The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has declared invalid a traditional title conferred on a Brazilian national, Paola Almeida Ferreira, by Yemoja worshippers in Oyo, saying the conferment was made without the knowledge or approval of the palace.
Ferreira was reportedly bestowed with the title “Yeye Atayese Oniyemoja of Oyo Land” on August 23, 2026. She subsequently announced the conferment on social media, describing the title as one associated with responsibility, recognition and commitment to the sacred.
However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, August 26, the Alaafin said the title was not valid under the native laws, customs and chieftaincy traditions of Oyo.
The statement, titled “Title Yeye Atayese Oniyemoja of Oyo Land,” was issued from the Alaafin’s Palace under reference number AL 1/VOL.8/105 and signed by Oba Owoade.
The monarch said no traditional title could validly be conferred within Oyo without the knowledge and approval of the Alaafin, whom he described as the prescribed authority and custodian of the town’s historical and cultural heritage.
Oba Owoade said, “This statement is to certify in exercise of the powers conferred upon me under the native laws, customs and chieftaincy tradition of Oyo Land that any traditional title can’t be conferred without the awareness and permission of the authority of the Alaafin in Oyo community and its environs.”
He consequently declared the title bestowed on Ferreira officially invalid.
“Therefore, the Alaafin of Oyo, the custodian of the historical and cultural heritage in Oyo as the prescribed authority, hereby informs that the title Yeye Atayese Oniyemoja of Oyo Land, bestowed on the 23rd August 2026 to Paola Almeida Ferreira, Brazilian citizen, is officially invalid,” the statement said.
The Daily Crucible reports that Before the Alaafin’s declaration, Ferreira had celebrated the conferment in a Facebook post on August 24.
In the post, she described traditional titles as positions that carry responsibility, recognition and a connection to the sacred.
Ferreira explained that Atayese Oniyemoja was a priestly title associated with the Yemoja cult and linked it to what she described as the deity’s “strength, protection, and transformative power.”
She said Yemoja represented “a source of life, motherhood, acceptance, depth, and strength,” adding that her waters “nourish, protect, and renew.”
Explaining the significance of the title to her, Ferreira wrote that carrying the title represented a connection to a broader mission of transforming, caring for and guiding people while contributing to their pursuit of balance, prosperity and renewal through the spiritual strength of Yemoja.
She further described the title as carrying a responsibility to Yemoja and to devotees seeking positive transformation.
Ferreira concluded her post with a prayer for Yemoja devotees, saying, “May the waters of Yemọja continue to open paths, bring transformation, and strengthen all those who walk under her protection. Àṣẹ!”
The Alaafin’s statement, however, means that the title conferred on Ferreira does not have recognition under the traditional authority of the Oyo palace.
