Tobias Sylvester
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo was seen in viral photos kneeling before a 37-year-old serial entrepreneur, Utieyinoritsetsola Emiko, who crowned the 21st Olu of Warri.
The 37-year-old monarch, who was on Saturday crowned the 21st Olu of Warri, immediately assumed the title of Ogiame Atuwatse III, in the footsteps of his late father and 19th Olu, Godwin Toritseju Emiko, Atuwatse II.
Obasanjo, who is 84-year-old, was captured kneeling before the youthful Ogiame, who, though seated on his throne, deferred to the aged ex-president as he paid the youthful monarch due respect.
Why Obasanjo Bowed Before Olu Of Warri
Speaking on why the ex-president knelt before the young monarch, Kehinde Akinyemi, the Special Assistant on Media to Obasanjo, explained that his principal was paying homage to the newly crowned Olu of Warri.
According to him, Obasanjo who he described as the “Baba (Father) of Africa”, did not kneel before the young monarch, but before the ancient Iwere Kingdom, which dates back to over five centuries.
“He (Obasanjo) went to Warri this (Sunday) morning to pay homage to the new king. It is a traditional institution; he (Ogiame Atuwatse III) is not the one sitting down, it is the institution that is on the throne.
“Obasanjo is the Baba of Africa and he can pay homage to every exalted traditional seat. It was not Baba’s first time; he also once prostrated before Gbagura.”
KanyiDaily recalls that in August 2019, Obasanjo had attended the coronation of Oba Saburee Bakre as the Agura of Gbagura in Ago-Oka, Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he also paid homage to the then-new king.
