The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has publicly rejected the widely held claim that Ile-Ife is the cradle of the Yoruba race. The monarch made the remarks during a chieftaincy event at his palace, where he said Ife does not embody the original Yoruba culture or speak the original Yoruba language.
Oba Akanbi argued that people were already living in Ife before Oduduwa’s arrival. He claimed the language of those early inhabitants differed significantly from what he described as “common Yoruba.” He pointed out differences in religious terms, saying Ife people use “Eledumare,” a word he claims is not part of the Yoruba vocabulary, which instead uses “Olodumare.”
He also critiqued usage of titles and terms, saying Ife people use “Olofin,” which he says they interpret as “owner of the palace,” whereas in standard Yoruba the word would be “Alaafin.” Oba Akanbi said that Iwo would be a better source of what he called the more “authentic” Yoruba history, some of which he says is undocumented.
