For the first time since he became the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, wore the Sese-Efun crown.
Oba Adeyemi, who was installed close to 48 years ago, wore the sacred white crown, which was said to have been worn seven times by only two Alaafins about one hundred twenty years ago, to the admiration of the excited crowd.
Successive Alaafins do wear it only after ten years of their coronation.
At the event, the Ayabas also showcased one of the best cultural traditions- “igba titi” otherwise known as calabash drumming. While this was being done, the Ayabas were singing the praises and eulogising the past and the present Alaafin of Oyo.
Oba Adeyemi would later tell guests that life and political career of the legendary founder of Oyo town, Oranyan, provided a template for an effective political system or statecraft, empire building and mass political participation.
According to the monarch, ”Oranyan was an astute political leader, who inspite of all odds, created a most enduring political system in the sub-Saharan Africa.
“The archetypal monarchy embroidered with central authority was a product of the wizardry of Oranyan, who left the cradle of Yoruba consciousness to create a system of government whose effectiveness, creativity, relevance, suitability and appropriateness is not in doubt even in contemporary Nigeria,”Alaafin said.
He added that what Oranyan did was to create a system and not personal autocracy, pointing out that if it was a structure built around him, it probably would have collapsed immediately after his death.
The Alaafin asserted that it was indeed, a structure built on a solid foundation of ideas and the best of Yoruba knowledge system, hence its capacity to endure the vicissitudes of time.
“It is also to call attention to Yoruba contribution to civilisation as empire builders long before the dawn of political sophistication in other parts of the world. It goes beyond mere celebration and veneration of our heroes past, but lubricating the tunnels of harmony, ignite the touch of unity and fester peace among the Yoruba race. It is also to immortalise and showcase to the whole world the deeds and worth of an enigmatic Oranyan, one of the seven sons of Okanbi, the son of Oduduwa, who was the ”first Oba in Yoruba-land to establish an enduring empire, which spread beyond its dialectical region and lasted more than 600 uninterrupted years,” he said.
