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The recent public event where the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu ,74, refused to properly greet the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi 42 has set tongues wagging for the past few days, and it is not slowing down yet.
Ogunwusi, whom many Nigerians believe to be yoruba's superior monarch, at a public event leaned over to greet the Oba by shaking hands with him, but instead, got snubby wave from the 'Eleko'.
Though there have been different versions of stories from the parties involved, with Ooni stating that he will always respect Akiolu, and Akiolu claiming that his response to Oba Ogunwusi was the culturally acclaimed way of greeting a monarch in Lagos. But not many believe Akiolu's claims.
According to insider sources, the whole issue started when the Ooni placed a call to Oba Akiolu, informing him about his invitation to the Commonwealth.
But the Oba of Lagos got angry that he wasn’t invited for the event, and he requested that the Ooni boycotted the trip, a request that the Ooni did not honour.
The source said: “Ooni accords the older Yoruba monarchs a lot of respect and courtesy. He has even visited a number of them in their palaces since his coronation in December 2015. He wants to build bridges of understanding.
“Ooni usually informs the Alake of Egbaland, Awujale of Ijebuland and Oba of Lagos, among others, of his plans. Even when he’s travelling abroad, he tells them.”
“When he was going to London to honour the invitation of the Commonwealth, he told them. But when he informed Oba of Lagos about the March trip, he was upset.
“Oba of Lagos flared up during the phone call, and mentioned why he was not invited. Ooni offered to help to see if Oba of Lagos could be shortlisted for the trip, but he declined.
“The discussion was heated, and Oba Akiolu insisted that the Ooni should boycott the London event slated for March 13 and 14. The phone did not end on a happy note,” another source told Encomium.
The Ooni duly attended the Commonwealth Day celebrations in London, presented a speech, laid a wreath and graced many other events during the trip. Since the Ooni returned from London, the Bankers’ event of Tuesday, April 25 was the first time both were meeting.
Ogunwusi, whom many Nigerians believe to be yoruba's superior monarch, at a public event leaned over to greet the Oba by shaking hands with him, but instead, got snubby wave from the 'Eleko'.
Though there have been different versions of stories from the parties involved, with Ooni stating that he will always respect Akiolu, and Akiolu claiming that his response to Oba Ogunwusi was the culturally acclaimed way of greeting a monarch in Lagos. But not many believe Akiolu's claims.
According to insider sources, the whole issue started when the Ooni placed a call to Oba Akiolu, informing him about his invitation to the Commonwealth.
But the Oba of Lagos got angry that he wasn’t invited for the event, and he requested that the Ooni boycotted the trip, a request that the Ooni did not honour.
The source said: “Ooni accords the older Yoruba monarchs a lot of respect and courtesy. He has even visited a number of them in their palaces since his coronation in December 2015. He wants to build bridges of understanding.
“Ooni usually informs the Alake of Egbaland, Awujale of Ijebuland and Oba of Lagos, among others, of his plans. Even when he’s travelling abroad, he tells them.”
“When he was going to London to honour the invitation of the Commonwealth, he told them. But when he informed Oba of Lagos about the March trip, he was upset.
“Oba of Lagos flared up during the phone call, and mentioned why he was not invited. Ooni offered to help to see if Oba of Lagos could be shortlisted for the trip, but he declined.
“The discussion was heated, and Oba Akiolu insisted that the Ooni should boycott the London event slated for March 13 and 14. The phone did not end on a happy note,” another source told Encomium.
The Ooni duly attended the Commonwealth Day celebrations in London, presented a speech, laid a wreath and graced many other events during the trip. Since the Ooni returned from London, the Bankers’ event of Tuesday, April 25 was the first time both were meeting.