We all know that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, is dead. But certainly not how his successor will be chosen.
YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine went to town recently, asking questions and making enquiries and here is what we uncovered from one insider on the procedures for choosing the next Ooni: “First, the State Government will write to the Ruling House whose turn it is to provide a candidate. After that, the Ruling House will meet to choose their candidates, then forward their names to the king makers. Then, the State Government.
“However, as they await the government’s response, the same king makers will forward the names chosen to an Ifa priest. This is because the Ifa oracle’s input is very crucial and critical in the selection of Ooni. And once approved by Ifa, the name again will be sent back to the government and immediately approval is gotten, installation follows – which is usually done by the traditional king makers.
“After which the staff of office is handed to the lucky one by the State Government. So far, the Ooni title has rotated among four Ruling Houses in Osun State – and they are Giesi, Lafogido, Osinkola and Ogboru”. According to what we gathered, Ogboru ruled first, then Giesi, Ademilokun, aka Agbedegbede, Ajila Orunorun, Gbegbaaye, Degbin Kunbusu, Orayigba Ogbagba, Oba Derin Ologbehunla, Oba Adesoji Aderemi and Oba Okunade Sijuwade, in that order.
The other things that will count are the person must be a prince, a male and come from the royal lineage; he must be at least 30 years of age, married, a person of integrity, humble, generous, well behaved and with a teachable spirit. YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine equally gathered that a new Ooni will emerge soonest because long vaccum is not tolerated when it comes to finding a replacement.
For instance, Oba Sijuwade mounted the throne two months after the demise of his predecessor, Oba Aderemi. “The Ile-Ife culture does not permit or encourage long vaccum or vacancy when it comes to getting a replacement – and this won’t be an exception. The reason being that the Ooni is one of the symbols of Yoruba race”.
Meanwhile, in the absence of the Ooni, the Ile-Ife kingdom is currently under the control Obalufe of Ife and Lowa of Ife.
Late Oba Sijuwade, who reigned for over 30 years, died in a London hospital on Tuesday, July 28, 2015.
Aged 85, he was interred at the palace on Friday, August 14, 2015. Now, the battle over who succeeds him is on.
Officially also, the Chieftaincy Act guiding who succeeds the next Ooni says that ‘The secretary of the competent council shall not later than 14 days after the occurrence of the vacancy announce the name of the ruling house entitled according to customary law to provide a candidate or candidates as the case may be to fill that vacancy’. And this must also be followed here. The four Ruling Houses in Ile-Ife, Osun State, of course, have all gone to work, desirous of producing the next king. Even though we have it on good authority that it is the turn of the Giesi Ruling House to do so.