Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II has decided to excuse his past and continue his love story after three failed marriages within 12 years.
The revered monarch is not only known for traditions, he also has a long history of unsuccessful marriages, making it difficult to excuse himself from web of divorce.
It is interesting that majority of the viral news about the custodian of traditions and leader of Yoruba descendants in recent time, he was majorly a subject of marital crisis.
Gather ten people and ask them if a story comes out about Ooni of Ife in person, what would likely be its contents? Eight out of ten would cite marital crisis. That is the extent of depth Ooni of Ife had gone when it comes to marital failure.
Marriage is an unpredictable phenomenon. It has no manual, constitution (selected rules) or laid down instructions that must be followed. It has no preference too and available statistical records have shown that there is nobody in this world that can not be a victim of failed marriage.
From pastors to Imams to traditionalists to professors to rich and poor people, marriage is a leveller. It can humble any living soul.
But the case of his imperial majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi II who was born in October 17, 1974 seems to be different. The arguably traditional ruler of the Yoruba race had a marital history with three beautiful women within twelve (12) years and welcomed a child out of wedlock.
In a special report titled “Ooni’s long road to love: From Bombota to Benin Indigene to Ondo Prophetess to ‘Kogi star lady’” which was published by WITHIN NIGERIA on July 30, the identities of these women and how they dumped the monarch were consciously captured.
Is Ooni of Ife experiencing concurrent divorce due to modernity that is consuming royal traditions? I have heard people who loved and admired the revered monarch ask this question tirelessly. Repeated cases of intentional divorce have not helped matter too.
But a critical examination of the matter proved otherwise. Before he was crowned the Ooni of Ife in 26th October, 2015, he had a child out of wedlock and married a woman identified as Adekunle Bombota in 2008 who later dumped him.
A clear indication that Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi is not strange to divorce and an evidence that the throne is not likely responsible for his shortcomings as perceived by many.
Oba Enitan Ogunwusi is wealthy, handsome, influential, connected and exposed. He has the necessary criteria beautiful women look for in every man.
Being the traditional ruler of the Yoruba race, he should be the most sought and any woman he chose to marry ought to find herself lucky.
However, reverse is the case here. These women at their desired time abandon the revered monarch.
Adekunle Bombota, his first wife who took marital vows with him walked away from the union. Wuraola Zaynab, the first woman he married on throne also walked away from the union. Prophetess Naomi Silekunola who stayed in the marriage for three years eventually dumped the monarch despite having a crown prince for him.
This is no doubt too much for the king to bear. This hurdle is too much to cross for him. There must be explanations to this unfortunate mishap. Some people opined that it is a sickness that must be cured. There must be solutions and the king of Yoruba race must not continue in this way.
When issues become mysterious and provoking, we consult Ifa for clarity and verification. Through the practice of Ifa, we can see what cannot be seen – in the past, present, and future – and thus diagnose problems that are beyond our scope.
According to Wande (1976), man’s destiny could be said to be successful in life as a result of the type of ‘head’ such an individual brought from heaven. Some heads come with riches, longlife but no children. Some heads come with riches, children, longlife but there would be marital failures. The type of head any individual has reveals his or her spiritual indicators.
‘Ori’ is always the best shot of Ifa divination because it has solutions to virtually all problems. In providing solutions to this problem of repeated marital failures, the Ooni of Ife needs to worship his head because it is the Ori (Inner head) which to the Yoruba is a deity that will always stand by the man at all times compared to another orisa.
If Ifa is consulted, there would be predications and the revered monarch would be admonished to offer a sacrifice according to the ese Ifa the divination revealed. I really do not know if the palace has gone through all these but I strongly believe that the idea of multiple wives was conceived to address this issue.
After the unpleasant exit of Prophetess Naomi Silekunola, there was rage on social media. Some people including the palace expressed shock at the news of separation while others advised the king to take a pause in his marital journey.
Barely eight months after, he welcomed another woman named Mariam Anako into the palace.
Interestingly, the new wife had barely went through traditions when news of Ooni of Ife planning to marry two women in a day emerged on social media platforms. There are rumors that two women were welcomed into the palace before Olojo festival.
How does Ooni of Ife, a serial divorcee intends to manage three independent women at a go? If this idea of multiple wives did not emanate from Ifa and the Ori – Yoruba diety of the revered monarch is not in agreement with this new plan, there are possibilities that the House of Oduduwa might end up being ‘House of Commotions’ or ‘House of Peace’.
Either ways, this reporter strongly believes that the palace should address the route of this problem than struggling to decorate it to accommodate or attract more troubles.
Will multiple wives rescue Ooni of Ife from web of divorce? Kindly write your views and forward it to editor@withinnigeria.com. I will be waiting to read your views. Thanks.
