Oluwo of Iwo rejects Ile-Ife as origin of Yoruba race

The Oluwo of Iwo land, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, has rejected claims that Ile-Ife in present-day Osun State is the cradle of the Yoruba people.

In a video shared on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, the monarch disputed the widely held belief that Yorubas originated from Ile-Ife.

Oba Akanbi argued that the ancient town was already inhabited before it was conquered by Oduduwa, regarded in history as the progenitor of the Yoruba race, who later became its ruler.

Speaking during a chieftaincy conferment ceremony, the Oluwo, flanked by his chiefs, insisted that the language and culture of Ile-Ife were distinct from those of the Yoruba people.

“Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language was different. They referred to God as Eledumare, and there is nothing like Eledumare in Yoruba language. What we have is Olodumare. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture,” he said.

The monarch further asserted that Iwo holds the authentic historical account of the Yoruba race.

“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,” he declared.

Oba Akanbi urged his subjects to preserve his words, stressing that he was unafraid of death and committed to correcting what he described as misconceptions about Yoruba origins.