Ooni and his wife reveal twins' names and faces after rituals

The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and his queen, Mariam Ajibola, have shown the names and faces of their twins, about six months after they were born.

In March, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Ooni announced on his social media pages that Olori Mariam, whom he married in 2022, gave birth to twins 10 months after his former wife, Naomi Silekunola, left him.

The Senior Media Officer of the Ooni’s Palace, Sodiq Lawal, said in a statement on behalf of Moses Olafare, the Director of Media and Public Affairs, that the Ooni and his queen revealed the faces of their newborn twin princes after finishing the traditional rites required for royal births in Ile-Ife.

The first twin, Taiwo, has the names Adelowo, Adelanaire, Adejare, Adedunmininu, and Ademola. The second twin, Kehinde, carries the names Adelẹye, Adelanaola, Adejuwon, Adedoyin, and Adebola.

Mr Olafare mentioned that the Ooni first announced the names at the twins’ naming ceremony on 24 May before revealing them on Friday.

He said, “The unveiling took place at the Ile Oodua Palace, Ile-Ife, in an elaborate ceremony attended by royal fathers, government officials, dignitaries, family members, and well-wishers who gathered to celebrate with the monarch and his family.

“The ceremony marked the first time the Ooni would formally see the twin princes since their birth, according to the tradition of the ancient city of Ile-Ife.”

Mr Olafare added that, in line with the tradition of the Yoruba race, the Ooni must complete specific rites before seeing a newborn royal child.

He explained that this restriction is part of the sacred customs around royal births and shows the spiritual importance of the Ooni’s throne.

“After completing the rites, the long-awaited moment came on Friday when the Ooni welcomed and carried his twin sons for the first time at the palace, alongside Olori Mariam.

“The occasion was filled with excitement, cultural significance, and deep meaning, as the monarch and his wife presented the princes to guests and members of the royal household,” he noted.

Mr Olafare said the palace was lively as dignitaries and traditional rulers joined the royal family to pray, celebrate, and give thanks for the safe arrival of the twin princes.

He mentioned that the ceremony also allowed the public and the royal family to see the princes after completing the traditional rites surrounding their birth.

Former Minister of State for Water Resources, Bashir Awotorebo, and Folashade Ayoade, the Secretary to the Kogi State Government, were among the dignitaries present at the ceremony.

Traditional rulers who attended included the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Ahmed Anaje; the Alayemore of Ido-Osun, Olayinka Jokotola; and the Owa Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, Joseph Adebayo, among others.

Others in attendance were the First Lady of Jigawa State, Hajiya Namadi; Olufunso Amosun, wife of former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; Lilian Oghogho Musa, wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa; Kikelomo Adeniyi, wife of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service; and Catherine Ojo-Adekimi, wife of the Kwara State Commissioner of Police.

Olori Mariam worked in the oil and gas sector and is an Ebira woman from Kogi State.