Newly crowned Ooni of Ife was recently blasted on social media after he was pictured kneeling down in church, Critics claim it is an affront and rubbishing of the traditional African religion which he is supposed to defend, practise and uphold.
In reply to such criticism, the new Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi(Ojaja II) said “No King on Earth is above God”.
Others have supported the action of the Ooni saying they saw no wrong in what he did. The week-long coronation activities for the Ooni climaxed with a thanksgiving service on Sunday 13th December 2015, at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Ile-Ife.
In a statement signed by the Director of Communication and Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace, Ile-Ife, Moses Olafare, the Ooni said it is an unacceptable sacrilege to equate Ooni’risa or any other king to the Almighty God.
“God is the creator of mankind and it is God who made it possible for the enthronement of any king. The Ooni said.
“The ILE OODUA has been drawn to a publication released Wednesday 16th 2015 by an online medium known as NEWSPUNCH in which His Imperial Majesty, Ooni’risa & Arole Oodua Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) was criticized for bowing to God.
“God remains the highest KING OF KINGS who has kept all Kings alive and had made it possible for me to be crowned as the a King of the source of Yoruba civilisation.
“I have no regret whatsoever for kneeling down to exalt the Almighty God who did not only create me, but also kept me alive, saw me through all the storms in my life-journey and eventually crowned me as the Custodian of Oodua Race.
“This act of equating me to God of Gods, King of Kings and the sole owner of the universe is a wicked sacrilege planned to embarrass the the throne.
“My emergence as Oba has been made possible only by the almighty Olodumare to whom I remain eternally grateful” the Ooni concluded.
