The palace of the Ooni of Ife has dismissed comments by the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, who claimed that Ile-Ife is not the cradle of the Yoruba people.
In a statement on Tuesday, Moses Olafare, spokesperson to the Ooni, described the remark as unworthy of serious response.
“No reasonable person will react to Oluwo’s comments,” Olafare said.
Oba Akanbi had, in a video posted on his Facebook page during a chieftaincy installation in Iwo, argued that Ile-Ife does not represent the foundation of Yoruba culture.
Surrounded by his chiefs, the monarch insisted that the Ife dialect is different from mainstream Yoruba and questioned some expressions commonly used in the ancient city.
“Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language is different. They call God Eledumare, but there is nothing like Eledumare in Yoruba. What we have is Olodumare.
“They also use Olofin to mean the owner of the palace, but in Yoruba that is Alaafin. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture,” he said.
The Oluwo further described himself as the “Arole Olodumare,” claiming that Iwo holds the authentic Yoruba history, which he said was never documented.
Disputes over the historical origin of the Yoruba and the influence of traditional rulers have remained subjects of heated debate among scholars and monarchs.
