The Palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has strongly countered claims made by controversial Nollywood actor and comedian Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, stating that the monarch did not confer any traditional chieftaincy title on him during his recent palace visit. The drama unfolded after Baba Ijesha took to his social media pages to express deep gratitude to the traditional ruler for a royal welcome, cash gifts, a brand-new car, and the purported title of “Baba Awada Konge Oduwa” following a visit with his wife, fashion entrepreneur Abiodun Tokunbo, to celebrate the birth of their newborn son.
The actor’s public announcement triggered massive backlash online from netizens who criticized the revered monarch for seemingly honoring a convicted individual who recently served a prison sentence for child sexual assault. Responding to the intense public uproar, the Ooni’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, issued an official statement clarifying that the phrase “Awada Konge Oduwa” was merely a light-comedy, informal remark made by the monarch in appreciation of the actor’s comedic career during a relaxed interaction and was never intended to be a formal installation. The palace emphasized that the conferment of chieftaincy titles in Ile-Ife remains a highly sacred traditional process governed by strict customs, consultations, and public traditional rites, none of which took place during the actor’s visit, while urging the public and media organizations to completely disregard the false claims.
