Elder sister of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Princess Folashade Ogunwusi-Fadairo, has revealed that the Monarch did not like Polygamy, and that circumstances forced him into it.
The Ooni set social media buzzing in the second half of 2022, after he married six wives within the space of two months following his divource from Naomi Silekunola.
The Ooni married Mariam Anako, September 6, 2022; Elizabeth Akinmudai and Tobiloba Philips, October 9, 2022, Ashley Adegoke, October 14, 2022; Ronke Ademiluyi, October 20, 2022; and Temitope Adesegun, Monday, October 24, 2022.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Ogunwusi-Fadairo, stated that the Ooni came from a Christian family, and his decision to marry more than one wife was because of the Yoruba tradition which does not allow the Ooni to be married to just one wife.
“My opinion is that what you have to do, you just have to do it. Meanwhile, that’s his personal life, I can’t meddle in it. What I can say is that I don’t know if you were there during his wedding anniversary or so, if you heard the speech he made, it was very touching and it was something that personally he didn’t like but he had no choice, he had to do it. Where the Yoruba are coming from, polygamy is expected. And being the progenitor of the Yoruba race, inu e ni won bi wa si (we were born in it). For instance, my grandfather had eight wives, that’s paternal and my maternal grandfather had about seven or eight wives too. So, it’s something he had to do, although, I think he avoided it.
“As kabiyesi, he just has to take more than one wife,” she added.