The Oluwo of Iwo in Osun State, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has challenged the widely held belief that Ile-Ife is the birthplace of the Yoruba people.

Speaking in a video shared on his Facebook page while conferring a chieftaincy title, the royal father argued that the culture of the Yoruba race did not originate from ancient Ife. He said people were already living in the town before Oduduwa conquered it and became its ruler, and that the language spoken in Ife at the time was different from modern Yoruba.

“Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language is different. They refer to God as Eledumare, and there is nothing like Eledumare in the Yoruba language. What we have is Olodumare. Ife people will always say Olofin, and if you ask them what the meaning is, they will tell you it means the owner of the palace, and what that means in Yoruba is ‘Alaafin’. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture. I am the ‘Arole Olodumare’ because I am here to tell you the true history. Iwo is where you can get the real history that was not even documented,” he said in Yoruba.

Oba Akanbi emphasized the urgency of preserving this historical knowledge, noting, “Whatever I am telling you now, you must keep it because death can come anytime. I am not scared of death because it is inevitable.”

The debate over the origins of the Yoruba people has recently flared up following a dispute between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade. The controversy arose after the Ooni conferred the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on Ibadan-based businessman Chief Dotun Sanusi, prompting the Alaafin to issue a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the title be revoked.

Responding to the Alaafin’s ultimatum, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, said the monarch had instructed him to ignore the demand, leaving the issue “in the court of public opinion.” He added, “We cannot dignify the ‘undignifiable’ with an official response. Let’s rather focus on narratives that unite us rather than the ones capable of dividing us. No press release, please. 48 hours my foot!”