The Olosi of Osi-Ekiti, Oba Stephen Alabi, says Ile-Ife remains the undisputed origin of all Yoruba kingdoms, including Oyo. The Olosi stated this in an interview in Ibadan on Tuesday.

Mr Alabi said that the speculated supremacy controversy between the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo was, therefore, unnecessary.

He said that whereas the Oyo Empire, which had its capital in Katunga, collapsed a long time ago, Ile-Ife remained the acknowledged origin of all Yoruba kingdoms, including Oyo itself.

The Olosi noted that the collapse of the Oyo empire, however, did not affect Ekiti, Ijesa, Egba, Ijebu, Ondo, and other major towns and cities in Yorubaland.

According to him, the Ooni of Ife has always been the supreme authority, while every Yoruba kingdom traces its history to Ile-Ife.

“No one traces its history to the Oyo Empire; Ile-Ife is not a kingdom, but the source,” he said.

On the call for constitutional roles for traditional rulers, Mr Alabi, a lecturer of Constitutional Law, said the parliamentary system was better suited for Nigeria than the current “winner-takes-all presidential system.”

He recalled that the late Ooni Adesoji Aderemi played a constitutional role as the Governor of the old Western Region.

However, he suggested that the presidential or parliamentary system could be reformed by making the local government system a town-based structure.

According to him, funds for development can be disbursed directly through the towns.

“Instead of the council taking charge of everything, and very little gets done, traditional rulers can be given the constitutional role of managing developmental efforts in their kingdoms directly, while the council takes responsibility for policy approval and supervision.

“The traditional rulers become the ones who make up the council, not elected officials, thus eliminating the incessant struggle for control of this level of government in every dispensation.

“Where the local government area coincides with the territory of a single royal father, the senior chiefs will join him to form the council. But where there is more than one royal father in a local government area, the first-class Obas will rotate the chairmanship among themselves on a four-yearly basis, with other royal fathers as members,” he said.

(NAN)