect, misleading and tended to pave the way for rotational manipulation, negates the well-accepted rotation and flagrantly offends the tradition.

    “However, this has been abrogated by the 1980 declaration as registered on January 28, 1980, which has left the room of contest open to the four ruling houses besides that it technically tilts the production of the new Ooni in favour of the Lafogido Ruling Dynasty (as Giesi  conceded its own turn to Ogboru in 1980).

    “Historically, Ife ruling houses are mainly only two and not four. These are Lajodogun and Lafogido (both were the two children of Ooni Lajamisan). For record purpose and emphasis, Ooni Oranmiyan begat Ooni Lajamisan.

    “However, it is incontrovertible to state that over time, one of the two major dynasties, that is, Lajodogun, has been split into three ruling houses viz: Ogboru, Osinkola and Giesi. The other dynasty, Lafogido, has remained only one, indivisible dynasty.

    “Abewela Royal Family wishes to state that efforts were made to redress this imbalance and this resulted in the setting up of a Commission of Enquiry of 1957, 1977 and 1986. But efforts to get justice were politically thwarted by the then powers that be.

    “It is worrisome that after the reign of Ooni Adegunle Abewela (1839 -1849), of the two original ruling dynasties (Lajodogun and Lafogido), only one section, i.e. Lajodogun, has produced seven Ooni in quick successions, namely 43rd Ooni Derin Kumbusu (1849 – 1878) from Giesi, 44th Ooni Orayigba (1878 – 1880) from Giesi, 45th Ooni Derin Ologbenla (1880 -1894) from Giesi, 46th  Ooni Adelekan Olubuse I (1894 – 1910) from Og 47th Ooni Adekola (June 1910 to July 1910) from Osinkola, 49th Ooni Adesoji Aderemi (1930 – 1980) from Osinkola and 50th Ooni Okunade Sijuwade (1980 to 2015) from Ogboru.

    “While the other dynasty, Lafogido Ruling House, produced only one, that is, the 48th Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi (1910 to 1930).

    “Without mincing words and from the above analysis, it is evident that this is a pointer to the magnitude of the age-long lopsidedness, political manipulations and injustice meted out to the Abewela Royal House (under Lafogido Ruling Dynasty). “It will only be fair, just and equitable to decide that the appropriate royal house to produce the 51st  Ooni is Abewela Royal House (under Lafogido Ruling Dynasty).”

  • 47 princes from four ruling houses in race for Ooni

    •11 make Giesi ruling house’s shortlist

    No fewer than 47 aspirants have indicated interest in the contest for Ooni of Ife’s throne, it was learnt at the weekend.

    The late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, passed away on July 28. He was 85.

    The mourning of the monarch ended last weekend, clearing the way for aspirants to register their intention officially.

    From across the four ruling houses, over 47 princes have signified their intention to succeed Sijuwade.

    The four ruling houses are Lafogido, Giesi, Ogboru and Osinkola.

    Of the lot, 35 princes have submitted intention letters from the Giesi ruling house alone.

    The ruling house is expected to produce the next Ooni, according to a government gazette.

    But 11 princes from the ruling house have been shortlisted  from the 35 pushing for the stool.

    Among those shortlisted  are Princes Aderemi Adeniran, Alani Adelowo, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Taye Ogunleye, Adegboyega Ologbenla and Gbadegesin Ologbenla.

    Others are Princes Adetunji Adeyemi Ogunwusi, Bankola Ojulalayo Adediwura, Adegboyega Adediran, Olajide Adejoba, and Adetona Sikiru Ayedun.

    However, names of the proprietor of the Oduduwa University, Prince Rahman Adedoyin, and the Director-General of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Prince Soji Fadehan are not listed.

    It was gathered that 35 princes from the ruling house initially showed interest in contesting the stool.

    But to increase the chances of the ruling house, a committee was set up to work on the list of contestants.

    It was learnt that the ruling house held a meeting at the weekend at the family’s compound on Agbedede lane in Ile-Ife to screen the contestants.

    After the meeting  yesterday, the report of the Selection Screening Committee was submitted to Prince Modupe Fadehan, the family head of Giesi.

    A source at the meeting said the screening was fair.

    Preferring not to be named, the source said: “Well, that is a good development for us and we are sure that a good man will be picked as the Ooni. This is the normal process and we know it won’t cause any disaffection.

    “The normal thing is that the ruling house will send names of qualified candidates to the kingmakers. For instance, the Ogboru family sent 14 names out of which the late Oba Sijuwade emerged.”

    It was not clear if the kingmakers had narrowed the contest down to only the Giesi Ruling House, which last produced an Ooni over a century ago, when Derin Ologbenla ruled the town.

    In the Lafogido ruling house, no fewer than 10 princes are interested in the stool with at least one each from Osinkola and Ogboru ruling houses.

    Another source from Lafogido ruling house, who preferred anonymity, said that the ruling house had not adopted any aspirant.

    According to him, a meeting of the committee of the entire ruling house, which comprises eight royal families, is slated for today where aspirants are also expected to appear.

    Intention forms have been designed and some aspirants have picked the forms.

    Sources in Ile Oodua, the Ooni’s palace, said letters requesting submission of names of qualified candidates from the kingmakers may be sent out to ruling houses this week.

  • Ooni: Ruling houses intensify scheming

    Ooni: Ruling houses intensify scheming

    THE ruling houses in Ile-Ife, Osun State yesterday intensified scheming over selection of qualified princes to occupy Ooni’s throne.

    They urged the town’s kingmakers to be guided by respect for tradition, equity and fair play in the selection of the monarch.

    Some of the ruling houses pleaded with their members to unite with the aim of presenting formidable candidates.

    The spokesperson of Ogboru Ruling House, Prince Adediran Adetipe, in an interview with reporters at a news conference in Ile-Ife, appealed to kingmakers to abide by their traditional ethics.

    He urged the state government to assist the town’s traditional institution to ensure that the right person and ruling house emerged as the 51st Ooni.

    The Ogboru ruling house is one of the four ruling houses expected to produce the successor to Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse II, who joined his ancestors last month.

    The four ruling houses are the Ogboru, Osinkola, Lafogido and the Giesi.

    Adetipe said the late Ooni “superintended over remarkable socio-economic transformation of the town and left behind a legacy of peace, stability, progress and unprecedented development in Ile-Ife and Yoruba race nation both at home and in the Diasporas”.

    “His vision was extolled to the high heavens and there was the general acknowledgment that the sustenance of his legacies will be a very hard nut to crack,” he said.

    Adetipe added that the Ogboru family has seven clans, including Molodo, Amodo, Alaka, Adejokun, Odogbon, Ooni/Ilare and Olubuse/Olodo.

    According to him, the Adetipe family from the Amodo clan has already submitted an expression of interest, by putting forward a generally accepted candidate to fill the vacant position.

    The prince said Oba Sijuwade, in 1980, had an agreement with the Giesi ruling house to trade their turn for the throne. But he added that the deal was not on behalf of the entire Ogboru ruling house.

    He noted that Sijuwade’s predecessor – Oba Adesoji Aderemi – was from the Osinkola ruling house.

    Also yesterday, a top contender to the throne and a businessman, Prince Ramon Adegoke Adegoroye Adedoyin, enjoined members of the Giesi ruling house, under which he is contesting, to unite, present a credible and acceptable candidate to enable them produce the next Ooni.

    Adedoyin, who spoke in an interview with reporters, advised the other contestants within the Giesi ruling house to unite and not see the contest as a do-or-die affair.

    He noted that the exalted position has been eluding the ruling house since 1894.

    The Ife prince said the law is very clear on the process of selection of a new Ooni, as stated in the 1957 declaration.

    The prince noted that he was not desperate to be the next Ooni “as it is the Almighty God that installs kings”.

    Also, one of the members of the Giesi, Prince Rotimi Elusanya, in an interview, debunked statements credited to some people regarding Adedoyin’s eligibility.

    He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, among the houses in the Giesi family is the Agbedegbede/Okerewe, where Prince Adedoyin comes from. The mother of Prince Adedoyin’s father, late Alhaji Saka Adedoyin, was Omiwenu, who was a princess of the Giesi Ruling House and this qualifies Adedoyin to contest.”

    He wondered why some elders in the family would “start condemning everybody because they are interested in the stool or because they are presenting their children or they have interest in certain candidates”.

    At another news conference in Osogbo, the state capital, Prince Kunle Adelowo, said the Giesi is set to produce the next Ooni.

    According to him, it was the turn of the Giesi ruling house to produce the next Ooni going by the 1977 Oyo State Chieftaincy Declaration.

    He said in the declaration, the order of rotation among the ruling houses should be: Osinkola of late Oba Aderemi, Ogboru (Oba Sijuwade), Giesi (to produce the next Ooni) and Lafodigo to follow.

    Adelowo vowed that the Giesi ruling house would resist any attempt to bypass the royal family.

    He said that the ruling house contested the Ooni stool with Sijuwade in 1980, but lost.

    He noted that Giesi produced Ooni last in the ancient town between 1880 and 1884.

    The Director-General of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Prince Adesoji Isaac Fadehan, has joined the race for the vacant stool.

    In a statement, Fadehan, from Giesi Ruling House, said the next Ooni must be an individual, who has the right to royalty by birth and lineage.