Professor Mathew Amusan, a Nigerian academic, has argued that the immense power and authority that the Alaafin of Oyo is claiming today has been gone since 1790. He explained that the Oyo Empire was destroyed more than 200 years ago, and since then, the military power that was once held by the Alaafin has shifted to other centers, most notably Ibadan.
In an interview on Ayekooto with Yinka Agboola From 0:15, Professor Amusan provided a brief history lesson to support his point. He stated that after the Fulani warriors destroyed the Oyo Empire, the Yoruba people became “wanderers with no homeland” until they were given land in Ago-Oja. By this time, he explained, the military strength of the Yoruba had been transferred to Ibadan, which became the new “warlord” of the region.
He argued that if any city were to claim the military legacy of the old Oyo Empire, it should be Ibadan, not the modern-day Oyo. This historical perspective challenges the contemporary claims of the Alaafin and suggests that the power he wields today is a shadow of what it once was.
He said, “The claim that Oyo was an empire, that empire was destroyed since 1790. The Fulani warriors destroyed that empire in 1790, and they became wanderers with no homeland, until they got to Ago-Oja and their chief gave them land to dwell in and cultivate. As at that time, the military prowess that they had had been transferred to Ibadan. Ibadan became the warlord, to the extent that Ibadan at a time determined who was going to be the Alaafin. So the power that the Alaafin is claiming now, that power is gone since 1790, over 200 years ago.”
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