Why Oba Akiolu didn’t embrace Ooni

The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Aremu Akiolu, has defended his controversial reaction to the affectionate greeting of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, at a public event, as seen in a viral video last week.

Oba Akiolu, explaining that he was constrained by tradition from receiving and returning the Ooni’s greeting, said the widespread belief that he snubbed the Ooni was “their own thinking.” He added, “Anybody can imagine anything. There was nothing. The custom or tradition is like that in Lagos. We don’t hold each other; we don’t hug.”

Asked if the wide age gap between both traditional rulers had anything to do with the way he acknowledged the Ooni, the Oba of Lagos said, “Which age difference? A monarch is a monarch. There is no age difference.”