Alaafin replies UI don over three-hour delay claim

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade, has reacted to criticism by a don of the University of Ibadan, Professor Ademola Omobewaji Dasylva, over his alleged three-hour late arrival at the inauguration of the Alaafin’s Institute of Yoruba Studies.

The first class monarch replied to the don in a statement issued to newsmen by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye.

Owoade rejected the allegation that he arrived late for the event at Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, insisting that his arrival was in line with an adjusted schedule communicated to the organisers.

Durojaiye, in a statement titled: “Alaafin Not Arrogant, But Considerate, Visionary,” also demanded a retraction and apology from Dasylva over what he described as reckless accusations and unbecoming remarks.

The response followed Dasylva’s criticism of the monarch for allegedly keeping guests waiting for more than three hours without offering an apology after arriving at the event.

According to the Palace, the original schedule proposed by the university indicated 11am for the Alaafin’s arrival, but the organisers were subsequently informed that the monarch would arrive between noon and 1pm because he was travelling with other paramount traditional rulers coming from outside Oyo State.

Durojaiye said: “The accusation that ‘Alaafin came three hours late’ betrays a fundamental ignorance of royal protocol and institutional coordination.

“For the records, the original schedule proposed by the University indicated 11am  as the time for His Imperial Majesty’s arrival.

“However, prior to the commencement of the event, the Director of Administration of the Alaafin’s Palace, who was the official interface between the Palace and the University, formally communicated that the Alaafin would be arriving with other Paramount Obas who were traveling from outside Oyo State.

“Consequently, it was made unequivocally clear that His Imperial Majesty’s entourage could not arrive earlier than 12 noon or 1pm.”

The Palace maintained that the communication was made before the event to allow the organisers to plan accordingly.

Durojaiye added: “This communication was not an afterthought. 

“It was made deliberately and in good faith to enable proper planning.

“To therefore feign surprise and launch into public castigation is either a willful disregard of facts or a deliberate act of provocation.”

Defending the protocol surrounding the movement of the Alaafin, Durojaiye argued that the monarch does not travel like an ordinary guest, particularly when moving alongside other traditional rulers.

He said: “The Palace does not move in isolation. 

“When the Alaafin moves, he moves with the dignity of Oyo, with the council, and often, in concert with other crowns.

“To expect an Imperial procession to conform to a timetable designed without full consultation is to misunderstand both monarchy and courtesy.”

Durojaiye also faulted Dasylva for making the criticism without first seeking clarification from the organisers or the Palace.

He said: “Prof. Dasylva is not the convener of the event. 

“He was not part of the protocol team. 

“He was not privy to the correspondence between the Palace and the University.

“The honorable and scholarly path, therefore, would have been to inquire from the organizers before rushing to the marketplace of public opinion with insults.

“A Professor of repute is expected to embody circumspection, research, and restraint. 

“To substitute these virtues with uncouth outbursts is to erode the very intellectual authority one claims to wield.”

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖