The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has intervened in the dispute between the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo, stressing that the matter goes far beyond traditional rivalry and touches the very essence of Yoruba civilisation.
Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the executive director of PeacPro, described the Yoruba as a cross-continental nation with major influence across Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and beyond.
“Such a global cultural nation must have a clear order and hierarchy to preserve unity, heritage, and identity,” Hamzat said.
He argued that “cultural issues of history and heritage should not burden a sovereign court in Nigeria; they cannot be adequately resolved since the dispute concerns not merely local traditional institutions but a global cultural order with deep historical and international dimensions.
“Ife and Oyo may be small towns in South West Nigeria under their respective local government areas, but what they represent in global culture is far bigger.”
He, therefore, called on the Yoruba elders, statesmen, and cultural custodians to rise above partisan or parochial leanings and intervene decisively.
He noted that the current dispute between the two monarchs presents a unique opportunity to reorganise and reorder Yoruba leadership by establishing a global cultural leadership model with multiple layers of function, responsibility, and authority.
He said such a model would redefine the relationship between the major Yoruba thrones, prevent recurring conflicts, and reposition the Yoruba nation as a global cultural powerhouse with structured leadership.
Hamzat noted, “Ife, as the cradle of Yoruba civilisation, cannot be replaced or prevented from playing its cultural leadership role, neither can Oyo’s Alaafin be relegated from its historic political leadership and heritage.
“Both thrones, and others like them across the world, must be accorded their rightful place in Yoruba global leadership to foster growth, peace, and unity,” he added.
