With the declaration of the former queen of Ife, Olori Wuraola now Queen Zaynab Otiti , that she is no longer married to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, many reactions continue to pour in from Nigerians.
Even popular Ifa traditionalist, playwright, actor and author, Yemi Elebuibon has declared the consequence of a queen separating from a king.
Speaking to the SUN, Elebuibon warned ex-Olori Wuraola to undergo appropriate traditional cleansing process to enable her regain normal life.
While noting that Ooni would not be the first Yoruba Oba to be separated from his wife, Elebuibon stressed that marriage breakup is not very common among Yoruba Obas.
He said, “The wife of the Oba will be asked to consult Ifa and Ifa will give directions on how she will make the necessary atonement for her cleansing. In Yoruba tradition, a woman who has been married to a king cannot lay with any other man even if the marriage breaks up. But when the right atonements have been made, there won’t be problem.”
On the kind of problems which an Oba’s ex-wife might encounter if she refuses to undergo the traditional cleansing rites, Elebuibon said: “For the woman, she might not really have a problem but for any man who sleeps with a queen or marries an ex-queen without the appropriate cleansing, the man may die prematurely, he may be struck with sickness or there might be retrogression in his life.”
He explained that if an ex-queen wants to remarry, she will have to do the cleansing with her new husband. Both of them have to take part in the atonement procedures so that they won’t have any future problem.
“Any marriage she would be going into must not be elaborate. They should go far away and avoid any flamboyant wedding,” Elebuibon warned.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, on March 12, 2017, formally took for wife, Wuraola Itohan Sonia Otiti Zainab Obanor. Wuraola, who is in her mid-30s is from the Igun N’ Eromwon, the Benin Bronze Casters family.
The weeks of rumours, denials, and sensational writings on the crash of the royal union between the revered Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his beautiful wife, Olori Wuraola were put to rest on August 30, 2017 when the estranged wife of the Ooni changed to her maiden name and declared she was out of the marriage!