Oluwo: Ife Not Origin Of Yoruba Race, Ile-Ife Has No Yoruba Culture

THE Oluwo of Iwo in Osun State, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has disputed the age-long claim that Ile-Ife is the origin of the Yoruba race, insisting the culture of the race is not in the ancient town of Ife.
Oluwo, in a video shared on his Facebook page on Tuesday, September 23, speaking in his palace, surrounded by his chiefs, while bestowing a chieftaincy title on one of his subjects, said Ife was not the origin of the Yoruba race and that people were living in the town before Oduduwa conquered the city and became its ruler.
Oluwo, speaking in Yoruba language, noted that the language spoken in ancient Ife was not the same as the common Yoruba language, reiterating his readiness to bring back the correct historical accounts of the Yoruba race.
“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.
“Ife people will always say Olofin, and if you ask them what the meaning is, they will tell you it means the owner of the palace, and what that means in Yoruba is ‘Alaafin.’ Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.
“I am the Arole Olodumare, because I am here to tell you the true history. Iwo is where you can get the real history that was not even documented.
“Whatever I am telling you now, you must keep it because death can come anytime. I am not scared of death because it is inevitable.”
The origin of the word, ‘Yoruba,’ often leads to controversy, the most recent one being the face-off between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, over the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland, allegedly bestowed on Ibadan-based businessman, Dotun Sanusi, by the Ooni.
The Punch reported in August that the Ooni had bestowed the title on Sanusi during the unveiling of 2geda, an indigenous social media and business networking platform, at Ilaji Hotel, Ibadan.
But in a statement signed by his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin declared that no traditional ruler, other than him, has the authority to confer a title covering the entire Yorubaland, and issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni to revoke the title or “face the consequences.”