Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, passed away at the age of 85 after a short illness in a London hospital on July 28, Tuesday.
His death still came as a surprise to many because his illness was not public knowledge, but having been on the throne for 35 years, he would be feeling fulfilled in his grave.
Ooni’s Of Ife interests in business and politics were well promoted, so his relationships with the key political figures in Nigeria were well-known and respected among Nigerians.
In 1984, when Major General Muhammadu Buhari was military head of state he banned a trip to Israel of the Ooni and his close friend, Ado Bayero, the emir of Kano who died in 2014.
This was considered a disgrace of the highest order.
So when 30 years later Buhari was seeking the return to the power this was no doubt that Sijuwade pitched his tent with Buhari’s rival, ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, in the 2015 presidential election.
What would he be doing with a man who “disgraced” him many years ago?
Ooni openly expressed his support for Jonathan and was not afraid to be seen as a pro-Peoples Democratic Party monarch.
Jonathans visit to Ife Ife
Monarchs prayer for Jonathan’s victory over Buhari.
His rulers prayed in front of the cameras for ex-president, who knelt down in their midst.
But the prayers hardly worked as Buhari overcame Jonathan, who tenderly called Ooni his “father”, in the March 28 race.
However, he was never afraid to go against the grain. That the most of Yorubas wanted Buhari did not mean he was going to go with the choice of majority.
In 1993, the crisis appearer when government of General Ibrahim Babangida canceled the election of MKO Abiola, a Yoruba son, who seemingly won the presidential poll.
While the Yoruba chose to fight to the standstill, met with Babangida and came out saying “Babangida is talking sense”.
Many would say Ooni of Ife was playing the role of a father, a royal one at that, to resolve the tension in the land after the controversial cancellation, but at that moment he was characterized as the biggest enemy of Yorubaland.
Fearless, he went ahead to inspire participation in the transition programof General Sani Abacha, who had taken over administration and crashed Abiola into detention for “treason” for announcing himself president on the basis of the June 12, 1993 poll.
The south-west was deliberately against Abacha and called on the all of Yorubaland to treat him as a leper.
Abacha looked for writing a new constitution to commence a new political process altogether, but majority of Yoruba leaders announced a boycott.
Sijuwade interfered one more time, encouraging his people to go out and vote delegates into the conference.
Ooni’s famous statement, “Ejade ke lo try best yin” (“go out and try your best”) — a weak way of saying “go and vote” without using those exact words — drew him more enemies than friends.
Of course, there were many other controversies.
Ooni’s Of Ife interests in business and politics were well promoted, so his relationships with the key political figures in Nigeria were well-known and respected among Nigerians.
In 1984, when Major General Muhammadu Buhari was military head of state he banned a trip to Israel of the Ooni and his close friend, Ado Bayero, the emir of Kano who died in 2014.
This was considered a disgrace of the highest order.
So when 30 years later Buhari was seeking the return to the power this was no doubt that Sijuwade pitched his tent with Buhari’s rival, ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, in the 2015 presidential election.
What would he be doing with a man who “disgraced” him many years ago?
Ooni openly expressed his support for Jonathan and was not afraid to be seen as a pro-Peoples Democratic Party monarch.
Jonathans visit to Ife Ife
Monarchs prayer for Jonathan’s victory over Buhari.
His rulers prayed in front of the cameras for ex-president, who knelt down in their midst.
But the prayers hardly worked as Buhari overcame Jonathan, who tenderly called Ooni his “father”, in the March 28 race.
However, he was never afraid to go against the grain. That the most of Yorubas wanted Buhari did not mean he was going to go with the choice of majority.
In 1993, the crisis appearer when government of General Ibrahim Babangida canceled the election of MKO Abiola, a Yoruba son, who seemingly won the presidential poll.
While the Yoruba chose to fight to the standstill, met with Babangida and came out saying “Babangida is talking sense”.
Many would say Ooni of Ife was playing the role of a father, a royal one at that, to resolve the tension in the land after the controversial cancellation, but at that moment he was characterized as the biggest enemy of Yorubaland.
Fearless, he went ahead to inspire participation in the transition programof General Sani Abacha, who had taken over administration and crashed Abiola into detention for “treason” for announcing himself president on the basis of the June 12, 1993 poll.
The south-west was deliberately against Abacha and called on the all of Yorubaland to treat him as a leper.
Abacha looked for writing a new constitution to commence a new political process altogether, but majority of Yoruba leaders announced a boycott.
Sijuwade interfered one more time, encouraging his people to go out and vote delegates into the conference.
Ooni’s famous statement, “Ejade ke lo try best yin” (“go out and try your best”) — a weak way of saying “go and vote” without using those exact words — drew him more enemies than friends.
Of course, there were many other controversies.
