The Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal has reacted to the outcry trailing the trending video of him kneeling before, the Emir of Ilorin, Zulu Gambari, over the weekend.
The monarch in a statement by his media aide, Tijani Adekilekun disclosed that the he did not in any way denigrate the throne.
Many of those who commented on social media berated the Timi of Ede for kneeling to greet the Emir saying his actions embarrassed the Yoruba race.
Adekilekun clarified that the traditional ruler only bent his knee to be audible while exchanging pleasantries with the Emir, whose age could not allow him to stand up.
“Baba Timi did not denigrate his throne by greeting Emir on bended knees.
“Oba Lawal, having an imposing frame, bent to exchange pleasantries with Emir because Alhaji Sulu Gambari, possibly due to his age or other personal reasons could not stand to greet the guests that went to him to pay homage.
“At first, Oba Lawal leaned towards Sulu Gambari to greet him, but because the Emir could not still hear greetings from his visitor, Baba Timi had to bend and move closer for clearer communication to take place”, he said.
While acknowledging those with genuine concern over the issue, the palace warned those whose intention was to ridicule the throne to stop, as their efforts would be in futility.
“To those that saw the incident as an avenue to ridicule the revered stool of Timi, history is recording you. At the appropriate time, you will reap whatever you sow. We however call for restraint regarding comments on the matter. Law of the land, Yoruba customs and traditions have set boundaries to which any individual can go towards expressing an opinion about another person.
“Timi Agbale Olofana’s stool can’t be subjected to any form of ridicule no matter the status of that online self-appointed moderator of morality fanning the ember of hate against the current occupant of the stool”, it added.
