The Royal Court of Ife, under the supreme leadership of the Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife has appointed Erelu Abiola Dosumu, the Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos as the new Yeye Oodua and Queen Mother of the House of Oduduwa. According to a statement signed by Otunba Moses Olafare, Director, Media and Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace, Ile-Ife. Erelu’s appointment is sequel to the vacant state of the prestigious title since the demise of Mama H.I.D. Awolowo, wife of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was the immediate-past Yeye Oodua of the source. The statement disclosed that the choice of Erelu Abiola Dosumu is a unanimous decision of the Ife Traditional Council and major stakeholders of Oodua race, agreeing that her character, personality and experience qualify her for the position of Yeye Oodua.
The statement read in part: “In almost half-a-century of public life, Erelu Dosumu has proven herself to be an outstanding woman of stamina, integrity and far-reaching influence. In 1980 late Kabiyesi Adeyinka Oyekan, the Oba of Lagos, installed her as the Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos. With that appointment, she became the right hand person of the Oba of Lagos. Since then, she has executed her charge with maturity, sagacity, courage and commitment. Indeed since then, the beautiful and ageless Queen mother has become an enviable cultural Face of Lagos; its traditional allure and ageless charm. “By bringing Erelu Dosumu into the Court of Oduduwa, Ooni Ogunwusi is paying tribute to the age old tradition of the Oodua people that recognizes the power and position of significant matriarchs who had earlier dominated and still dominate the social, political and business landscape of the Yoruba nation and the lager race globally.”
The statement further read: “Erelu Dosumu would be adding value to the Court of Oduduwa as a well-connected aristocrat who for many years has been part and parcel of the influential class of Nigerian royalty. “The new honour coming from Ile-Ife, which is the source and traditional headquarters of the Oduduwa people worldwide, is only a confirmation of the role she has been playing for many years among African royalties. She is at home in many palaces across Nigeria.” According to the statement, “Her new pedestal as the Yeye Oodua would afford Ererelu Abiola Dosumu greater field of play, as it will also impose on her wider responsibilities across Oodualand and the Diaspora.
