The Pathfinder
Wednesday January 21, 2026
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PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER BY CONCERNED MEMBERS OF YORUBA COMMUNITY RESIDENT IN KANO STATE,ON THE PURPORTED IMPOSITION OF OKANLOMO AND OLUOMO TITLES ON YORUBA COMMUNITY, KANO STATE.
This is to formally draw the attention of Distinguished Senator Barau Jubrin, the Deputy Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Rt. Honourable Abdullahi Atta, the Honourable Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development; Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Executive Governor of Kano State; Khalifa Mohammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano and the general public to a development that has generated deep concern, outrage, and rejection among the Yoruba people resident in Kano State.
We categorically state that the purported imposition of Seyi Olorunisola as OKANLOMO, Olufemi Smith Johnson as OLUOMO by Oba Yoruba of Kano State, Engr. Murtala Alimi Otisese, does not enjoy the consent, endorsement or recognition of:
Members of Oba Yoruba In Council
Yoruba community leaders in Kano
Recognized critical stakeholders such as the:
Women’s wing
Youth wing
Professional bodies
Yoruba groups and associations in Kano State
The action is therefore unilateral, provocative and unrepresentative of the collective will of the Yoruba people in Kano.
More disturbingly, this imposition is widely perceived within the community as a calculated attempt to mislead respected public office holders and the general public, in furtherance of political round-tripping ahead of the 2027 general elections. The ultimate objective, as discerned by stakeholders, appears to be the traditional, and economic manipulation of the Yoruba population in Kano State under false pretences.
Engr. Murtala Alimi Otisese must be urged to face reality and exercise restraint. The position he occupies is ceremonial and community-based, and must not be extended beyond its scope or equated with the authority of indigenous traditional rulers who ascend their thrones through centuries-old rites, customs, and spiritual processes.
Kano remains, historically and traditionally, the domain of the Emir of Kano, whose authority is supreme within the traditional hierarchy of the state which must not be shared with a mere community leader. Any attempt to project parallel or exaggerated traditional powers is misleading and destabilizing.
It is profoundly offensive and culturally reckless that the revered title of Okanlomo Ọ̀ọ̀dúa, recently and solemnly conferred by globally respected Yoruba monarchs of international repute, namely: His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, the Alaafin of Oyo is being trivialized and reduced to ridicule by Engr. Otisese, thereby diminishing the prestige of the title and insulting its distinguished recipients of the sacred title on Engr. Dotun Sanusi, an accomplished entrepreneur and major economic contributor and Mr. Seyi Tinubu, a nationally recognized bridge-builder, philanthropist, and indefatigable son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
There is no record of any tangible contribution of Olorunisola and Smith Johnson to the development of Yoruba Community other than being hangers-on in the office of Honourable Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development. Appropriating such titles is casual and misguided, and constitutes a direct affront to Yoruba cultural institutions and their custodians.
Equally troubling is the pattern of exclusion and sectionalism displayed by Murtala Otisese having previously conferred the title of Asiwaju Yoruba Community on Honourable Leke Abejide from Kabba in Kogi State, now planned to bestow another two additional strategic positions of OKANLOMO and OLUOMO, to yet another two sons of northern minority Yoruba from the same Kabba axis. This is viewed as deeply insensitive, divisive and unacceptable.
This concentration of key positions within a minority subgroup, to the exclusion of core Yoruba indigenes of the South-West, offends equity collective identity, and common sense. It further reinforces fears that these actions are politically motivated placements, rather than sincere community-building efforts.
The Yoruba people in Kano State reject, unequivocally, any attempt to:
Hijack their collective voice.
Commercialize or politicize their cultural heritage.
Use traditional titles as instruments of deception ahead of 2027.
Undermine unity through sectional and exclusionary tactics.
We hereby call on all relevant authorities and respected personalities to take note of this rejection, and to resist being misled by manufactured representations that do not reflect the true position of the Yoruba community in Kano State.
This intervention is made in defence of integrity, tradition, unity, and the long-term dignity of the Yoruba people, nothing more, nothing less.
E-SIGNED
PRINCE MUJI ARMSTRONG-BELLO
COORDINATOR
ALHAJI LAYOWOLA AMOSUN
SECRETARY
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