The palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has described the viral video depicting an encounter between the Ooni and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, at a meeting in Abuja as incomplete and edited to misrepresent the peaceful interaction between the two monarchs.The two traditional rulers were guest at the West Africa Economic Summit held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja on Saturday.

In a statement issued by the Ooni?s spokesperson, Moses Olafare on Sunday, he said the two traditional rulers have a peaceful interaction when the Alaafin proceeded to greet the Ooni who was at the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre before the Alaafin.

While blaming the Oyo Legacies, a media wing of the palace for posting an edited video on the social media to create the misrepresentation, he acknowledged that the true situation at the event showed that Alaafin upon arrival went straight to greet the Ooni before returning to his seat the VIP centre before proceeding to the main stage.

?The Ooni of Ife had already been ushered in and was majestically seated at the VIP waiting room of the conference centre alongside some of his business associates and friends

?His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo few minutes later arrived his own royal candour and walked straight (even ignoring his allocated seat) to the Ooni?s seat for royal greetings while the Arole Oduduwa(in his usual 2nd-To-None humble character) reciprocated the honour accorded him by the Alaafin as he rose to welcome his brother traditional ruler while both exchange pleasantries and few jokes before Alaafin eventually went to take his seat, which he had earlier bypassed alongside his amiable queen.

?When they were both called upon to move into the main hall of the conference centre, it was the Ooni that first left the VIP waiting room, and almost same time followed by the Alaafin to take their respective seats officially tagged in their names inside the hall where the event was ready to be kicked off by the Nigeria?s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu?, he said.

While blaming the Alaafin media handlers for the misrepresentation on social media, Olafare stressed the need for the media wing to represent the palace and its activities properly to avoid leading the public into wrong assumption

?Having set the record straight above, it is hereby found so disheartening the manner Oyo Legacies, who blatantly refused to report their principal in his true and positive conduct of virtuous greatly displayed in his exchange of pleasantries with the Ooni and other dignitaries in Abuja yesterday. Either you like it or not, members of the public must react to such information disseminations.

?The roles of media handlers to their principals primarily involve acting as a communication bridge between the principal and the public and other stakeholders, they must work to support their principal by managing his image in a way to get him loved and respected in the society not to get him hated and disrespected as the said video has caused.

?Kabiyesi Alaafin Owoade did excellently well in his approach to Kabiyesi Arole Oduduwa, Ooni Ogunwusi in Abuja yesterday (Saturday) and it should have been so adequately reported by The Oyo Legacies showcasing him as a monarch of peace and harmony that he is and not the otherwise, which the video has portrayed him. (Vanguard)

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