Oluwo of Iwo wants to be referred to as emir and no more oba

macfranc007 April 01, 2018 IFTTT, Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Sola Bodunrin

From time immemorial, Yoruba monarchs are referred to as oba no matter the town they come from but that is about to change as one of the topmost oba has decided to drop the title and adopt another one from Hausaland.

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi, has been known for his boldness and outspokenness.

The young king who is married to a foreign lady has been known for his controversies and he has yet dropped another one as he said he sees nothing wrong in him being referred to as an emir, a titled basically being used by traditional rulers in Hausaland.

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Oluwo of Iwo Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi adopts emir title, gives reason

While many are seeing adopting the emir title as an insult to Yoruba culture, the monarch clarified the reason he opted for the new title. He said:

“I said earlier that I would never insult the Yoruba culture for any reason. The Yoruba culture is so rich that nobody can insult it. I also said earlier that I would not say or do anything based on nothing. That is why I said we should always seek knowledge to understand issues better. The ‘Emir’ title is used by the Hausa-Fulani. But has anyone researched into the meaning? Emir is not even Hausa or Fulani, it is an Arabic word. Arabic is an international language like English and French. Now, what does Emir mean? It means king. It means the same as Oba which the Yoruba find convenient to call me. If we are seeking true unity in this country, I don’t see the reason why I cannot use ‘Emir’ which simply means my title in another language. To me, the unity of Nigeria is strengthened by our diversity. We should appreciate what God has given us through this diversity. How did you feel watching the Super Eagles take on Poland? You felt proud as a Nigerian, not as a Yoruba or Ibo or Hausa. That was a demonstration of the unity in our diversity. The team is made up of people from different ethnic groups and they give us results. I will not relent on this issue because I believe so much in it. That is why you will always see me among the Emirs today, the Obis tomorrow and back home among my fellow Obas.”

Among the controversies allegedly courted by the Oluwo of Iwo was his naming the ancient town an Islamic town.

Oba Akanbi was enthroned as the traditional ruler of Iwo town in Osun state in late 2015.

NAIJ.com reported that the Oluwo of Iwo land in an interview disclosed that he has the power to heal people. He also revealed that any man of God who does not pick up calls of others at night is a loser.

He also once boasted that he has the power to stop rain from falling if he wants to.

He said: “I can command the rain to stop. I have done it more than once. An oba who doesn’t worship lesser gods, an oba that worships no other thing than God who does not sleep. If you have a pastor that sleeps that you are relying on, you are going to lose. If you have an Imam who has a wife and when he sleeps by his wife in the night, you call him and he can’t pick your call, you know you are a loser. If you have a babalawo as your backbone, your backbone will break. I have only God. It is not about Islam, it is not about Christianity, it is not about babalawo, it is about divinity.”

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