The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, yesterday stunned journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, when he said he said he had come to Ibadan to see the Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, who he describes as ‘my father’.
The Punch quoted the King as saying that his visit was part of the effort to strengthen unity among traditional rulers in Yorubaland.
“I am here to see my father. Although the Olubadan is the youngest monarch in Yoruba land but his wisdom supersedes all. I went from Ibadan to become the Oluwo, it shows Iwo and Ibadan have a cordial relationship. Iwo owns Ibadan, Ibadan owns Iwo,” he said, addin that “traditional rulers must respect one another, irrespective of age, in order to achieve greater unity among Yoruba kings.”
“The person occupying the throne is not the one we are respecting but the throne itself,” he said.
He, however, said he would no longer comment on the rift between him and a former publicity secretary of the defunct National Party of Nigeria, Chief Abiola Ogundokun.
Ogundokun was recently stripped of all traditional titles conferred on him by the Iwo Traditional Council.
He, however, dared the monarch on Tuesday in a statement wherein he said that the Oluwo lacked the power to strip him of his titles.
Ogundokun stressed that he became a target for the king after he advised him against some of his alleged despicable acts.
Asked to comment on the perceived disagreement between him and Ogundokun, the Oluwo said only the ‘palace’ could speak on the matter.
“If you want to talk about that (stripping of Ogundokun), you have to call the palace in Iwo,” he said as some of his aides also urged him to keep mum on the matter.
The monarch told journalists after the closed-door meeting with the Olubadan that traditional rulers in Yoruba land were making efforts to sponsor a bill to advocate the provision of constitutional roles for traditional rulers in the country.
He said government could start involving traditional rulers in governance by giving them advisory roles, adding that he was ready to take up such a role if offered.
He said, “When a king can prove himself as a worthy father and leader, then he should be in government and be part of decision making. They need to give us more roles in government. We have many kings who are willing to take up advisory roles in government.
“We can start with the roles of special advisers, and we are going to sponsor a bill which will give advisory roles to kings in Yoruba land. As for me and the Olubadan, we are ready to serve and many other kings too are ready to serve. Kings are the fathers of all and we must take back our rightful position and be included in governance.”
In his speech, the Olubadan stressed the need for peace among Yoruba kings, saying there was no reason for them to fight or disrespect one another.
