Alaafin dismisses UI don’s claims of arriving three hours late to Oyo event

A Nigerian professor has publicly criticized the Alaafin of Oyo, Akeem Owoade, for allegedly arriving three hours late to a university event and failing to offer an apology. Ademola Dasylva, a professor of English at the University of Ibadan, detailed the incident in an article published on the Toyin Falola Network.

“

However, the event had to be kept on hold, courtesy of Alaafin Owoade, who arrived at the venue at 12:20pm.

Dasylva recounted that the event, the inauguration of the Alaafin Institute of Yoruba Studies at Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on July 14, 2026. Dignitaries were already seated, and the program listed the Alaafin's arrival for 9:55 a.m. However, the monarch did not arrive until 12:20 p.m., causing a significant delay.

“

In other words, people, including yours truly, were kept waiting for over three hours before the event finally took off.

"In other words, people, including yours truly, were kept waiting for over three hours before the event finally took off," Dasylva wrote. He expressed disappointment that cultural performances or other activities were not used to fill the waiting period. The professor also highlighted the absence of any apology from the monarch or his representatives for the tardiness, which he found "strange and incomprehensible" for a respected Yoruba royal.

“

Unfortunately, not a word of apology for the lateness of the Imperial Majesty and his entourage, either by his spokesperson or directly by His Imperial Majesty!

Dasylva argued that while such behavior might be seen among some politicians, it is unbecoming of a foremost Yoruba monarch who embodies cultural values and discipline. He stated, "To whom much is given much is required." In response, the Alaafin's media aide, Bode Durojaiye, dismissed the allegations. Durojaiye asserted that the monarch's arrival adhered to a schedule that had been formally communicated to the event organizers in advance.

“

But as a teacher of culture, a proud Yoruba, and an advocate of our rich African cultural heritage, I found that rather strange and incomprehensible.