Ooni Of Ife's Wives To Mourn For One Year

Ooni of ife

The plight of the five wives (oloris) of the recently deceased Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, has been made known. 

The monarch who died on Tuesday, July 28, 2015 has had various controversies tied to his death. From the alleged fleeing away of the ‘Abobaku’ to the alleged feud among ruling houses in Ife and more are all that has heralded the death of the prominent king.
However, Punch reports that the five wives of the king will, as a sign of respect to the departed king, mourn him for one year. This was revealed yesterday, Thursday, September 17, by a family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity. According to him, by tradition, all the oloris were prevented from talking to newsmen for one year after the death of the king.

“The wives cannot talk to the press within one year of the monarch’s death. They cannot even attend flamboyant parties or events. There’s nothing the wives can do about that. After six months of mourning, the wives can attend low-key parties organised by close relatives. The family member has to be very close for the wives to attend,” the source told The Punch.

Oba Sijuwade passed away at the age of 85 years. He’s survived by five wives, Morisola, Ladun, Odunayo, Adedolapo and Linda and their ages are between 40 and 60.

Sijuwade’s first wife, olori Yetunde, the mother of the first son, Adetokunbo, died some years ago. He became the 50th Ooni of Ife at the age of 50 in 1980.