"Where is Oba of Lagos?": Mixed Reactions as Salaries of Ooni, Alaafin, Alake, Others Emerge
- History documents have revealed the salaries of southern traditional rulers during the colonial era
- The document rated the Alaafin, Alake, Awujale, and several others higher above Ooni of Ife, sparking questions about its validity as it also omitted the name of the Oba of Lagos
- Some Nigerians who reacted to the document explained that the colonial masters paid and rated the traditional rulers based on their relationship with them
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Legit.ng journalist Bada Yusuf is an accomplished politics and current affairs editor, boasting over seven years of experience in journalism and writing.
The salaries of the traditional rulers in southern Nigeria during the colonial period have been revealed.
A media personality known as Bolanle Oni Story, in a tweet on Thursday, April 4, shared a picture of the document dated January 1938 from the office of the federal ministry of information, national achieve.
Source: Twitter
According to the document, the Alaafin of Oyo received €4,200, the Alake of Egbaland got €2,250, the Awujale of Ijebu garnered €1,700; the Oba of Benin got €1,650, while the Ooni of Ife received €1,400.
The document also disclosed the salaries of the second-class traditional rulers, which included the Olubadan of Ibadan (€2,400), Owa of Ilesha (€1,450), Oshernowe of Ondo (€350), and Oragun of Ila (€200).
Nigerians react
The revelation has generated reactions from Nigerians on social media, with some asking for the position of the Oba of Lagos and raising other concerns.
Below are some reactions:
A user with the handle @anlugua_Ibadan explained why the salary of the Alaafin was higher than that of the Ooni of Ife. He quoted the tweet and said:
"The Alaafin received so much preferential treatment from the British government because the Alaafin Siyanbola Ladigbolu and Capt W.A Ross were great friends.
"During this period, Alaafin was placed ahead of other southern monarchs, and Ibadan was politically placed under Oyo."
Another, under Olamillion, took to the post's comment section to express his reaction. He said:
"How Alaafin of Oyo go dey collect pass Oni of Ife.? Oni na number one king in Yoruba land nah."
OMOTAYO of Lagos asked about the omission of the Oba of Lagos from the document. She wrote:
"Where is Oba of Lagos?"
Dr. Vincent Ahonsi questioned the document's authenticity, citing modern fonts and others. He wrote:
"There were no computers then. How come this document appears computer-typed with the fonts visibly modern?"
David Copperfield traced the anomalies in the historical document to another history book. He wrote:
"It appears that you don't really know the story behind this anomaly! Ever heard of Professor JA Atanda's "The New Oyo Empire"? I advise you to study this review of the book."
Below is the tweet:
Igboho vs Gani Adams: Ooni's peace move failed
Legit.ng earlier reported that the rift between Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba nation activist, and the Aare Oba Kakanfo, Gani Adams, took a new shape.
Despite the peace move by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the two activists have threatened each other with legal suits.
In a new development, Gani Adams said a viral voice note attributed to him on the issue was distorted and targeted at tarnishing his reputation.
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Source: Legit.ng
