Alaafin

He ruled the old Oyo Empire, which extended from the present-day Benin republic to Nigeria, originating from states in the South East and West to the North.

[4] By the early 1800s, however, conflicts between the Oyo emperor (alafin) and the hereditary kings (obas) of the core city-states, who comprised an independent executive council (oyo mesi), had considerably weakened cen- tral authority-even as the Oyo Empire began to lose control over outlying kingdoms and city-states.

The Alaafin is the political head of the Yoruba people and the only monarch with the pre-requisite power to appoint a chieftain representing the entire Yorubaland.

[7][8] Owoade succeeded the late Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, the 45th Alaafin who passed away on Friday, 22 April 2022.

A Symbol of Yoruba Culture and Unity: The Life and Royalty of His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyemi III, the Alaafin Oyo by Siyan Oyeweso and Olutayo C. Adesina