- Safiu Kehinde
The Ooni’s Palace has dismissed alleged disrespect of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade.
As against a now viral video of the Alaafin purportedly snubbing the Ooni of Ife at the West African Economic Summit (WAES) held in Abuja on Saturday, the Ooni Palace, in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, labelled the video as doctored.
Olafare faulted the media wing of the Alaafin, the Oyo Legacies, for misrepresenting the conduct of the Oyo monarch at the event as he called for the overhaul of the media team.
The Ooni Palace Director explained that both monarchs had initially met at the VIP waiting room with the Alaafin exchanging pleasantries and few jokes with Oba Adeyeye before they were both ushered to the main hall of the conference centre.
Olafare slammed the Oyo Legacies for misrepresenting its principal.
He maintained that the role of media handlers must act as a communication bridge between their principals and the public in a manner that gets him loved and respected.
While reiterating that Alaafin Owoade did excellently well in his approach to Ooni of Ife, Olafare disclosed that the Oyo monarch even booked an appointment to visit the Ooni at Ile-Ife, Osun State, before the end of the new week.
The Ooni Palace urged the Alaafin to subject his media team to trainings in the area of work ethics and protocols of Principal’s Image Management while also stressing that the team must be regiged.
The statement read in part; “The event was the West Africa Economic Summit held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja on Saturday and the conference had hardly closed in the afternoon when The Oyo Legacies, a media wing of the palace of Alaafin posted an edited video only showing Baba Alaafin refusing to greet Baba Ooni against the true representation of the conduct of the Oyo monarch yesterday.
“The Co-chairman, National Council Of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria(NCTRN) and Permanent Chairman, Southern Nigeria Council Of Traditional Rulers(SNCTR) who is also the Permanent Chairman, Osun State Council of Obas And Chiefs, Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,CFR, Ojaja, the Ooni of Ife had already been ushered in and was majestically seated at the VIP waiting room of the conference centre alongside some of his business associates and friends including: Balogun Lai Labode Ph.D, Kurunmi of Ijaye & Are Ona-Kakanfo-Elect of Egbaland, Bashorun Eniola Fayose, Bashorun Adunbarin Oodua & Awise of Orile-Igbon and Dr Ayo Falil Abina, the Asoju Oodua who were all equally invited participants at the first of its economic summit in the West Africa sub region al block.
“His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, Iku Baba Yeye, Oba Akeem Owoade, Elewuetu I, few minutes later arrived his own royal candour and walked straight(even ignoring his allocated seat) to the Ooni’s seat for royal greetings while the Arole Oduduwa(in his usual 2nd-To-None humble character) reciprocated the honour accorded him the Alaafin as he rose to welcome his brother traditional ruler while both exchange pleasantries and few jokes before Alaafin eventually went to take his seat he had earlier bypassed alongside his amiable queen.
“When they were both called upon to move into the main hall of the conference centre, it was the Ooni that first left the VIP waiting room, and almost same time followed by the Alaafin to take their respective seats officially tagged in their names inside the hall where the event was ready to be kicked off by the Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Having set the record straight above, it is hereby found so disheartening the manner of arrogance with which Iku Baba Yeye, Alaafin Akeem Owoade, Elewuetu I was reported yesterday in a videocast released by his own media promoters; Oyo Legacies who blatantly refused to report their principal in his true and positive conduct of virtuous enviablity greatly displayed in his exchange of pleasantries with the Ooni and other dignitaries in Abuja yesterday.
“Either you like it or not, members of the public must react to such information disseminations.
“The roles of media handlers to their principals primarily involve acting as a communication bridge between the principal and the public and other stakeholders, they must work to support their principal by managing his image in a way to get him loved and respected in the society not to get him hated and disrespected as the said video has caused.
“Kabiyesi Alaafin Owoade did excellently well in his approach to Kabiyesi Arole Oduduwa, Ooni Ogunwusi in Abuja yesterday and it should have been so adequately reported by The Oyo Legacies showcasing him as a monarch of peace and harmony that he is and not the otherwise, which the video has portrayed him.
“Alaafin Owoade, going by his conduct yesterday, is a man of peace and someone who values relationships.
“He even seized the opportunity yesterday to book an appointment to visit the Ooni at Ile-Ife before this week runs out. All Baba should do is to ensure that the palace media team be subjected to trainings in the areas of work ethics and protocols of Principal’s Image Management.
“Alaafin’s Media Team Must Be Regiged!!!”