The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Larooye II, has dismissed claims in a recent media publication suggesting an alleged visit and connection between the Osun Sacred Grove, the Osun-Osogbo Festival heritage and a person linked to one of the palaces in Osun State.
InsightMedia recalled that a Queen of Ooni of Ife recently paid a visit to the groove where he announced another festival to be celebrated at the groove.
Sources said the Palace of Ataoja was not carried along in the process up till announcement.
According to a statement by Oyindamola Olukanni, Head of Media of Our Heritage Branding, the consultant on Osun-Osogbo festival, the palace said the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove and the Osun-Osogbo Festival remain sacred cultural and spiritual heritage institutions rooted in Osogbo land and under the custodianship, authority and traditional jurisdiction of the Ataoja of Osogbo.
The palace stressed that the heritage institutions are neither transferable nor replicable, saying they cannot be appropriated, reinterpreted or relocated outside their original historical, spiritual and territorial context.
“Yoruba traditional institutions are guided by clearly defined territories, boundaries, lineage and custodial authority, noting that any narrative suggesting otherwise runs contrary to established traditional governance and cultural protocol.”
Ataoja clarified that he neither received nor officially recognised any such engagement as implied in the publication, adding that the palace was not informed or consulted in line with traditional protocol.
The palace also dissociated itself from any claims linking Osogbo heritage to any parallel festival, including any so-called “Omi Festival” or “Odun Omi,” insisting that such events have no legitimacy or recognition in relation to the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove or its spiritual institutions.
“No parallel, derivative, or similarly themed festival—by whatever name, including any so-called “Omi Festival” or “Odun Omi”—has any legitimacy, connection, or recognition in relation to the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, its deities, or its established spiritual institutions.
“Such constructs are entirely independent, bear no affiliation to Osogbo’s heritage, and must not be presented in any form that suggests association, transfer, or extension of Osun’s sacred traditions beyond their rightful origin.
“We urge the public, stakeholders, and the international community to rely only on verified communications issued through the Palace and its officially recognized representatives.
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