The Crowning of the Ooni of Ife

by Nero Ughwujabo

Today, December 7 2015, marked the crowning of the 51st Ooni of Ife at a coronation ceremony at Ile-Ife.

Mr Adeyeye Ogunwusi, a 40-year-old accountant was crowned His Imperial Majesty, Oba Babatunde Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, Ooni of Ife – a revered monarch in south-west Nigeria; and now becomes the most influential chief of the 35-million strong Yoruba community.

Amongst the guest at the coronations were  prominent personalities including the Governor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos state, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, the national leader of All Progressive Congress (APC) Senator Bola Tinubu.

Ọọ̀ni of Ilé-Ifẹ̀ is the traditional ruler of Ile-Ife and the dynasty dates back hundreds of years. Ife-Ifè is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. Ọọ̀ni Lajamisan, who was the 8th Ọọ̀ni of Ile Ife and was a Son of Ọọ̀ni Oranmiyan; (Ọọ̀ni Oranmiyan was the Father of the first Oba of Benin, First Aláàfin of Oyo and the father of Oṣile of Oke-Ona Egba. Ọọ̀ni Lajamisan the son of Ọọ̀ni Oranmiyan, was also the father of Ọọ̀ni Lajodoogun, the 9th Ọọ̀ni of Ile Ife, through whom the genealogy of all succeeding Ọọ̀nis of Ile Ife until the most recent Ọọ̀ni Okunade Adele Sijuwade, Olubuse II, Arole Oduduwa and the head of the Yoruba Nation, is traced down to Ọọ̀ni Odùduwà, the ancestral father of the Yoruba  people.

The new king Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is now one of the most influential among the Yoruba people, Nigeria’s second biggest ethnic group, of about 35 million.

Crowds of thousands gathered to celebrate in the city of Ife, The new Yoruba king walked through the crowds in the city.  Mr Ogunwusi was a prince from one of the ruling houses in the Ife kingdom and was selected by kingmakers from 21 candidates which included his older brother. The previous Ooni of Ife, Oba Sijuwade, travelled to his ancestors in July aged 85 after a 35-year reign.