Ooni’s Palace Clarifies Olori’s Osun Grove Visit, Denies Festival Relocation Claims

The Palace of the Ooni of Ife in Ile-Ife has dismissed circulating narratives surrounding the recent visit of Her Majesty, Queen Ashley Afolasade Ojaja Ogunwusi, to the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace, Otunba Moses Olafare, the palace clarified that the Olori’s visit was purely spiritual and symbolic, in line with established Yoruba traditional practices.

Her presence at the grove was solely to offer prayers and perform necessary rites of appeasement to the Osun River ahead of the forthcoming Odun Omi festival scheduled to hold within the Palace of the Ooni in Ile-Ife. At no time did Her Majesty make any pronouncement suggesting the relocation, replication, or interference with the globally recognized Osun-Osogbo Festival.

The Palace emphasizes that the visit also embodied the cherished Yoruba value of mutual respect and cultural courtesy, as Her Majesty appropriately acknowledged the Osun worshippers in Osogbo. This act must not be misconstrued as consultation, collaboration, or a formal engagement with any traditional institution in Osogbo.

The House of Oduduwa holds in high regard the stool of the Ataoja of Osogbo and recognizes the historical and custodial significance of the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove and its festival within Osogbo land. At no point has the Ooni’s Palace sought to undermine, contest, or appropriate this heritage.

For the avoidance of doubt, Odun Omi is a distinct spiritual observance rooted in Ile-Ife, the ancestral cradle of the Yoruba people, and is traditionally aligned with the spiritual responsibilities of the Ooni’s throne and its affiliates. It bears no institutional, territorial, or cultural conflict with the Osun-Osogbo Festival.

The Palace further reiterates that Ile-Ife remains the source and spiritual nucleus of Yoruba civilization, and all traditional rites carried out under the authority of the Ooni are guided by this ancient and sacred heritage.

Her Majesty, Queen Ashley Afolasade Ojaja Ogunwusi, remains a devoted custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition, whose actions continue to reflect unwavering loyalty, dignity, and reverence for the throne of her husband, the Oonirisa.

The House of Oduduwa therefore urges the public, stakeholders, and the media to disregard any misleading narratives suggesting discord or institutional conflict, as such claims are unfounded and do not reflect the reality of the situation.

The Ooni’s Palace remains committed to the preservation, promotion, and protection of Yoruba cultural heritage, in an atmosphere of unity, mutual respect, and traditional harmony across all kingdoms.