The recent discussions surrounding the seniority of Yoruba royal stools, particularly the claim by the Ataoja of Osogbo, Ọba Jimoh Olanipekun Laoye, over the Oluwo of Iwoland, call for a careful re-examination of historical facts. Seniority within Yoruba traditional rulership is not a matter of modern political structures or state capitals but is deeply rooted in the antiquity of crowns, dynasties, and their ancestral legitimacy from Ilé-Ifẹ̀, the cradle of the Yoruba people.
It is a well-established fact among historians, anthropologists, and traditional custodians that the Yoruba monarchy derives its authority from Ilé-Ifẹ̀, where Odùduwà, regarded as the progenitor of the Yoruba race, founded the first kingdom. Every other Yoruba crown traces its legitimacy to Ifẹ̀ either directly through Odùduwà’s children or through his descendants who migrated to establish kingdoms across Yorubaland.
The attempt to alter this well-recorded history by presenting recent claims of seniority, especially those not rooted in Ifẹ̀ lineage, can only be described as a 21st-century invention, meant to serve political ego rather than truth.
Iwo is one of the oldest towns in Yorubaland, with a history extending beyond 1,000 years. Archaeological and cultural evidence, such as the renowned Luwo Pavement preserved in museums, testifies to this antiquity. The pavement is associated with Luwo Gbagida, the legendary female Ọọni of Ifẹ̀, who is revered as a direct royal ancestor of Iwo.
Luwo Gbagida’s descendants carried the royal stool from the very house of Odùduwà, making Iwo’s monarchy one of the most legitimate and ancient within the Yoruba world. This firmly establishes the Oluwo’s crown as a beaded crown (adé àtẹ́lẹ̀wọ́), unlike the non-primordial district chieftaincies elevated in more recent times.
Osogbo, on the other hand, though an important Yoruba town with a rich history, did not begin as a royal crown city. Historically, the ruler of Osogbo bore the title of Baálẹ̀, a title used for district chiefs and lesser authorities under larger kingdoms. Osogbo’s political relevance grew significantly during the 19th-century Yoruba wars and later during the colonial and post-colonial restructuring of Yorubaland.
That Osogbo today stands as the capital of Osun State (created in 1991) does not, and cannot, retroactively elevate the antiquity or legitimacy of its stool above one with direct Odùduwà lineage. A state capital is a colonial and modern administrative designation, not a determinant of historical seniority.
Historically, the Oluwo of Iwoland has always been counted among the foremost Yoruba monarchs. In the Western Region Government era, the then Oluwo, Ọba Abimbola, was appointed Minister—an honor reflecting his high traditional standing. Similarly, Obas such as Adegoroye and others from ancient lineages were central in decisions shaping Yoruba traditional leadership.
The Oluwo’s stool is ranked 4th in the OSUN state kingship hierarchy, following:
- Ooni of Ifẹ̀ (Ọọni Odùduwà’s successor)
- Owá Obokun Adimula of Iléṣà
- Orangun of Ìlá
- Oluwo of Iwoland
This order is not arbitrary but based on deep genealogical and historical facts that recognize the Oluwo as a direct grandson of Odùduwà, same as the Oranmiyan, Alaketu, Orangun, Ọwá, Onipopo, Onisabe, Alára, and Ajero royal dynasties.
The Ataoja of Osogbo, like many respected Yoruba kings, commands authority and reverence within his domain. However, historical facts do not support any claim of seniority over the Oluwo of Iwoland. While Osogbo’s modern political prominence as the Osun State capital is undeniable, Yoruba kingship seniority is determined by ancestral legitimacy and the antiquity of crowns from Ifẹ̀, not by contemporary geography or administrative restructuring.
The Oluwo’s stool remains an ancient, royal, and beaded crown directly tied to the Odùduwà dynasty an indisputable fact that continues to stand against any modern attempt to distort Yoruba history.
Prince Musbau Semiu Ademola MSA,
Great-grandson of ỌBA Layilumi.
Great Grandson of ỌBA Olufate Gbaase
Fooke Royal Compound, of the Gbaase Royal Dynasty, Iwo Nigeria.
