The Olosi of Osi-Ekiti, Oba Stephen Alabi, has said that princes aspiring to ascend the throne of their forefathers have a sacred duty to uphold traditions in full measure.
Oba Alabi told Correspondents in Ibadan on Monday that even those who do not eventually become kings share the same responsibility of preserving heritage.
He emphasised that traditional rulers should be buried according to Yoruba customs, distinct from Islamic or Christian rites, arguing that personal faith should not override ancient communal practices.
Quoting legal principle, the monarch said: “In law, there is volenti non fit injuria, which in this context means that a prince who knowingly and voluntarily takes the throne cannot reject the traditions attached to it.”
He dismissed claims of barbarism in royal burials as unfounded, stressing that Yoruba civilisation has always maintained dignified rites.
“Every civilisation has its way of burying its dead. The Oba does not even die but joins his ancestors. How then can someone who does not die be buried? We must not demonise the Yoruba monarchy,” he said.
Oba Alabi, who is also a law lecturer with vast experience in media, sports, and resource management, spoke against the backdrop of the controversies surrounding the burial rites of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, in Ogun State.
He recalled that the International Council for Ifa Religion had threatened legal action against the Ogun Government and the late monarch’s family over alleged violations of Yoruba traditions.
According to him, the traditionalists vowed to correct what they described as a departure from long-standing practices in paying last respects to departed monarchs.
(NAN)