Wives of the late King of Ife not allowed to re-marry

The wives of the late Ooni of Ife are banned from re-marrying according to a palace chief.

The late King Okunade Sijuwade, (1 January 1930 – 28 July 2015) was the fiftieth king, also known as the Ooni of Ife, from 1980 to his death in 2015. The Ooni is often seen as the head of the Yoruba ethnic group, a clan that has over 47 million people worldwide, from West Africa to Brazil. The Ooni is based in Ife, a town in Osun State, Nigeria.

According to a local news report, a palace chief, who preferred not to be named, said the order was prescribed by Ife tradition since the Ooni is not considered dead but to have transited to a higher realm.

The chief, maintaining that the Ooni still lives, said it is forbidden for wives left behind by the king to re-marry.

He said, “The rule is general and applies to all Ooni that has passed on and not peculiar to the wives of Oba Sijuwade, the immediate past Ooni. There may not be a clearly defined repercussion against the tradition, but it is advisable that the order is obeyed at all times and for all generations.”

“The best that can happen to the Oloris (King’s wives) left behind by any late Ooni is for them to remain single. Alternatively, they could be inherited by the reigning Ooni.”

The palace chief added that it does not matter whether the wives are young or old. “What matters is that the tradition must be sustained in the overall interest of society.” The late Oba Okunade Sijuwade left wives and concubines ranging from age 40 to 60. His first wife, Olori Yetunde, died a few years before Oba Sijuwade’s death in 2015.