Archbishop Emeritus of the Methodist Church Nigeria, Most Reverend Ayo Ladigbolu, who is from the Agunloye Ruling House of Oyo Kingdom, has declared that the widows left behind by the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, would be inherited by the new monarch. In an interview with PUNCH, he talked about the fate of the queens.
He said, “The new king will inherit them and that is the tradition, but you know things are changing now. Once a woman is married to the Alaafin they are married forever to the Alaafin. You know circumstances of life are changing and we have to adjust to the changing trends. They are married to Alaafin and Alaafin is not a person but an institution. The new Alaafin will be responsible for their welfare because they are married to the institution and not just a person.”
But if any of the queens decides to leave the palace to go and remarry?
“I don’t have to elaborate on that; all I can say is that they are married to Alaafin and Alaafin is not a person but an institution. That is why the question of who they belong to after the death of the Kabiyesi who married them did not arise. They belong to the Alaafin. But in the light of the prevailing circumstances we will have to adjust. That is my response.”
Oba Adeyemi, 83, passed on Friday, April 22, 2022 after receiving treatments at the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti.