Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, asserts he alone can confer chieftaincy titles bearing the name “Yorubaland,” citing history, law, and tradition

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has declared that he is the only traditional ruler authorised to confer chieftaincy titles bearing the name “Yorubaland.”

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The monarch made the statement during a ceremony at the Aganju Forecourt of the Oyo Palace, where former Zamfara State Governor Senator Abdul-Aziz Yari was installed as Obaloyin of Yorubaland and Seyi Tinubu as Okanlomo of Yorubaland.

Oba Owoade emphasised that chieftaincy in Yoruba tradition is not ornamental nor granted as a favour but is a serious responsibility rooted in history, authority, and service.

He explained that titles carrying the “Yorubaland” designation are collective, representing the entire Yoruba nation rather than any single town or kingdom, and therefore must originate from an authority with jurisdiction spanning the region.

“The throne of Oyo emerged in history as a coordinating authority, by responsibility. When colonial administration came, it did not invent this reality; it encountered it and recorded it,” the monarch said.

He highlighted that by 1914, Oyo Province covered 14,381 square miles, reflecting recognised leadership over a wide and diverse area acknowledged by colonial administrators.

Oba Owoade cited colonial records, post-independence councils, scholarly works, and Supreme Court pronouncements as validating the Alaafin’s authority.

He stressed that the newly installed titleholders carry positions of trust, requiring courage, loyalty, and selfless service to the Yoruba people.

“From the earliest organisation of Yorubaland, the Alaafin of Oyo occupied a central and coordinating authority an authority that extended beyond the walls of Oyo and into the collective political life of the Yoruba people. This was not self-declared. It was recognised, enforced, and sustained across generations,” he said.

The monarch urged the new titleholders to discharge their duties with humility, promoting dignity, cohesion, and the collective good of the Yoruba people.

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He concluded that chieftaincy titles bearing the name “Yorubaland” are distinct from local titles and fall under the singular, established authority of the Oyo throne.