A Senior Special Assistant to the President Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, has sparked widespread debate after declaring that the era of imperial dominance associated with the old Oyo empire has passed.
Ajayi also stated that no traditional ruler holds supremacy over others in contemporary Yoruba society.
Ajayi made the remarks in a post shared on X (Formerly Twitter) on Saturday, where he attached a photograph of the current Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, while advancing his argument against perceived hierarchical superiority among Yoruba monarchs.
“We are no longer in the era of the Oyo Empire,” Ajayi wrote. “Rome and the United Kingdom, that once ruled more than half of the world as empires, can no longer claim sovereignty over former colonies. Times have changed. We are now in a new world.”
He maintained that the historical Oyo Empire should not be conflated with present-day cultural or political authority, stressing that Yorubaland was never entirely under the rule of the Alaafin.
“Oyo Empire now belongs to history and the whole of what we now know as Yorubaland was never under the rule of the Alaafin,” he said.
Ajayi further urged traditional rulers in the South-West to embrace collaborative leadership in line with modern realities, arguing that mutual respect among monarchs would better serve their communities.
“The society will function well if the current natural rulers in Yorubaland understand their roles in modern society,” he stated. “Our kings should now work collaboratively to preserve peace, unity and development in their communities whilst preserving our cultural values.”
The post has since triggered mixed reactions on social media, coming after ongoing contentious discussions about hierarchy, influence and power among traditional institutions in Yorubaland.
While some cultural historians and commentators continue to regard the stool of the Alaafin of Oyo as historically pre-eminent within Yoruba civilisation, others argue that the Oyo throne cannot claim overarching authority over the diverse kingdoms that make up the Yoruba race, insisting instead on the primacy of Ile-Ife and the spiritual leadership of the Ooni of Ife.
