HISTORY-SHAPING, CULTURE-DEFINING: OONI MEETS ALARA IN EPIC VISIT TO ILARA
By Oki Samson, Trek Africa Newspaper
L-R: Alara of Ilara, HRM Oba Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo bows to welcome Ooni of Ife, HIM Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II to the Alara Palace, in Ilara, Eredo, Lagos.
Histories are made, histories are rewritten, and histories are reshaped. For the Yoruba nation, the Ooni of Ife, HIM Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II is truly an Enitan – a man of history. He keeps building bridges across the length and breadth of Nigeria, and more importantly, the Yoruba nation. Over the weekend, he shaped history again.
Trek Africa Newspaper report that, since the eons when the indigenes of the ancient kingdom of Ilara as descendants of Oduduwa made their sojourn away from the Source to their current location in present-day Eredo LCDA of Lagos state, they have not had the privilege of having any Arole Oodua visit them. In a first-of-its-kind move, the Ooni of Ife, HIM Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II paid a grand visit to the palace of the Alara of Ilara, Oba Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo on Friday.
The town of Ilara and entire Epeland were agog to receive the primal leader of the Yorubas on 14th May. This is coming less than a year of the installation of Oba Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo as the Alara of Ilara. It should be noted that HRM Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo was a thoroughbred Lagos public servant. The one-time Executive Chairman of Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) took the reins of traditional leadership precisely 16th August, 2020 when Gov. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu presented him the staff of office. This was after 58 years of the fruitful reign of his late predecessor, Oba Akeem Okunola Adesanya.
At the majestic meet of the royals, the full paraphernalia of Yoruba culture at its best was on display. In fact, the Ooni of Ife was able to draw parallels in the culture at Ilara and traced them back to Ile-Ife. ‘I saw some things here. I asked my cohort to stop and let me properly behold the display. And I saw big similarities. So I asked what this is called and they say it is called Apepe. This is exactly what we call Ipadi in the Source.
the Royal entering of Ooni of Ife, HIM Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II to Alara Palace in Ilara…
Interestingly, those who practice this art have similar names in both places. This is home. Kabiyesi, do you mind me continue to stay here’, as he connected the dots to the rapturous ovation of everyone present.
The Arole Oodua, HIM Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II then turned to the Kabiyesi Alara of Ilara, ‘I have a momentous gift for you from the Source’. He, then, poured out profound and foundational prayers on the king and his people. ‘The Alara, you are Ori Ade, you are Ori Apesin, your head has brought you here. The crown of your head will not be removed. You are a minister of God, no one who works for God fails, you will not fail. When the day dawns, no one stops its shining, no one will be able to stop you from shining. It is always cool at the sea, it is always cool with the brass bells, it will be cool with you and the entire land of Ilara.’
‘You are well-read, you are widely known, use all for the development of Ilara. Productivity comes to this land. Fruitfulness comes to this land. Wealth abides in this land. Everything I declared will be so’, the Ooni of Ife prayed in his historic visit.
