Ooni, Alaafin in Cold War: 48 Hour Ultimatum Meets Africa’s Biggest Smart City Dream
A fresh wave of tension is brewing between two foremost Yoruba thrones as the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, prepares for the groundbreaking of Ojaja Smart City, Ibadan billed to be the biggest in Africa while the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has issued a 48 hour ultimatum over a chieftaincy title.
The clash, which observers have described as a “cold war of tradition and modernity,” exposes the sharp contrast between the Ooni’s aggressive push for economic development and Alaafin’s insistence on supremacy over traditional titles in Yorubaland.
The Ooni’s towering legacy of enterprise and expansion remains undisputed. His projects already cut across key Yoruba cities and beyond:
Ojaja Smart City, Ibadan, poised to be Africa’s largest integrated urban project.
OjajaMore Retail Chain & Shopping Malls, operational across Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, and Lagos, creating over 5,000 jobs for Yoruba youths.
Inagbe Grand Resort, Lagos, redefining hospitality and tourism.
Ojaja Hotels, Akure, strengthening Ondo State’s hospitality sector.
Ife Grand Resort & Industrial Hub, Ile-Ife, fusing industry and tourism for sustainable growth.
With ongoing and completed projects in Akure, Ile-Ife, Ede, Osogbo, Ajah (Lagos), Ado-Ekiti (under construction), and Ibadan, Ooni’s investments stand as a transformative blueprint for the future of Yorubaland.
In a statement signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin of Oyo accused the Ooni of usurping powers by conferring the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on businessman Dotun Sanusi.
Describing the act as “an affront,” the Alaafin’s palace claimed exclusive authority to bestow any title covering the entire Yorubaland, warning Ooni to revoke the title within 48 hours or face “consequences.”
The statement also invoked a Supreme Court ruling allegedly limiting the Ooni’s traditional authority to Oranmiyan Local Government (now Ife Central, Ife North, and Ife South), while accusing him of “acting above the law.”
The controversy has left many Yoruba sons and daughters asking hard questions:
Can tradition thrive without modern development?
Is the future of Yorubaland secured in ultimatums or in projects creating thousands of jobs?
Should cultural leadership be measured by territorial authority or by economic legacy?
While Alaafin speaks of unity tours and warnings, the Ooni is visibly reshaping the landscape with industries, retail hubs, and smart cities.
Analysts see the unfolding cold war as more symbolic than substantive. “History will not remember who issued deadlines,” one Yoruba historian noted, “but it will surely remember who built cities, created jobs, and left footprints of progress.”
As the dust settles, one truth is clear: the Yoruba nation today needs less supremacy quarrels and more development blueprints. And while ultimatums fade in 48 hours, Ojaja Smart City in Ibadan will stand for generations.
Olamilekan Salam
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