•Alexander Temitope Ajayi
Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has declared that the era of imperial dominance associated with the old Oyo Empire has passed.
According to him, no traditional ruler holds supremacy over others in contemporary Yoruba society.
Ajayi made the remarks in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, where he attached a photograph of the current Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, while advancing his argument against perceived hierarchical superiority among Yoruba monarchs.
“We are no longer in the era of the Oyo Empire,” Ajayi wrote.
“Rome and the United Kingdom, which once ruled more than half of the world as empires, can no longer claim sovereignty over former colonies. Times have changed. We are now in a new world.”
He maintained that the historical Oyo Empire should not be conflated with the present-day cultural or political authority, stressing that Yorubaland was never entirely under the rule of the Alaafin.
Ajayi further urged traditional rulers in the South-West to embrace collaborative leadership in line with modern realities, arguing that mutual respect among monarchs would better serve their communities.
The post has since triggered mixed reactions on social media, following ongoing contentious discussions about hierarchy, influence, and power among traditional institutions in Yorubaland.
While some cultural historians and commentators continue to regard the stool of the Alaafin of Oyo as historically pre-eminent within Yoruba civilisation, others argue that the Oyo throne cannot claim overarching authority over the diverse kingdoms that make up the Yoruba race, insisting instead on the primacy of Ile-Ife and the spiritual leadership of the Ooni of Ife.
Meanwhile, the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Alao, has assured Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, that members of the state Council of Obas and Chiefs will give adequate support to the new chairman, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
Olugbon, in a statement released in Ibadan, the state capital, yesterday, gave the assurance while hosting the governor at his palace in Orile-Igbon, Surulere Local Government Area of the state, on Friday.
The governor on Thursday inaugurated the state Council of Obas and Chiefs after 15 years, with the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Ladoja, emerging as its first chairman.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, was conspicuously absent from the inauguration, which was held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat, Ibadan. Olugbon, who is the Deputy Chairman of the Obas Council, said: “Your Excellency, Seyi Makinde, we appreciate you for coming here.
“I would like to take this opportunity to explain that the government has done what is needful on the State Council of Obas and Chiefs. We are in support of the decision.”
The traditional rulers who joined the Olugbon were the Aresapa of Iresa-Pupa, Oba Moses Ajiboye; the Aranyin of Iranyin, Oba Lasisi Olagbemileke; the Olujado of Ijado, Oba Hammed Adegbile; and Iba Abogunde Tajudeen Aminullahi.
