The supremacy contest between the Ooni and the Alaafin persists, with each recently appointing an “Okanlomo” of Oduduwa/Yorubaland.
Both seek respect and gravitas, yet their actions and public pronouncements increasingly undermine, and even ridicule the very offices they occupy.
For all the grandeur they project, it bears recalling that, constitutionally, they remain subject to, and ultimately answerable to, mere local government chairmen.
The greater tragedy is that both Obas are highly influential and possess the capacity to advance the interests of their people meaningfully. By joining forces, they could exert real impact, rather than dissipating their authority in trite, self-promoting rivalries that yield little of value.
One only hopes they recognise that, between themselves and their immediate predecessors, much has already been done to erode the dignity of the stools and diminish the stature of the Yoruba traditional institution they represent.
TWO RULERS AND TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY BY LOLU AKINWUNMI
