Reckless!” Alaafin Fires Back At Professor Over Lateness Comment, Demands Public Apology

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, has called on Professor Ademola Dasylva to withdraw and apologise for comments alleging that the monarch arrived three hours late to the inauguration of the Alaafin’s Institute of Yoruba Studies at Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo.

In a statement issued by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the monarch described the professor’s remarks as “reckless” and maintained that his arrival followed a revised schedule that had already been communicated to the organisers before the event.

The Palace insisted it was misleading to suggest that the Alaafin was late, explaining that the university had been informed in advance that the monarch would be travelling alongside other first-class traditional rulers from outside Oyo State.

According to the statement, the Palace had notified the organisers that the royal entourage was not expected to arrive before noon or 1:00 p.m., allowing sufficient time for adjustments to the programme.

It further stressed that the Alaafin’s movements are governed by established royal protocols and coordinated with other traditional rulers, making it unreasonable to expect an imperial procession to adhere to arrangements made without adequate consultation.

“For the record, the university initially scheduled the Alaafin’s arrival for 11:00 a.m. Before the event, however, the Director of Administration at the Palace officially informed the organisers that His Imperial Majesty would be arriving with other paramount traditional rulers travelling from outside Oyo State,” the statement said.

It added that the communication was made well ahead of the event to facilitate proper planning and was not an afterthought.

“To now express surprise and publicly criticise the Alaafin despite that prior communication amounts either to a disregard for the facts or a deliberate attempt to provoke unnecessary controversy,” the Palace stated.

The statement also emphasised that the Alaafin does not travel alone but is accompanied by members of the royal council and, in many cases, other traditional rulers, making coordination an essential part of royal engagements.

The monarch further questioned Professor Dasylva’s basis for making the allegations, noting that he neither organised the programme nor served on the protocol committee and therefore was not privy to the exchanges between the Palace and the university.

While acknowledging Dasylva’s academic contributions to Yoruba studies, the Palace argued that public criticism should be grounded in verified facts, especially when it concerns revered traditional institutions.

According to the statement, the appropriate course of action would have been for the professor to seek clarification from the organisers before making public comments.

The Palace therefore demanded a retraction and public apology, insisting that the Alaafin attended the event in line with the revised timetable that had been formally communicated beforehand.

“The Alaafin did not arrive late. He arrived according to the adjusted schedule duly communicated to the organisers. Any claim to the contrary is false and misleading,” the statement concluded.