Like his immediate past predecessor Oba Lamidi Adeyemi once asserted in life time, the reigning Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has said that he is the only traditional ruler with the exclusive authority to bestow chieftaincy titles bearing the name “Yorubaland” on deserving sons and daughters of Yoruba.
Going far back in time, Oba Owoade declared that chieftaincy in Yoruba tradition is not ornamental or something granted as a favour, but a serious responsibility rooted in history, authority and service to Yorubaland and humanity.
The Alaafin made the assertion on Sunday at the Aganju Forecourt of the Oyo Palace at the installation of former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdul-Aziz Yari, as Obaloyin of Yorubaland.
Seyi Tinubu, son President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was also bestowed with the Okanlomo of Yorubaland same day by the Alaafin.
-Former Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Senator Abubakar Sani Bello, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura, Senator Sani Musa, Senator Shehu Umar, Alhaji Abubakar Dantabawa and Alhaji Kabiru Kamba were among the dignitaries that graced the occasion.
Sen. AbdulAziz Yari arrives Oyo state for his installation as Obaloyin of Yorubaland by the Alaafin of Oyo.
The monarch explained that the Oyo throne has historically performed pivotal role as a central coordinating authority for the Yoruba people, a function that was recognised during the colonial era and sustained in post-independence governance.
According to the Alaafin, titles carrying the name “Yorubaland” are collective in nature, representing the entire Yoruba nation rather than any single town or kingdom.
The monarch, therefore, stated that any ‘Yorubaland’ title must be conferred by an authority whose jurisdiction historically spans the whole region.
The Alaafin noted that this position has been validated by colonial records, post-independence councils, scholarly works and judicial pronouncements, including decisions of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
He said the newly installed titles embodied positions of trust, demanding courage, loyalty and selfless service to the Yoruba people.
The revered monarch stressed that such honours are intended to strengthen unity and respect for tradition across Yorubaland.
He urged the new titleholders to discharge their duties with humility and ensure that their roles promote dignity, cohesion and the collective good of the Yoruba people.
He said, “We are gathered here today for a purpose that goes beyond celebration. We are here to witness history and to place responsibility where tradition has long placed it. Chieftaincy, in our culture, is not an act of favour. It is not decoration. It is a duty, conferred only when history, authority, and responsibility align.
“From the earliest organisation of the Yoruba people, authority was never vague. Our forebears understood structure. This understanding gave Yorubaland stability long before modern governance arrived.
“The throne of Oyo emerged in that history as a coordinating authority, by responsibility. When colonial administration came, it did not invent this reality; it encountered it and recorded it. By 1914, Oyo Province had become the largest province in Southern Nigeria, covering 14,381 square miles. It was bounded in the north by Ilorin and Kontagora, in the east by Ondo and Ijebu, in the south by Ijebu and Abeokuta, and in the west by French Dahomey. This reflected recognised leadership over a wide and diverse space.
“This history explains why certain chieftaincy titles are different in nature. Titles that bear the name ‘Yorubaland’ are not local titles. They are collective titles. They speak not for one town or one kingdom, but for the Yoruba people as a whole. Such titles must therefore proceed from an authority whose reach, by history and by law, extends across Yorubaland.
“Today, I do not speak to provoke debate. I speak to state order. Among the Yoruba, authority has never been a matter of assumption or convenience. It has always been a matter of history, structure, and law. Thrones were not created equal in function, even though all are sacred in dignity.
“From the earliest organisation of Yorubaland, the Alaafin of Oyo occupied a central and coordinating authority—an authority that extended beyond the walls of Oyo and into the collective political life of the Yoruba people. This was not self-declared. It was recognised, enforced, and sustained across generations. Colonial records acknowledged it. Post-independence councils preserved it. Scholars documented it.
“And finally, the Supreme Court of Nigeria affirmed it. The law is clear. History is settled. Chieftaincy titles that bear the name Yorubaland—titles whose meaning, influence, and obligation are not confined to a single town or kingdom—fall under a singular, established authority. That authority is the throne of Oyo.”
