By now everyone would have thought that the royal family in Ile Ife would be preparing for the arrival of another patter of tiny feet after the Prince Tadenikawo was born in November 2020.
But that seems an impossible achievement between Arole Oduduwa/Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and former Queen Silekunola Naomi.
The formerly enviable royal union is over.
Queen Naomi, had announced on December 23, 2021, that she was no longer the wife of the Ooni. This, she disclosed via a statement posted on her verified Instagram handle.
Queen Silekunola gave many reasons for the crash of her marriage to the Ooni despite her acclaimed ‘enduring attempts’ to save the union.
Many reasons have been tendered as the reasons for the crash of the Ooni’s third marriage among which was the increasing harem of concubines in the palace. The former queen, Silekunola could not cope with the other queens (Ayabas) in the palace. Though she was the only one who was allowed to be featured as the Queen and addressed as Yeyeluwa, there are other queens who bore kids for the Ooni in the palace.
Here are some other facts Lovehaven magazine exclusively gathered on the issue:
- Ooni Didn’t Betray Silekunola, Her Family Did
Contrary to what many insinuated on social media, the Ooni didn’t have any sexual affair with his mother-in-law, Prophetess Funmilayo Grace Oluwaseyi. Neither did he make any love advances to the beautiful sisters of the former queen, Silekunola.
“Naomi moved into the palace with her family members including her mother, who she accorded respect more than her husband, the king. The former queen would always demand money from the king which she gave to her mum. The Oluwaseyi family lived large in the palace and got a chunk of ‘goodies’ from the Ooni, business associates and his friends who visited the palace. All her nuclear family lived in Naomi’s apartment and deprived her of privacy with her husband. Of course, she would always tell anyone who cared to listen that she couldn’t do without her family especially her mum, hence the reason for their stay in the palace in Ile Ife,” palace sources revealed.
Gbenro Oluwaseyi: Naomi’s brother who allegedly swindled the Ooni
He was a brother to former queen Silekunola and was privileged to have clinched a construction contract to execute for the Ooni in Akure. Running into millions, the contract was shoddily done and then, abandoned. An angry Ooni withdrew the contract from Gbenro, who later brought thugs to disrupt activities on the site when a new contractor came on board. All pleas to Naomi and their mum to talk to Gbenro on the matter fell on deaf ears. “They all knew Baba (Ooni) is soft-hearted and they had played on his intelligence for a while. He gave them a long rope and ignored their excesses. But the last straw was Gbenro’s rebellion and Naomi’s insistence on taking sides with her sibling instead of her husband. Gbenro acted rudely to the king and said unprintable words. Naomi was asked to tell her family to vacate the palace but she shocked all and threw weight behind her family,” sources told Kemi Ashefon.
- Naomi’s 53-year-old Mum Was An Empress In The Palace
She referred to herself as ‘Queen Mother.’ To think that Prophetess Prophetess Funmilayo Grace Oluwaseyi left their En-Herald Ministry based in Akure, Ondo and put up with her daughter in Ile Ife! She ruled like an empress in the palace.
“The last Olojo festival in Ife was celebrated amidst pomp. Queen mother had several tables reserved for her guests and almost prevented other wives of the king from hosting their visitors at the venue. Many were shocked when she asked one of the Olooris (wife) of the Ooni to vacate a reserved seat!” sources disclosed.
Aside that, the former Queen Mother was said to have called the Ooni on phone after she and her children packed out of the palace to Akure. She was alleged to have let out a stream of invectives at the king. “That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The Ooni cannot take such a woman as an in-law. She and her kids have dragged cherished crown of Ile ife in the mud,” sources revealed to Lovehaven.
- How Naomi’s Position Was Threatened
“The former queen and her family didn’t like one of the Ayabas, Princess Ashley. There was a time they were rude to her but the intervention of the Ooni put a stop to that,” a palace source disclosed exclusively to Kemi Ashefon.
Naomi’s family threatened to beat up Princess Ashley, who is well loved by the monarch. A princess in Ile Ife, Ashley who shuttles UK and Nigeria remains one of the women in Ooni’s life. Though she cannot be Yeyeluwa because she had a child outside wedlock, Princess Ashley and some other women (Ronke Ademiluyi, Princesses Temitope Adesegun, Oloori Lola, Oloori Kemi B. Fadojutimi, Oloori Peju) aren’t making a U-turn on their decisions to be stuck to the Ooni forever.
Naomi left the palace as a result of the brouhaha in the palace, and she was conspicuously absent during the sixth coronation anniversary celebration. She even refused to put up a congratulatory message for the Ooni on social media unlike other wives and chiefs.
Former Queen Naomi Silekunola Is Never Returning To The Palace
Wondering why? The Ile Ife traditional council has taken a decision to cleanse former queen Naomi’s aura from the palace. This practice, which is likened to that of ‘Oro’ is a spiritual cleansing of the palace of unwanted persons and spirits. This simply means that Naomi’s flame will never rise in the Giesi royal lineage again. She is simply the mother of Ooni of Ife’s Prince, never a queen.
