The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, is set to install Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as “Okanlomo of Yorubaland”
“Okanlomo of Yorubaland” is a Yoruba title meaning “the one dear to the hearts of all Yoruba people” or “beloved child.”
According to a flyer cited by IntelRegion, the traditional title will be conferred on Sunday, December 21, 2025.
Also slated for a title is former Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari, who will be installed as Obaloyin of Yorubaland.
These will be the first traditional titles awarded by Oba Owoade since his enthronement as the 46th Alaafin in April 2025.
The development comes months after a public row between the Alaafin and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, over the conferment of the “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” title on businessman Dotun Sanusi in Ibadan.
In April, the Alaafin issued a 48-hour ultimatum, demanding that the Ooni revoke the title.
He described the conferment as an “affront” and claimed exclusive authority to bestow titles covering all of Yorubaland. He argued that a Supreme Court ruling affirmed his sole prerogative in such matters.
However, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the ultimatum as an “empty threat.”
“We cannot dignify the undignifiable with an official response. We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
In a follow-up, the Alaafin’s media aide, Bode Durojaiye, clarified the monarch’s position, saying Alaafin was not seeking supremacy over any other ruler but was only protecting the sanctity of Yoruba tradition.