The race for the emergence of the new Ooni of Ife blew open on Monday as the Giesi Ruling House in Ile Ife, said that it is turn to produce the next Ooni to succeed Oba Okunade Sijuwade, who joined his ancestors on July 28.
Leaders of the ruling house led by Princes Adelowo Ogunleye; Ropo Ogunwusi and Prof. Moses Awogbade announced the intention at a press conference addressed at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre, Osogbo on Monday.
Ogunleye, who read the prepared speech of the family, said it was now the turn of the ruling house based on the government declaration on the Ooni chieftaincy title in 1977.
He said another memorandum issued by the old Oyo State Government dated September 16th 1980 on the appointment of the Ooni, provided for four ruling houses: Osinkola, Ogboru, Giesi and Lafogido in that order.
“We want to seize this opportunity to tell the whole world especially the people of Ile Ife and government of the State of Osun ably headed by our amiable and indefatigable governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, that the normal rotation to the succession to the throne of Ooni which is in vogue in Ile Ife presently, has ascertained to the fact that it is now the turn of the Giesi Ruling House, Moore Ile Fe, to produce the next Ooni of Ife by the special grace of God almighty.
“It is on record as indicated by the government declaration captioned ‘The Ooni of Ife Chieftaincy Declaration’ reference no CB141/7/1/540 dated 22nd August, 1977 addressed to the then Executive Secretary of Oranmiyan Local Government, Ile Ife from the office of Military Governor of Oyo State of Nigeria and duly signed by the then Secretary to the Military Government and Head of Service.
“Paragraph a in the letter state’s that the order of rotation among the ruling houses should be as follows: ( 1) Osinkola (2) Ogboru (3) Giesi (4) Lafogido.
“We want all and sundry to please note that the Osinkola House produced our father, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, who ruled for 50 years in Ile Ife and was immediately succeeded by Oba Okunade Sijuwade from Ogboru House who has just transited.
“It then follows that the next ruling house to produce the next Ooni of Ife should automatically and normally come from Giesi Ruling House, as the two government approved rotational arrangements confirm.”
Ogunwusi said there was no division among the Giesi ruling house, saying the family had designed forms for contestants to know if truly they are from the family.
He added that the form would also indicate whether the contestants had paternal or maternal relationship.
According to him, if there are no credible contestants to the throne from those from the paternal side, those from the maternal side could be considered.
Hinting on the likely criteria the prince to be presented must have, he said Ife had never fielded an illiterate or a semi literate person as the Ooni, adding that the person must be influential and should not be a monarch who would be going about cap in hand begging for money.
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