18/10/2026
THE THRONE OF THE ALAAFIN IS AN INCUBATOR, NOT A REFRIGERATOR — ALL ALAAFINs ARE FIRE BEARERS AND WARRIORS
(Revd Dr Kolade Oladele GLODET Missions Oyo Tel:08032075079)
We must correct a dangerous mistake in Oyo.
Many people think the throne of Alaafin is a refrigerator. You enter, you cool down, you preserve yourself, you enjoy chilled honour, you freeze history and just sit looking ancient for tourists.
No.
The throne of Alaafin is an INCUBATOR.
A refrigerator preserves dead things so they don't spoil.
An incubator generates heat to hatch living things that will change the world.
And that is what every Alaafin has been — a fire bearer and a warrior.
FROM ORANMIYAN TO NOW — A LINE OF FIRE
Oranmiyan did not sit in refrigerator. He bore fire from Ife to establish Oyo. He was a warrior who fought forest and founded empire.
Sango was fire itself — thunder, brimstone, electricity. He did not preserve Oyo, he energized it.
Alaafin Abiodun, Alaafin Atiba, Alaafin Ladigbolu — in different eras, they fought Fulani incursions, they fought colonial pressure, they fought internal betrayal. They were not refrigerator kings taking pictures with white men. They were incubators hatching Oyo's survival.
Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi III — 52 years on the throne. Was he cold? No. He was fire. He wrote books, he spoke truth to power in Abuja, he incubated Oyo sons in Canada, America, Lagos. He hatched ideas.
Today, Alaafin Abimbola Akeem Owoade I — Look at what he has done in less than one year: He pursued many developmental projects, most recent of which are 7 Brigade Garrison,andMOPOL Squadron, he provided water, light, accommodation, toilets for soldiers at the temporary site .That is not refrigerator behaviour. Refrigerator kings wait for government. Incubator kings generate development.
All Alaafins are fire bearers. The fire never died.
WHAT DOES THE INCUBATOR DO?
a) Incubator generates heat: Alaafin generates heat of ideas. When Oyo was cold with insecurity around Old Oyo National Park, Oriire, Fiditi, Alaafin generated heat — he called GOC 2 Division, he called IGP, he called President Tinubu. Now we have Army and MOPOL. Fire bearer.
b) Incubator hatches destiny: Under the throne, destinies are hatched. An Oyo boy serving palace today can become chairman tomorrow, because the throne incubates him. A refrigerator preserves meat, an incubator hatches eagle.
c) Incubator protects fragile life: New Oyo must be protected. Our farms, our markets, our youths must be kept warm until they are strong. That is why Alaafin fights for security. A warrior king does not say "it is police work." He says "my people must be safe."
THE DANGER OF REFRIGERATOR THINKING
When we treat Afin as refrigerator, we get:
Chiefs who want title but not task.
Youths who want selfie with Kabiyesi but not service to Kabiyesi.
Oyo elites who come once a year for festival, take photo, and freeze Oyo's problems inside fridge till next year.
Oyo cannot develop with refrigerator mentality. We have kept Oyo problems in freezer for over 40 years — bad roads, no industry, no water. It is time to incubate.
WHAT OYO NEEDS NOW: WARRIORS AROUND THE FIRE BEARER
Alaafin is the chief fire bearer, but he needs sub-fire bearers.
Chief Warriors: Not fighting with sword now, but fighting with investment. Where are our industrialists who will incubate jobs in Oyo Federal Constituency ?
Spiritual Warriors: Pastors, Imams, Traditionalists who will incubate morals, not just miracles. Revd. Suulola type warriors.
Intellectual Warriors: who will document and preserve history, who incubate Oyo's story so our children will not be lost.
Security Warriors: Our boys who will join military , MOPOL, Amotekun to protect Oyo forest, not join bandits.
CONCLUSION
Let no one tell you Alaafin is just a cultural figurehead for shaking hands.
No.
Alaafin is not a custodian of relics. He is a custodian of fire.
The throne is hot. It burns. It hatches. It fights. It builds.
Oyo will rise only when every Oyo son understands: You cannot come to Afin to cool down. You come to Afin to catch fire — and go and burn down insecurity, poverty, and backwardness in your own Atiba, Oyo East, Oyo West and AFIJIO .
The throne is an incubator, not a refrigerator.
And Kabiyesi, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, is proving it — that all Alaafins are fire bearers and warriors.
HIM Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I
