Yoruba Youth Leader, Asoju Odo Alawode, Warns Oluwo: Stop Attacking the Tradition That Made You King

The Yoruba Youth Leader and cultural advocate, Asoju Odo Alawode Rahmon Akintunde, has issued a strong warning to the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, urging him to desist from making reckless comments against Yoruba traditions, particularly the revered Oloolu masquerade of Ibadanland.

Alawode, in a statement made available to the media, condemned the Oluwo’s recent outburst in a viral video where he described the sacred Oloolu as “criminal” and “unconstitutional,” stating that any masquerade that restricts women or instills fear should be “sent to the forest.”

The respected youth figure, who leads several grassroots mobilizations on Yoruba cultural rebirth and youth engagement, described the Oluwo’s remarks as “disgraceful, disrespectful, and dangerously provocative,” warning that such behavior from a traditional monarch is unacceptable.

“Kabiyesi Oluwo should be reminded that it was this same Yoruba tradition — the one he now insults with reckless abandon — that enthroned him as a king. Without tradition, there would be no stool, no crown, and certainly no recognition for him.”

Alawode Rahmon, popularly known as Asoju Odo, emphasized that the Oloolu masquerade is a deeply sacred and time-honored symbol of Ibadan’s spiritual and cultural identity — not a mere roadside display. He said the masquerade, like many other revered deities and cultural rites across Yorubaland, must be respected and preserved as a matter of ancestral obligation.

“Ibadan is not Iwo. We have our own heritage, and it is not Oluwo’s place to condemn it. His statement is not only insulting to the Oloolu and the Olubadan-in-Council, but it is also an affront to the Yoruba heritage as a whole,” Alawode warned.

Echoing the positions of the Association of Ibadan Mogajis, Baales, and the Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative (ICPI), the youth leader called on the Osun State Government and other Yoruba monarchs to urgently caution the Oluwo before his divisive utterances spark inter-community tensions in the region.

“Yoruba youths will not sit idle while any individual no matter how highly placed ridicules our sacred traditions. Our tolerance should not be mistaken for weakness. If Oluwo cannot uphold the values of Yoruba culture, he should stay away from issues he lacks the spiritual depth to understand.”

Alawode concluded by giving the Oluwo a seven-day ultimatum to publicly retract his statement and tender an unreserved apology to the people of Ibadan and the entire Yoruba nation.

“We are watching. If the apology does not come, we, the Yoruba youth, will mobilize in defense of our heritage. We will not allow anyone, king or commoner to desecrate what our forefathers protected with their lives.”