•What He Said At A Reception At The Palace
It is no longer news that the Ooni of Ife has married 6 beautiful Oloris. And going by the feelers coming out of the palace, he is set to marry 4 more stunning beauties, over the next few months.
Recently, at his birthday, he spoke about the challenges he has been through over the last few years. It was at his last birthday, a few days ago. Many were shocked when the Ooni gave a long speech about his travails. He spoke in parables. He started by narrating the horrible experience of his Oloris leaving him and how shocked he was. He also revealed what he went through and how he was able to cope with the situation. He said the one that shook him most was what he went through last year December. He said he was spiritually attacked. “Many don’t know I went through a lot of challenges. In November 2021, I went through a lot. What has saved me is ORE OFE & Aanu Olorun. When the attack came, it hit me badly.”
He spoke in Yoruba at the event. “I thank everyone, I greet male, female, infant and adult. I thank God Almighty, the King that receives all kings, the king of yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever, I am grateful and I thank God for his sufficient mercy over my life. I give gratitude to everyone for your support. I want to tell everybody one truth that this life that I am living, I came to serve everyone, I came to serve you, all of you are my comforter, you people give me strength and energy. if I see you, I will be healthy and energetic. I thank you abundantly, you people are supposed to be sleeping by now but you are here today, to show me love and celebrate me with joy.”
“I greet all the kings and queens here today, I greet you all, wherever you are seated, our communion will not be destroyed, I thank you all kings abundantly. It’s God Almighty that chooses who sits on the throne. I greet all my childhood friends present here and my family; I know you and you know me well from the start. God Almighty will continue to keep you healthy.”
“No one knows today and days to come, but it is only God that knows this, we should do good. I think about my life all through and deeply. I will sing a song, if you don’t know the song just dearly listen and follow me; “Ara e dide e ba mi jo, eniyan mi e ba mi yo, Oluwa mi lo gbe mi ga, ninu ewu gbogbo o pa mimo, ninu ewu gbogbo omu mi ye, ki lo tun ye mi bi ko so pe, ope ni te mi lo jo gbogbo”.
“Join me to rejoice and dance. We celebrated this birthday last year; all you did for me happened last year but there was a storm, something happened to me last year December and I celebrated my birthday on the tenth month (October) last year.”
“It seemed my heart wanted to exit my body, I said what is that? How will I handle this, God Almighty? I put everything in to your able hand, anywhere this arrow is coming from, it is me that was slack, there is no how God can care for you, you can’t walk without your head not shaking. Everything I said to God is: do what you used to do, but all the people present here today, all your unfinished situation shall be completed by God Almighty.”
“There’s no one on earth who doesn’t have problems, on this throne that I am, my ancestors used to see yesterday, today and tomorrow, eleventh month (November). The sympton is as if someone sees the depth of water we drink and believe it won’t happen. So I was wondering that it is not up this.”
“Groundnut and squirrels love each other a lot. If a squrrel sees groundnut on a farm, what will the squirrel do? The squirrel will eat everything. As I have said, no one is certainly complete, so I decided, “I serve people, and I will serve God as well, I don’t want something of such again. What caused it? I will serve people, I should honour the customs and tradition of this throne high, in order for people to benefit from me. It is grace and mercy I received.”
“No one thinks about this with me. There is no hiding place for me. If I want to sneak out, the whole world will know about it, for this reason. I decided, why can’t I serve people, because this throne is “to hold and prosper” (adimula). This is the meaning of Olofin Oodua”, by the power of God Almighty, you will hold this throne and it will not fall from your hand. The storm came! So, I said God knows the best. That is the reason I said those words. Now see how God does his work! This year, I’ve experienced the brightness of the day and of the sun, see how powerful God Almighty is, if the brightness of the day does not want us to look at it, we will look at the moon”.
Song “e mi ba le gbe run ahan…”, “o se o Jesu a o ma yin o…” when the storm came, all the people around me that I called men, they were sweating, trutly I say unto you, I don’t need to mention names, because it met them unexpectedly. How are we going to do this ah! I saw them shaking.” City People gathered that it is because of the various experiences Ooni has had with women in the recent past that he decided to formalise some of his relationships with his female friends. Explained a source, “Kabiyesi feels that rather than leave people to speculate as per who he is dating or not, it will be better to just marry them and bring them into the palace to live with him, like the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi did.” Let us quickly take you through the world of some of these Oloris.
The 1st official wife is Olori Mariam Ajibola Ogunwusi who may actually be the face of the palace. Her wedding was done in September and her wedding reception took place on Sunday, October 16th, 2022. Some have tagged her as the senior wife and maybe the numero uno. But from what we have learnt, there’s actually no seniority at all, as the wives are wives. The wives are all expected to comport themselves as wives worthy of the stool of the calibre of that of the Arole Odua, the Oonirisa.
Olori Mariam was until her marriage, a top management executive at Nestoil, the largest EPCC service provider for IOCs in Sub-saharan Africa. The company is owned by one of Nigeria’s wealthiest men (billionaire) from the South -East (Anambra) in the person of Ernest Nnaemeka Azudialu Obiejesi.
Olori (Dr.) Opeoluwa Elizabeth Ogunwusi’s own ceremony followed in quick succession to that of Olori Mariam, as her own wedding rites were performed just hours after Olori Mariam’s own. For the fair complexioned Scotland returnee, her marriage rites took place in Lagos at her parents, Magodo residence. She is acclaimed to be a successful IT executive based in Glasgow, Scotland.
For the 32-year-old Olori Tobi Ogunwusi (nee Phillips), her marriage rites was one of the most recent. Her wedding took place on Sunday, October 9th, 2022 and it was an understated fanfare that heralded it. Olori Tobi, a former model and beauty queen many times over, is a 3D artist and a fashion designer with her own eponymous label- ‘QTP Luxury Fashion’ based in the Lekki area of Lagos.
The ceremony which followed next was that of ‘Princess Ashley Afolashade Folakemi Adegoke whose wedding took place on Friday, October 14th, 2022. Much as the London returnee would have loved to throw a ‘humongous party’ that would have dazzled all comers, she decided to opt for a thanksgiving service in church. Queen Ashley Afolashade is a UK- based entrepreneur who owns a coffee franchise. She’s also a philanthropist with a foundation named in memory of her late dad, Prince Adegoke.
3 days after Ooni’s birthday on the 17th, which is 4 days after the mother of all receptions for Olori Mariam, on Thursday, October 20th, 2022, Princess Aderonke Ademiluyi’s marriage rites where performed. She’s a princess of the source as her great-grandfather was also an Ooni, Ademiluyi Ajagun. Princess Ronke is a lawyer and the founder of Africa Fashion Week London (AFWL) which is 11 years old and just held in London. Africa Fashion Week Nigeria (AFWN) held at Eko Hotel in September. The very gorgeous, mother of 1 is also in charge of the Queen Moremi Initiative and the global ambassador and the founder of the Adire Odua.
Four days after, which is today Monday, it would be the turn of highly cerebral, Princess Temitope Adesegun, the former PA to the now late Secretary to the State Government during the administration of action Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola in the person of Princess Aderenle Adeniran-Ogunsanya, who passed on in January 2022 at the age of 74. She’s an ‘alumna’ of such prestigious institutions in the like Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD Fointanebleu & Harvard Boston. Having first gotten her diplomas and then her Bachelor’s from the University of Lagos.
Temitope Adesegun would be undergoing her 2nd missionary journey in marriage with the Oonirisa, as she had been married before. Her first marriage ended 2017 or thereabout. She’s had extensive work experience in both the public and private sectors and she is a director of the Hope Alive Initiative of the Ooni. She’s a gorgeous beauty with brains and a fashionista too.
– TAYO OYEDIJI
