The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has rejected the popular belief that Ile-Ife is the cradle of the Yoruba race.
The monarch made this known in a video shared on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, during the conferment of a chieftaincy title at his palace.
Oba Akanbi argued that Yoruba culture does not trace its roots to Ile-Ife, contrary to the long-held view that the ancient town is the foundation of the ethnic group. He maintained that Ile-Ife was already inhabited before the arrival of Oduduwa, who later conquered the settlement and assumed kingship.
He further claimed that the language originally spoken in Ile-Ife was not Yoruba, emphasizing his commitment to what he described as restoring the authentic history of the Yoruba people.
Oluwo said, “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.
“Ife people will always say Olofin, and if you ask them what the meaning is, they will tell you it means the owner of the palace, and what that means in Yoruba is ‘Alaafin’. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.
“I am the ‘Arole Olodumare because I am here to tell you the true history. 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,” Oluwo said in the Yoruba language.
Watch the video Below
(Tribune)