Femi Fani-Kayode, a former minister of Aviation, has berated Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), over alleged disrespect to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi at the recent coronation of the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Omogbolahan Lawal.
In his reaction, Fani-Kayode said Tinubu’s action ‘is not only deeply insulting to every Ife and indeed son and daughter of Odua but it is also a crying shame.’
Reports have recently sprung up on several social media platforms informing that Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, disrespected Ooni Ogunwusi at a royal event in Lagos by remaining on his seat while the monarch was standing greeting him.
Everyone at the event, as a mark of respect to the royal figure, reportedly stood up to greet the symbolic Yoruba monarch, except Bola Tinubu.
A video of this action was also well circulated across social media platforms.
Tinubu has receives knock from different quarters for publicly disrespecting the throne of Ife.
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Activist, Yinka Odumakin, also reacted to the incident saying the APC chieftain, Tinubu, should have stood up to greet Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, at the coronation of the Oniru of Iruland, Lagos.
Odumakin, who is also the spokesman for pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, said monarchs no longer hold political power, it was important for traditional institutions to be respected especially by the Yoruba people.
Odumkin recalled that in 2016, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is many years older than the monarch, bowed down to greet him.
“We are still Yoruba people. With due respect to our royal fathers, we should not say because we are in a modern age, we should not give the proper respect that we give to our Oba,” The PUNCH quoted Odumakin.
Fani-Kayode also in a Tweet post, Thursday morning said, Tinubu’s refusal to stand up in honour of the revered Yoruba race monarch is deeply insulting and a crying shame!
He wrote, “That the Asiwaju of Bourdillon refused to stand up to greet the Ooni of Ife speaks volumes. This was not only deeply insulting to every Ife & indeed son & daughter of Odua but it is also a crying shame. Would a northern pol. leader refuse to stand up for his traditional ruler?”
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