The Gods are Not to Blame: Between the Ooni of Ife and His Olori
Since news of the estrangement of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and his doe-eyed, beautiful wife, Olori Wuraola, filtered out, blogosphere has been abuzz and awash with salacious conjectures and permutations on what could have led to the reported crisis in a union contracted in March 2016. In a statement signed by the Ooni’s media aide, Comrade Moses Olafara, the traditional ruler said, “There is no truth to the news; it is unimaginable. The palace is not interested in this rumour as there are lots of positive activities happening every minute so we don’t have time to respond to such noise being created by nonentities.” The Olori also caused a statement to be issued Tuesday by her Press Secretary, Abraham Adedeji, wherein she debunked the reports. “We are deeply disturbed by these rumours and there is absolutely no truth to these absurd claims of infidelity and we vehemently deny them. Due to the nature of the allegations and the attempt to defame the character of the Queen and embarrass well respected friends of our palace, we have immediately employed legal counsel to investigate their origin to take necessary action against the perpetrators.” For more discerning observers, it is not the reported separation that rankles; it is that for anall powerful monarch who understands the place and potency of tradition and who had reportedly been foretold not to dabble into the union, why did the Ooni go ahead? Other reports posit that even former President Olusegun Obasanjo warned the Ooni not to settle for Olori Wuraola whose original name is Sonia and hails from Edo State. Quite popular on the social scene before meeting the Ooni, Olori Wuraola was reportedly married to a LebaneseFrench businessman, Elie Khouri, but quickly dumped him when the Ooni came with his marriage proposition. They barely courted. About 17months after the elaborate solemnization of the union, with no kid yet or sign of pregnancy, the braggadocio of love has withered, reality has now dawned on both parties. As news of their alleged separation made the rounds, a couple of prominent Nigerians were mentioned as having bucked and clawed with the Olori even while married to the monarch. Unthinkable sacrilege, you’d say. Olori Wuraola has denied the allegations. No wonder, two prominent billionaire businessmen, Tunde Ayeni, former chairman of Skye Bank, and Dapo Abiodun, Heyden Petroleum boss, who was erroneously thought to be the Dapo Abiodun mentioned in the reports, have come out to vehemently deny any assignation with the Olori. Being Yoruba men, with deep affinity to their roots, it is unimaginable that they would ever have intruded into the Ooni’s exclusive sanctum of elixir. While the Olori had allegedly vacated the palace and had not been sighted in public with her beau, the Ooni, it is being speculated, might have settled for a new bride. But as traditional ruler, his forefathers had many wives. So this may only be a storm in a teacup.