Ooni, wife unveil twins’ faces, names after traditional rites (PHOTOS)

The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and his queen, Mariam Ajibola, have unveiled the names and faces of their twins, about six months after their birth.

In March, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Ooni announced on his social media pages that Olori Mariam, whom he married in 2022, 10 months after his former wife, Naomi Silekunola, left him, gave birth to twins.

The Senior Media Officer of the Ooni’s Palace, Sodiq Lawal, in a statement on behalf of the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, on Friday, said the Ooni and his queen unveiled the faces of their newborn twin princes after completing the traditional rites prescribed for royal births in Ile-Ife.

The first twin, Taiwo, bears the names Adelowo, Adelanaire, Adejare, Adedunmininu, and Ademola, while the second twin, Kehinde, bears the names Adelẹye, Adelanaola, Adejuwon, Adedoyin and Adebola.

According to him, the Ooni had first announced the names at the twins’ naming ceremony on 24 May, before unveiling them on Friday.

Mr Olafare said: “The unveiling took place at the Ile Oodua Palace, Ile-Ife, in an elaborate ceremony attended by royal fathers, government officials, dignitaries, family members and well-wishers who gathered to celebrate with the monarch and his family.

“The ceremony marked the first time the Ooni would formally set his eyes on the twin princes since their birth, in accordance with the tradition of the ancient city of Ile-Ife.”

Tradition

Furthermore, Mr Olafare said that, according to the tradition of the Yoruba race’s source, the Ooni must observe prescribed traditional rites before setting his eyes on a newborn royal child.

He explained that the restriction forms part of the sacred customs surrounding royal births and reflects the spiritual significance attached to the Ooni’s throne.

“Following the completion of the rites, the long-awaited moment came on Friday when the Ooni welcomed and carried his twin sons for the first time at the palace, alongside Olori Mariam.

“The occasion was marked by pomp, pageantry and deep cultural symbolism, as the monarch and his wife presented the princes to guests and members of the royal household,” he noted.

Mr Olafare added that the palace was filled with excitement as dignitaries and traditional rulers joined the royal family to pray, celebrate and give thanks for the safe arrival of the twin princes.

Dignitaries

He said the ceremony also allowed members of the public and the royal family to see the princes after the completion of the traditional rites surrounding their birth.

Former Minister of State for Water Resources, Bashir Awotorebo, and the Secretary to the Kogi State Government, Folashade Ayoade, were among the dignitaries who attended the ceremony.

Traditional rulers present included the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Ahmed Anaje; the Alayemore of Ido-Osun, Olayinka Jokotola; and the Owa Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, Joseph Adebayo, among others.

Also in attendance were the First Lady of Jigawa State, Hajiya Namadi; Olufunso Amosun, wife of former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; Lilian Oghogho Musa, wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa; Kikelomo Adeniyi, wife of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service; and Catherine Ojo-Adekimi, wife of the Kwara State Commissioner of Police.

Olori Mariam worked in the oil and gas sector and is an Ebira woman from Kogi State.