By 
Olanrewaju Oyedeji,Ile-Ife
Indications are that the Ife traditional council is presently set to formally declare the death of the Ooni of Ife after severally denying that the revered monarch had gone on to join his ancestors.
investigations have revealed that a crucial meeting held on Wednesday by the traditional council is not unconnected with the rumuored death of the Ooni and how to manage the fact that the news already broke into the public domain before the council had put its acts together. Equally in discussion was the issue of how to carry out neccessary procedural rites before the death of Ooni can be announced.
Checks on the palace by The Difference in Ife revealed a state of unusual calm as workers in the palace maintained very tight lips as to the situation of the Ooni. When our correspondent paid a visit to the palace he was told that the chiefs and top members of the traditional council were not available to respond to queries. When he proceeded to ask for an explanation on the somber m mood in the palace, no one was ready to comment.
Feelers however were that though the traditional council had sent out town-criers to tell Ife residents that the Ooni is hale and hearty, it was gathered that the traditional council members were very annoyed that the death of the Ooni went viral without their consent and that the announcement of Ooni’s death failed to follow their normal procedure. The traditional council it was exclusively learnt will however put all of these behind it soon and go on to announce the demise of the monarch soon in the hope that this move will bring to a close, all of the drama surrounding the monarch’s demise.
It however remains to be seen how Ife residents and indeed the whole of Nigeria will receive the formal announcement of the Ooni’s death after repeated denials by the Ife traditional council.
The race for who becomes the next Ooni has also silently begun with eligible princes already commencing quiet preparations for the frenzied succession battle that is expected to ensue immediately after the official declaration of the Ooni’s death by the traditional council.
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