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Alaafin, or The custodian of the Palace in the Yoruba language, is the title of the king of the medieval Oyo empire [1] and present-day Oyo town of West Africa. It is the particular title of the Oba (king) of the Oyo. [2] It is sometimes translated as "emperor" in the context of ruler of empire. He ruled the old Oyo Empire, which extended from the present-day Benin republic to Nigeria, originating from states in the South East and West to the North. The people under him are called Yoruba people and spoke the Yoruba Language.
The Alaafin of Oyo in Yoruba mythology and history is said to be one of Oduduwa seven grandsons who later became Kings, forming the bedrock of the Yoruba Civilization. [1]
The Alafin and the Oyo Mesi formed the central government of the Empire. Local provincial government was in the hands of oba (if crowned head) or bale (if not entitled to wear a crown). [3] The relationship between the Alafin and the Obas was a feudal one, that is for his rule and protection, the Obas, the Bales and chiefs of vassal states owed him certain obligations. [4] By the early 1800s, however, conflicts between the Oyo emperor (alafin) and the hereditary kings (obas) of the core city-states, who comprised an independent executive council (oyo mesi), had considerably weakened cen- tral authority-even as the Oyo Empire began to lose control over outlying kingdoms and city-states. [5]
The title was retained after the fall of the Oyo Empire as the official title of the ceremonial ruler of the contemporary natives of Oyo, Nigeria. The Alaafin is the political head of the Yoruba people and the only monarch with the pre-requisite power to appoint a chieftain representing the entire Yorubaland. [6] Examples of such appointments include Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and Iyalode of Yorubaland.
The incumbent Alaafin (Emperor) of Oyo is Oba Abimbola Owoade whose accession was presented a certificate and staff of office by the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde. [7] [8] Owoade succeeded the late Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, the 45th Alaafin who passed away on Friday, 22 April 2022. [9] [10] The style used for Alaafins is Imperial Majesty. [11]
The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire in West Africa. It was located in present-day southern Benin and western Nigeria. The empire grew to become the largest Yoruba-speaking state through the organizational and administrative efforts of the Yoruba people, trade, as well as the military use of cavalry. The Oyo Empire was one of the most politically important states in Western Africa from the late-16th to the early 18th century and held sway not only over most of the other kingdoms in Yorubaland, but also over nearby African states, notably the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey in the modern Republic of Benin on its west.
Abiodun was an 18th-century alaafin, or king, of the Oyo people in what is now Nigeria.
Chief Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá otherwise known as S.L.A. was a Nigerian politician, aristocrat, orator, and lawyer. He served as Oloye Aare Ona Kakanfo XIII of Yorubaland and served as premier of Western Nigeria from independence in 1960 till his assassination in 1966.
Ọ̀rànmíyàn, also known as Ọranyan, was a legendary Yoruba king from the kingdom of Ile-Ife, and the founder of the Benin Kingdom and the Oyo Empire. Although he was the youngest of the descendants of Oduduwa, he became the prime heir of Oduduwa upon his return to claim his grandfather's throne.
Atiba is a Local Government Area in Oyo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Offa Meta.
Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade CFR was the fiftieth traditional ruler or Ooni of Ife from 1980 to his death in 2015, taking the regnal name Olubuse II. He was a traditional ruler of Ile-Ife, Yoruba town in Osun State, Nigeria. He was crowned on 6 December 1980 in a ceremony attended by the Emir of Kano, Oba of Benin, Amayanabo of Opobo and Olu of Warri, as well as by representatives of the Queen of the United Kingdom.
Chief Emmanuel Oyedele Ashamu commonly known as Chief E. O. Ashamu or The Mayo of Oyo was a Nigerian land owner and Oyo Chief who was prominent in the Nigerian business sector during the 1960s - 1990s. He was a pharmacist by training and was the owner of Industrial Chemists Ltd, Lagos. He rose to become one of the most prominent businessmen in Africa, with interests in agriculture, banking, transportation and real estate.
Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III was the Alaafin, or traditional ruler, of the Yoruba town of Oyo and rightful heir to the throne of its historic empire.
Chief Ganiyu Adams, popularly known as Gani Adams, is a Nigerian activist, politician, traditional aristocrat and the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland.
The Ìyálóde is a high-ranking female chieftain in most of the Yoruba traditional states. The title is currently within the gift of the obas, although Njoku asserted in 2002 that the process of choosing an Ìyálóde in pre-colonial Nigeria was less of a choice by the monarch, and more of the accomplishment and involvement of the woman to be so honoured in economic and political matters.
Luqman Oyebisi Ilaka is a Nigerian politician, businessman, legal and taxation consultant and philanthropist. He was appointed the Oyo State Chief of Staff under the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde from 2019 to 2021 under the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
The Yoruba Revolutionary Wars, also known as the Yoruba Civil Wars, were a series of conflicts that engulfed the Yoruba-speaking areas of West Africa from approximately 1789 to 1893. These wars were characterized by intense and prolonged struggles among various Yoruba city-states and kingdoms, leading to significant political, social, and economic changes in the region.
The Oyo Mesi is the privy council of Oyo, a Yoruba traditional state in Southwestern Nigeria. It dates to the medieval period, when it served as the government of a powerful pre-colonial state that was known as the Oyo empire.
The Kiriji War, also known as the Ekiti–Parapo War, was a 16-year-long civil war between the subethnic kingdoms of the Yoruba people, specifically divided between the Western Yoruba, which was mainly the Ibadan and Oyo-speaking Yorubas, and the Eastern Yoruba, who were the Ekiti people, Ijesha, Ijebu people, and others.
Obadoke Latoosa Oyatoosa, but more commonly referred to as Latoosa, and later Mohammed Obadoke Latoosa, was a Yoruba General, Warlord, and Chief who was the Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Oyo Empire, the ruler of the self proclaimed Ibadan Empire, and the commander and leader of the Western forces of Ibadan during the Kiriji War from 1877 to his death in 1885.
Alaafin Atiba Atobatele was a king of the Oyo Empire. He was the son of King Abiodun of Oyo, and Eni-olufan from Akeitan.
Soun of Ogbomoso is the official title given to the paramount ruler of Ogbomoso kingdom. The current and the 28th Soun of Ogbomoso is Ọba Ghandi Afọlábí Ọláoyè, Orumógege III, a descendant of the 9th Soun of Ogbomoso, the late Oba Laoye Orumogege from Baiyewuwon ruling house of Aremo House, Ode-Aremo, Ogbomoso. He was crowned on the 21 December 2023 by the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde.
Abimbola Akeem Owoade is the 46th Alaafin, or traditional ruler, of the Yoruba town of Oyo and rightful heir to the throne of its historic empire.
Welcome to the website of His Imperial Majesty, The Alaafin of Oyo, The Head and Paramount Ruler of the Yorubas.
4. The official website of the Alaafin of Oyo (https://www.alaafinoyo.com )
5. A Symbol of Yoruba Culture and Unity: The Life and Royalty of His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyemi III, the Alaafin Oyo by Siyan Oyeweso and Olutayo C. Adesina