There’s little or no regard for a king without a queen. It appears young debonaire Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, is very conscious of this axiom
Funsho Arogundade
There is a popular Yoruba adage: “Aponle osi fun oba ti ko ni olori” –– There’s little or no regard for a king without a queen. The saying emphasises that women are relevant when it comes to administration and governance in society. It appears young debonaire Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, is very conscious of this axiom. However, with the disappointment of his two failed marriages, particularly his last with Queen Zynab Otiti Obanor, the monarch was said to have lost interest in marriage. But there were pressures on him to get another woman to assume the queen role which was predicated on the need to avoid any untoward situation that might rubbish the traditional institution he represents. The Ooni has remained unfazed until lately that the import of this seems to be resonating with him.
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However, the big question is, who becomes the royal bride? Already, the rumour mill has been turning on various women associated with the revered monarch but focus has been on pretty Temitope Adesegun, the co-convener of Hope Alive Initiative who is said to be on an exotic voyage with the monarch and that the Ooni is set to take her as his new wife. Of course, the palace has refuted the news of that impending marriage, describing it as a fairytale gone too far and an element of farce and falsehood sponsored by some unscrupulous elements.
Prince Jide Fadairo, CEO, House of Oduduwa Foundation and husband of Princess Folasade, Ooni’s eldest sister, said the monarch’s marriage cannot be done secretly as it involves not only the royal family, but Yoruba custom and a lot of elders. The man added that the time is not propitious for the young monarch who is immersed in the renaissance of Yoruba culture and promotion of the race’s customs and traditions globally. “That’s not on His Imperial Majesty’s mind. Marriage is not something he wants to do right away. Many names have been bandied around but I can tell you they are all false, just like this case,” he said.
But not a few are swayed by the disclaimer from the palace as they observed that no sooner after his second marriage to Queen Zynab crashed due to irreconcilable differences, Ooni seems to have rediscovered love in Tope, a single mother of one.
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While the palace has stayed away from commenting on whether the Ooni and Tope are involved in any romantic liaison, insiders are insisting the two are an item. The Ooni is believed to have become so besotted with Tope that he wasted no time allowing her assumed the “duties” handled by the immediate past Queen. She now runs the Hopes Alive Initiative as co-convener, the position formerly occupied by Zaynab. The Initiative is the multi-billion naira give-back project of Ooni Ogunwusi which seeks to improve the lives of the economically and socially vulnerable in society, especially, children at orphanages. Fair-skinned Tope is said to have brought verve to the activities of the initiative and also transformed the love life of the rich, handsome monarch. However with the denials and counter-denials, all eyes are on the respected Ooni of whom many are keenly concerned about his marital status. As a foremost traditional ruler in Yorubaland, living a single life is an anathema to the customs of the great race and they are eagerly looking forward to his third attempt which they hope will be permanent.