A fierce cultural storm is allegedly brewing in Yorubaland as a passionate Facebook post by cultural enthusiast Arowosomo Gideon Oluwadamilare has sparked online uproar over an alleged attempt by Oyo people to frustrate a legislative proposal favoring the Ooni of Ife and Sultan of Sokoto.
In a strongly worded post that has since gained traction among Yoruba cultural forums, Arowosomo alleged that the Oyo people—along with the revered Alaafin royal institution—are working behind the scenes to undermine a bill currently before the National Assembly.
The proposed bill, according to him, seeks to elevate the Arole Oduduwa, Olofin Adimula, the Ooni of Ife, and His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, to Co-Chairmen of the Nigerian Council of Traditional Rulers.
Arowosomo alleged that prominent figures from Oyo have moved to sabotage the legislative process aimed at elevating the Ooni’s status nationally.
According to him, “The Oyo people and their Alaafin have finally unveiled their mission, which is to destabilise the entire Otu-Ife. They have sent a letter to the National Assembly of Nigeria instructing the National Assembly to halt the proposed bill meant to make the Arole Oduduwa, Olofin Adimula, Ooni of Ife and His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto the co-chairmen of Nigerian Council of Traditional Rulers.”
In his impassioned plea, Arowosomo further claimed that Oyo’s actions were rooted in longstanding rivalry, calling them a threat to Yoruba unity:
“The Oyo people have openly made every son and daughter of Otu-Ife/Yoruba land, and every ethnic group that came out of Otu-Ife, aware that they are the enemy within us. They are ready to destroy anything and everything we hold dear in Otu-Ife/Yoruba race just to satisfy their aim.”
He urged Yoruba descendants worldwide to reject what he termed an internal betrayal:
“This is not the time to keep quiet but rather to rise with all our might… so that we can have peace and regain our unity.”
SEE HIS POST BELOW
The accusation has reignited deep-seated cultural tensions between two of Yoruba land’s most historically powerful thrones — the Ooni of Ife, regarded as the spiritual father of the Yoruba race, and the Alaafin of Oyo, a historically imperial power in the region.
The proposed legislation remains in limbo, as stakeholders weigh the cultural and political implications of who leads Nigeria’s traditional institutions at the national level.
