Osun issues six directives to Oluwo over public remarks

The Osun State Government has directed the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, to stop making public statements capable of provoking religious tension and disputes among traditional rulers, warning that his conduct will be monitored.

The government, in a letter issued by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said the monarch’s alleged remarks were raising communal tension and threatening peaceful coexistence in the state.

The letter, dated November 2026 and signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Wale Alliyu, on behalf of the office, outlined six directives to the monarch. A copy was sent to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who chairs the Osun State Council of Obas.

The government specifically asked Akanbi to stop attacking people of other faiths and fellow traditional rulers, warning that such conduct could trigger religious and inter-town conflicts.

“You cannot, and you must not, conduct yourself in any way that can foment religious crisis through serial attacks on people of other faiths,” the letter stated.

It added that the monarch’s activities were “raising communal tension, sowing seeds of communal and religious discord” and discrediting the traditional values of the Yoruba people.

The ministry said the government had observed recent public statements attributed to the monarch which could undermine peace and stability in Iwo and other parts of Osun.

It reminded Akanbi that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees citizens freedom of religious association and that traditional rulers were expected to respect the rights of their subjects.

The government also warned against using the traditional institution to promote religious confrontation, stressing that the monarch’s responsibility included preserving the culture and traditions of his people.

Among the other directives, the Oluwo was asked to comply with the state’s chieftaincy laws and resolutions of the State Council of Obas.

The ministry said it would monitor his compliance, while the council was directed to “watch and act on recent developments within Iwo land”.

The letter did not identify the specific statements that prompted the warning. However, Akanbi has repeatedly criticised Yoruba traditional religious practices and other monarchs over the presence of traditional deities in their palaces.

In a video shared on his Facebook page on July 1, the monarch described traditional rites performed during the installation of new kings as practices capable of drawing them into idolatry.

He also questioned the significance attached to ancient Yoruba crowns in another video posted on October 10, arguing that newly installed monarchs should make their own crowns.

There were conflicting accounts over whether the monarch had received the letter. While his press secretary,