Olugbo of Ugbo as the kanda in our iresi -By Festus Adedayo

Pardon my having to borrow a twin concept that makes up a popular argot gleefully propounded on the streets of Yorubaland to define an anomaly that fructified recently in the palace of Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, the Olugbo of Ugbo, the riverine Ilaje Local Government area of Ondo State. At that event, Akinruntan finally deflated whatever was left of the balloon of respectability and reverence for ancient Yoruba traditional stool. Kandain iresiis an admixture of chaffs and a strange stone find in a rice meal which its victim chews gleefully, before the teeth crash into the intruder. Kandain iresi emits pain and agony that go straight down to the marrow.

In his palace on Thursday last week, in furtherance of the activities mapped out for the celebration of his tenth coronation anniversary, the Olugbo had handed beaded crowns to three fellows he called diaspora traditional rulers. The purported kings are, the Yoruba traditional ruler in Republic of Ireland, which went to “Oba” Saheed Ibrahim Adufe; “Oriade” of Georgia in Atlanta, USA, “Oba” Bernard Shola Akinrimisi and the “traditional ruler” in Liberia, “Oba” Omobolaji Ogunkoya. Claiming he is the custodian of Yoruba culture, Akinruntan even vowed to coronate more kings in the diaspora.

To start with, where does Akinruntan suddenly heap out this laughable latter-day Yoruba custodial claim of his and what or where in history does he have the validity of this laughable claim? Ancient Yoruba history frowns at this strange concoction by a man whose only shining apparel is said to be his dripping oil wealth. Full stop; that is where it ends. Akinruntan is not known to be such a deep advocate of Yoruba history or culture, nor imbued with a pedigree that stands for the Yoruba people.

Second is the strangeness of his new toga as one to coronate kings. One may ask if the instrument of office given to him by the Ondo State government grants him this reckless latitude and if it does, makes him the consenting authority to so do across the world? The next question that flows from this is, those clowns he made kings, where would be their palaces in their foreign countries of abode and what kinship affinity binds them and their “subjects”  in their foreign domains?

Akinruntan and his co-travellers in the Obaship boats are products of a Nigeria that is going haywire; if not, they won’t trample on custom and traditional norm this ignominiously. Respected traditional rulers in Yorubaland should hold an emergency meeting to disclaim this strange kandain our national iresibefore Obaship goes finally to the dustbin of history.