AN OPEN LETTER TO THE NEW ALAAFIN OF OYO

Baba wa Alalayeluwa, Aláàfin of Ọ̀yọ́, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade

We greet Your Majesty on your coronation. As we recognise your ascension to the throne as a divine ordination.

Nevertheless, Kabiyesi, it may interest you to know that your coronation and the celebration of your emergence have reached us in the diaspora with mixed emotions.

While we rejoice in your elevation, we are also compelled to write to you with heavy hearts concerning many of your sons and daughters across the seas.

Kabiyesi, it must be said respectfully that the beginning of your reign has not inspired joy in many of us observing events from afar. The recent activities of the Fulani across Yorubaland remain a grave concern.

These same Fulani, under the guise of alliance (collaboration) and religion, deceived and ultimately assassinated Afonja, the Yoruba ruler of Ilorin, with the help of Alimi and his cohorts.

Kabiyesi, i am sure you know this history, i am simply just taking this occasion to remind you toThe city of Ilorin was thereafter usurped and surrendered to the Sokoto Caliphate. This marked the beginning of the Fulani-Yoruba conflict that spanned many decades and culminated in pivotal battles such as the Jalumi War and, most notably, the decisive battle at Òṣogbo, where our ancestors finally halted the Fulani’s expansionist ambition into Yorubaland.

We can not help but recall the historical trauma inflicted upon our people when the Fulani sacked Oyo Ile, forcing our ancestors to rebuild and regroup. Unfortunately, the legacy of that event continues to haunt us to this day, with ongoing Fulani atrocities in Yorubaland causing pain and displacement among our people.

Kabiyesi, the present age, calls for unity more than ever before. Though your reign is new, we respectfully urge your Majesty to reach out again to the Ooni of Ife, not out of obligation, but in demonstration of unity.

We are aware that the Ooni honoured your coronation with his presence. Let the Alaafin now honour the Ooni with a reciprocal visit. Such a gesture would reinforce that the children of Odùduwà are one.

The public altercations, allegedly coming from descendants of Oduduwa, which are being amplified by Yoruba bloggers, do not serve our people well; they only embolden our enemies.

We have it on a good record that our forefathers ended internecine wars among Yoruba kingdoms and united to repel foreign conquest.

Kabiyesi, do you wish that Yorubaland be weakened and subdued during your reign?

And since you have already paid homage to Aro Rock and visited Sokoto, the seat of the Fulani Caliphate.

We humbly and respectfully ask: What is the distance between Oyo and Ile-Ife?

We are less concerned with the contents of your discussions in Sokoto. What the Yoruba people yearn to see is a powerful image of solidarity, a moment where the Alaafin and the Ooni stand side by side, sending a clear message that Yoruba unity is alive. Indeed, a picture speaks louder than a thousand words.

Kabiyesi, we must also remind you that your sacred stool carries the weight of Yoruba memory and history. It is not merely a seat of prestige but a symbol of ancestral resistance, wisdom, and pride. As Alaafin, your reign must not be remembered for indifference or division.

We plead with you that it instead be known for healing, courageous leadership, and for restoring the Yoruba spirit of unity and greatness.

The time has come for peace to reign in Yorubaland. The Yoruba nation does not need conflict; we need cohesion. Kabiyesi, we implore you to be a unifying force and a custodian of our collective legacy. It is on good record that one of the first move made by Oonirisa upon his ascension to the throne was a courtesy, peace and unity visit to our royal father, the late Kabiyesi Atanda, Lamidi Adeyemi.

Please do this for the Oduduwa race, and history will speak well of you, Kabiyesi.

May the Almighty Olódùmarè grant you a reign of wisdom, strength, and honour.

Yours sincerely,

Princess Adeola Atayero Olamijulo

Director of the Yoruba Nation Global Directorate, a prominent Yoruba organisation with members across the world.