The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has dismissed the long-held belief that Ile-Ife is the ancestral home of the Yoruba people.
The monarch’s declaration came in a video shared on his official Facebook page on Tuesday during the conferment of a chieftaincy title at his palace in Iwo, Osun State.
Contrary to the traditional narrative that traces Yoruba origin to Ile-Ife, Oba Akanbi argued that Oduduwa, revered as the progenitor of the Yoruba race, met an existing community in Ile-Ife and only rose to prominence after conquering the settlement.
“Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language is different. They refer to God as Eledumare, and there is nothing like Eledumare in the Yoruba language. What we have is Olodumare,” the monarch declared in Yoruba.
He further noted that terminologies common in Ile-Ife do not align with Yoruba traditions. “Ife people will always say Olofin, and if you ask them what it means, they will tell you it is the owner of the palace. In Yoruba, that is Alaafin. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture,” he maintained.
Oba Akanbi described himself as the “Arole Olodumare” (custodian of divine heritage), pledging to restore what he called the authentic history of the Yoruba nation.
“Iwo is where you can get the real history that was not even documented. Whatever I am telling you now, you must keep it because death can come anytime. I am not scared of death because it is inevitable,” he added.
Oluwo’s comments have stirred debates within Yoruba sociocultural circles, as Ile-Ife has for centuries been revered as the cradle of civilisation for the Yoruba people.
