The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II), was born on the 17th October 1974. He is the 51st traditional ruler of Ife kingdom succeeding the late flamboyant Ooni Okunade Sijuwade in 2015. Oba Ogunwusi is the Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His marital life is fraught with controversies and gossips. Even as a teenager he had had his first child (Adeola Aanuolouwapo Ogunwusi) with another teenager named Omolara Olatubosun in Ibadan. In 2008 King Ogunwusi married Adebukola Bombata from whom he separated in 2016. And from 2016 to 2017 he was married to Zaynab Otiti Obanor from Edo State. That marriage ended in a divorce!
In October 2018 he married Prophetess Morenike Naomi Oluwaseyi. Even while officially married to Olori (Queen) Naomi he was once rumoured to be married to another ‘Olori’ named Ashley Afolashade whom he introduced to his birthday party guests as his ‘wife’ in October 2021!
Of course the Ooni is a handsome man and he is a modern king with sophisticated taste. He is powerful and age is on his side too! Such a man should ordinarily be any lady’s kind of husband any day anywhere. In the kingdom everything that guarantees a worthy life is available. No one (not the least an Olori) could make any claim of deprivation by the occupant of the throne.
Recently the social media was set on fire as it were when sensational news of elite divorce surfaced on Instagram authored by no other than Olori Naomi herself. Olori Silekunola Naomi issued a lenghty statement announcing her marriage with Ooni Ogunwusi was over.
She delved into many issues including how she met the Ooni without any intermediary; how she believed she was his only wife during the marital blissful years; how she had never conceived before delivering Prince and how a certain girl rumoured to be her daughter was her niece.
Though she acknowledged that “there were side attractions”, she insisted that “it was never an issue”.
“His Majesty”, according to her, “has a picture he would love the world to see and perceive him as and another one which is his true self.” Conclusion? That the Ooni is a two-faced Janus or a hypocrite? Or that his public image is at variance with or in sharp contrast to his real image at the household? What message was the Queen trying to pass across here? A vote of no confidence on the King?
“Today I announce the beginning of a new dawn and the close of a chapter. Today, I am a mother to God’s unique gift. I am no longer a slave to my thoughts of perfection…I, at this moment, announce that I shall no longer be referred to as wife to the Ooni of Ife or as Queen of Ile-Ife but as the Queen of the people and mother of my adorable Prince.” she had written apparently frustrated by a lot of factors inherent in being the wife of a relatively young Oba with huge appetite for sex and foreign materials.
After the Instagram post went viral online the Palace in Ile-Ife tried to do some damage control by first denying it. The Palace Spokesman claimed Ooni Enitan got wind of the ‘divorce’ online like the rest of us, lesser mortals. He claimed too that the Palace was investigating the source of the Instagram post to see if the Queen’s page was not hacked into!
The Palace equally declared dutifully that the Ooni was still very much in love with Queen Naomi to the point that she was presented with a brand new car as Christmas gift!
As the denials and half-truths were unable to defuse tension the Yoruba elders were summoned to try to reconcile the first-class Monarch with his estranged wife. No one knows for sure the outcome of the intervention by the Yoruba elders, traditional rulers and members of Ife community. But the truth is that there was a divorce scare coming from Queen Naomi.
While it is true that it was not the first time Olori Naomi had announced her seperation from the Ooni on the social media platform the young monarch may not be two times lucky. This time around it seems she meant it and their differences are irreconciliable. Why would a Queen quit a marriage rich in culture and heritage, one that has everything to do with opulence and greatness?
Pray, is Ooni Ogunwusi a philanderer? Or another ‘abominable’ royalty much like the Oluwo of Owo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi? Do they have something in common? What must have infuriated or pushed Olori Naomi to take the divorce option or path she took?
Even in the event of a reconciliation ‘deal’ being reached the relationship would never be the same again. Love has a way of finding its rythm and way. And when love is frustrated or ‘marginalized’ it is capable of making a loud noise. No responsible man or woman would like to be in an amorous relationship where true love is not cherished or accommodated.
Remi Oyeyemi had recently written an article where he blamed the Oloris (whom he described disrespectfully as Jezebels) for exploiting or taking the advantage of the Ooni. But we beg to disagree! We see no Jezebels anywhere around the kingdom. No, we see no Jezebels around the king at any point in time, especially since he mounted the Oduduwa throne years ago.
What we see, rather, is a youthfully-exuberant randy king unable to control his libido and his marital life. If the Ooni engages in extra-marital sexual liaisons then we must not put the blame on the ladies. Perhaps he is a bully, no one can tell, but the glorified ‘victims’ — (the Oloris) could tell better. So who is fooling whom here?
Before marrying Ooni and becoming Olori Naomi was a prophetess (woman of God). In one of the trending videos online she could be seen in spiritual action healing and delivering souls. How can someone spiritually that strong be expected to ‘dance’ to the primitive tunes of a Yoruba ancient god? Submissiveness is another matter altogether since such issue never arose.
Whether it was compatible or incompatible for a traditional ruler of a great kingdom like Ile-Ife to marry a former Prophetess is left to the imagination. Suffice to say that Ooni prides himself as a modern King, so he may not be too steeped in the ritualism and other primitive practices of his predecessors. He could marry as many women as possible if he cannot keep just one. The tradition approves it. And polygamy is not a crime.
Between Ooni Ogunwusi and his Oloris (past and present) Nigerians must be given a break about these scandals. The Ooni must bear responsibility for the divorce issues in his life. No good man can possibly marry twice or thrice and divorce them all for no fault of his. The whole women cannot be wrong!
We hold that Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi cannot be right, now or before! Let the right of Queen Naomi be respected! She deserves true love and pursuit of happiness.
Let the kingdom heal itself!
SOC Okenwa
soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr