DILEMMA FOR BINI CHIEFS

It’s common knowledge now that the ọba of Bini has officially distanced himself from Ilé Ifẹ, opting instead to align with the ancient Ogiso dynasty of Ìgòdòmìgòdò land, signaling a bid for supremacy over the historical standing of the Ọọ̀ni of Ìfẹ́.

This decision has thrown the elders and chiefs of the land into a state of uncertainty, with the outcome of this rift unclear. Why such uncertainty? Well, recently, the ọba dismissed six of his chiefs (or as they claimed, traditional functionaries rather than chiefs) for visiting Ilé Ifẹ́ and openly discussing the true lineage of the ọba of Bini and their own ancestry.

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The remaining chiefs, especially those with ties to the lineage of those who accompanied Ọ̀rànmíyàn to Ìgòdòmìgòdò and later served Ẹwẹ̀ka, the king after Ọ̀rànmíyàn, face a precarious situation. Their lineage is traced back to Ùhẹ̀ in Ifẹ́, not Ogiso. If the ọba successfully establishes his link to the Owodo family, these chiefs would lose their ancestral claims, leaving them vulnerable to dissent among the indigenous populace. Or which aboriginal family will the chiefs claim they came from in Ìgòdòmìgòdò?

Consequently, these chiefs are trapped between revealing the truth about the ọba’s ancestry, risking dismissal, or remaining silent and betraying their role as custodians of truth and tradition. In African culture, elders are expected to uphold the truth, as failing to do so diminishes their status in ancestral realms after death. This dilemma poses a significant challenge to the integrity and stability of the Palace chiefs’ positions and the broader cultural fabric they represent.

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