Afe Babalola reunites Ooni, Ogunsua, Alaafin

As part of his contributions to the new wave of peace, love and unity blowing across Yorubaland, frontline legal icon and Founder of the
increasingly famous Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, CON over the weekend brought the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial
Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Eniitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III and the Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Francis Adedoyin together under one roof.

Even though the search of peace and unity within the Yoruba Kingdom has taken Ooni Ogyunwusi to several parts of Youbaland since he mounted the
throne of his forefathers last year, this is the first time in the recent history of Ife, Oyo and Modakeke that the three Royal fathers from these
important Yoruba towns will seat together side-by-side and exchange genuine pleasantries.

The Ooni had on January 17, 2016, visited his brother Oba, the Alaafin of Oyo, the first of such in 79 years, thus thawing the near four decades of
thick and foggy ice of impasse between the two powerful and leading thrones in Yorubaland.

He had equally visited the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, the Ogunsua of Modakeke, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti and the Ajero of
Ijero-Ekiti as well as the Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti among many others preaching the gospel of peace and unity, emphasizing the cooperation and collaboration instead of completion of the past among Yoruba Obas.

The setting of the three of them being together was at the 2017 edition of the Annual Lecture of the Faculty of Education of Obafemi Awolowo
University (OAU), Ile-Ife on Thursday, June 15, 2017 where Babalola was the Guest Speaker and where he was conferred with the Faculty Award for
Excellence for what the organizers described as his “Exemplary Contributions to Nigerian Education”.

Whereas the OAU Faculty of Education had invited Ooni as the Royal Host, Babalola, the former Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the
University of Lagos, had caused the Alaafin to be invited as the Royal Guest and got Ooni’s blessing/approval to bring Oba Adedoyin, the Ogunsua
of Modakeke, first to Ooni’s palace before he (Oba Adedoyin) joined the Ooni’s entourage to the university.

The trio of Ooni Ogunwusi, Oba Adeyemi and Oba Francis Adedoyin, who were received into the 5,000-seater Oduduwa Hall of the University which was
full to capacity amidst the rich Yoruba music beaming out of Talking drums and Maracas (sekere), soon shook hands with one another with flashes of smiles to the admiration of the crème-de-la-crème of the society made up of members of the Bar and the Bench, Academics, the Royalty, the Clergy and Captains of Industries as well as the ever vibrant OAU students who witnessed the historic outing.

First to speak after Babalola had delivered his well-received and thoroughly applauded Lecture was the Ooni of Ife, who was dressed in his now ubiquitous all-white raiment.

The Royal father who emphasized the need for peace and harmony in Yorubaland in order to accelerate its development called for collaboration and cooperation instead of the age-long competition which has not yielded any positive result.

Ooni Ogunwusi amidst songs that all is now well in Yorubaland, said Yoruba race which had been one will continue to be one and speak with one voice in the interest of its people and their development.

In his own remarks, Oba Adeyemi toed the same line of the need for the peace in Yorubaland and for its Obas to work together in the interest of all.