Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, insists Ile-Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race, sparking renewed debate over royal hierarchy in Osun State.
The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has dismissed the widespread belief that Ile-Ife is the cradle of the Yoruba race. Speaking in a video posted on his Facebook page Tuesday during a chieftaincy ceremony at his palace, the monarch said, “Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language is different. They refer to God as Eledumare, and there is nothing like Eledumare in the Yoruba language. What we have is Olodumare.”
He argued that Oduduwa conquered Ile-Ife rather than founded the Yoruba nation and maintained that Iwo preserves “the real history that was not even documented.”
Oluwo described himself as the “Arole Olodumare,” pledging to restore what he called the true narrative.
His comments surfaced days after the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanilekun Larooye III, reaffirmed his throne’s fourth-ranking status in Osun State, reviving tensions over traditional hierarchy among prominent monarchs.