"No Oba in Yorubaland Will Say Ifa Picked Him": Oluwo of Iwo Says Governors Select Kings
- Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwo land in Osun state, Nigeria, said it is the state governors, not the traditional Ifa system, who now select the Obas (kings) in Yorubaland
- The monarch added that the governor's choice is seen as God's ordination for the kingship position and dismissed the belief that Ifa plays a role in selecting kings
- Oba Akanbi further explained that he became the Iwo monarch through divine intervention and the will of Olodumare (God), highlighting his role in bringing unity among Yoruba kings
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Iwo, Osun state - Contrary to the traditional belief that Ifa picks the Obas in Yorubaland, the Oluwo of Iwo land, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has said it is state governors who select kings.
The outspoken monarch said this in an interview he granted Nigerian Tribune ahead of his eighth coronation anniversary.
Source: Facebook
Asked if it was Ifa that picked him ahead of the 40 other princes he contested against, Oba Akanbi said:
"Tell me one king that Ifa picked in Yoruba land. The person who is picked by the governor is the one God has ordained to be the king. There is no Oba in Yoruba land that will say Ifa picked him.
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"It is after the governor picked you that you now become a king. Ifa doesn’t have any power over the governor. May be you watch too much Nollywood movies.
"Even during our forefathers, they would make the most powerful person at that time king. At that time, I didn’t even know the governor because I had just returned from Canada but I told other contestants who were far richer and popular then that I was the next king even if you know Barack Obama and the governor, it would not change the fact that I was going to be the next Oluwo."
How I became Iwo king, Oba Akanbi reveals
Asked how he became the Iwo monarch if he didn’t know the state governor, Oba Akanbi said:
"When Olodumare wants to work, you can’t even understand how He would do it. Just for a few months before I became the king, Olodumare just opened a channel.
"I didn’t even meet the governor until the eve of the day I would be announced as the king. I met him at 1am and that was all! It was the work of Olodumare, the God of the Yorubas, the God of our fathers and you can’t understand it. When God brings a king, He brings him for a purpose."
The monarch, nevertheless, noted that Yorubas are very deep spiritually and so their kings are chosen by the Olodumare Himself.
"So I was chosen by God to be king, especially for the role I am playing in Yoruba land today, which is to bring all kings back to Olodumare. My father was a prince, a very high prince from Iwo known as Prince Kola Akanbi," he added.
“I wonder how the Whites were able to convince Africans that polygamy is a sin”: Oluwo of Iwo stirs reactions
In another report, the Oluwo of Iwo recently sparked emotions online with a post he shared about polygamy and homosexuality.
The monarch, in his viral post, slammed the idea that polygamy is seen as a crime while homosexuality is regarded as a human right.
He further noted that he still finds it baffling how the Western world has been able to successfully sell the idea that polygamy is a crime to Africans.
Source: Legit.ng
