Why Oba Akiolu is correct and right to disrespect Ooni of Ife, Walai Talai – written by Wale Ojo Lanre

I have watched the video where Oba Akiolu of Lagos threw it’s royal sensibilities into the winds, invalidated his honour and polluted his aura by waving his hand to the Ooni of Ile Ife, the cradle of Yoruba race, the source of black people of the world and the spiritual home of all Scion of Oduduwa.

What I saw in the video is the characterisation of the entities involved each showcasing their ancestral ethics, pristine values, personal home training and respect for the sensibilities of the general public.

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The God who enthroned Ooni of Ife has imbued in him the virtues of humility and respect for the elders no matter their state or status. This, he always manifests by the enthusiastic manner of response to salutation which he laces with a buoyant smile which showcases his white unstained set of teeth; teeth unstained neither by marijuana, hashish, cocaine or barbiturates.

Through the video, I can see the exhibition in Ooni of Ife being a thoroughbred; culturally baked and homegrown. A true and authentic typical Yoruba product who has never allowed the stupidity of greatness, (folie de grandeur) to rub off his parental value of respecting the elders and giving salutation to whoever preceded you to an occasion because ‘Eni a ba laba ni baba’

I could see the aura of a heavenly blessed king and royal personality which showed to all that the true blue blood runs in the Ooni by his calmness and dove-like composure he exhibited while displaying his home training to another Oba.

I saw on the faces of the people and their body language confirming the unacceptable garage boy behaviour of the Oba Akiolu.

The Ooni has once again showed the world his royal and regal character, which are not only inborn and innate, but also mature enough to externalise these through personal disposition and relationships.

He also through his sartorial comportment distinguished himself as a clean minded man in white who does not need to cover his face with dark goggles.

In Yoruba land, a well bred Yoruba should be a person who has not only acquired home training ( Eni ti nwon ko ) but that who also imbibed and exhibited the home training anywhere anytime ( Eniti o gbo eko ti o tun turare ko ).

The Ooni, through his behaviour in this video, made me proud and made me praise the Lord for his ascension on the throne.

The Ooni is pure in dressing, pure in spirit and pleasant in approach. Open to all and accords each person diligent respect as shown by the video.

For his act of moving towards Akiolu, bending a little in salutation to him shows that this Ooni Ojaja is not only a symbol of peace but a paragon of humility.

May God bless him richly.

And now, for Akiolu.

Only a fool will expect anything royally sensible and better from a so-called Oba whose demeanour and utterances since he ascended the throne are poles apart from being royal, being regal and devoid of any iota of dignity.

If not because I have tremendous respect for the stool of Lagos, I would have depicted the person and behavioural pattern of Akiolu, the king of Lagos, as that of a vagabond who lives perpetually on hard drugs which has taken control of his senses and colonised his mental capacity.

His demeanor can be liken to what the Yoruba called ‘Alawoku’, a haphazardly reformed mental dis-articulated man who runs in and out of lucidity at intervals.

And if that kind of person is made a king, are you expecting him to behave royally, regally and courteously as is expected by the throne?

No!

Any person in like manner will never behave in a manner that a prudent man will applaud. Thus, Akiolu was right to have behaved to type. And we must be grateful that God took control of his spirit.

For people that always go extra mile by attacking and assaulting whoever fancy them ( nwon ma mbu enyan je), and that Oba Akiolu restraining himself from bibu Ooni je, I say Alihamdulilahi. Because people with that kind of character trait cannot be predicted.

For doing that and exhibiting the correct trait of a vagabond and a man whose brain is being tortured by the gods who he must have offended during his service years  as a police officer.

It is just the words of wisdom saying you cannot put a misnomer in a post of authority and expect sanity.

Akiolu is not normal and so only fools expect him to behave rationally. I am not a fool. He lived and still living up to expectations.

Ko si bi a se ma se ebolo ko ma run

Asin ko le Pa orun re mo

So it is with the Oba Akiolu.

Abi e ti gbagbe ni pe ti eru ba joba…

Bi asiwin ba je ijoye…

*Wale Ojo Lanre is a celebrated journalist of long standing. He’s worked as both a journalist and editor at the Tribune and is celebrated by many of his peers.