The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has openly challenged the long-held narrative that Ile-Ife is the ancestral cradle of the Yoruba people.
In a video posted on his official Facebook page on Tuesday, the monarch dismissed the notion that Yoruba culture and history originated from Ife, insisting that Iwo holds the authentic historical records of the race.
Speaking during a chieftaincy conferment ceremony, where he was flanked by his chiefs, the Oluwo argued that Ife had been inhabited long before the arrival of Oduduwa, who he described as a conqueror rather than the progenitor of Yoruba civilization.
According to the monarch, the language spoken in Ile-Ife prior to Oduduwa’s reign was distinct from Yoruba, just as the traditions practiced there differ from mainstream Yoruba culture.
“Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language is different. They call God ‘Eledumare,’ and there is nothing like Eledumare in Yoruba language. What we have is Olodumare. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture,” Oba Akanbi declared.
He asserted that Iwo represents the true custodian of Yoruba history. “I am the Arole Olodumare because I am here to tell you the true history. Iwo is where you will find the real history that was never documented.”
The monarch urged his subjects to preserve his message, stressing that he is unafraid of controversy or death in his mission to correct what he called “historical distortions” about Yoruba origins.
This fresh declaration comes amid ongoing disputes among Yoruba monarchs over heritage and authority.
Recently, a row erupted between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, following the conferment of the “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” title on Ibadan businessman, Chief Dotun Sanusi.
