The spokesman for the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, has said the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, should have stood up to greet the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, at the coronation of the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Omogbolahan Lawal.
Odumakin, in an interview reacted to a viral video showing Tinubu sitting down while the Ooni stooped a little by his seat to greet him at the coronation.
According to the activist, although monarchs no longer hold political power, it is important for traditional institutions to be respected, especially by the Yoruba people.
He recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is many years older than the monarch, bowed down to greet him in 2016.
Odumakin said: “We are still Yoruba people.
“With due respect to our royal fathers, we should not say because we are in a modern age, we should not give the proper respect that we give to our Oba.
“You saw the time former President Obasanjo prostrated before the Ooni.
“So, it is still our culture and we must sustain our culture and give the respect that is due to our monarchs.”
Meanwhile, the video has generated a lot of reaction from Nigerians who expressed their different views.
Here are some tweets:
@UNCLE_AJALA: “For greeting Ooni of Ife while sitting down, Tinubu disrespects yoruba culture for real, and opens doors for anyone to ridicule Yoruba kings, even Obasanjo prostrated for Ooni, it’s not about age, it’s not about position, it’s about respect for the culture.”
@AmECSTATIC: “I thought Yoruba tradition holds it dear that ‘every individual bow before the king’ Tinubu refused to bow to the Ooni of Ife. Does that mean that Tinubu is big than the king? What our tradition really???? This is gross indiscipline! It stands against what every the Yorubas stood for.”
@PabloHoggs: “Tinubu didn’t do anything wrong, Ooni is a first class Oba, he is the one disrespecting his title, at the very least he should have stayed in his seat, all others should have come to him to pay their respect including the Oniru who is not equal to him in status.”
https://youtu.be/vyX3F5F2w5Q