Asari Dokubo invites Ooni of Ife to Kalabari coronation, seeks stronger ties with Yoruba land

From Fred Itua, Abuja

The Amanyanabo of Elem Kalabari, Da Amakiri Tubo, Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari, has visited the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, seeking stronger cultural, historical and economic ties between the Kalabari Kingdom and Ile-Ife.

Dokubo-Asari, who bears the full title of Amanyanabo of the Chiefdom and Principalities of The Source, Elem Kalabari, Torusarama Piri of the Kingdom of Kalabari, used the visit to invite the Ooni personally to Se Diye, the final coronation rites, which will be held on December 19, 2026, in Buguma, Rivers State.

“It is based on the cordial relationship that we have built that I am here today to invite His Imperial Majesty and his council to my Se Diye, the final rites of coronation on December 19, 2026, in Buguma,” he said.

The Ooni welcomed the Kalabari monarch and his entourage to the Palace of Oduduwa. He described Da Amakiri as fearless, saying the fear of Asari Dokubo is the beginning of wisdom.

The Ife monarch also thanked his guest for his relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and commended the wisdom with which he has handled his affairs since becoming Amanyanabo of Elem Kalabari. He thanked Da Amakiri Tubo for finally coming home to Ile-Ife.

At the end of the visit, the Ooni presented a bronze painting to Dokubo-Asari, which he said symbolised that people are his strength.

The meeting brought together two institutions closely associated with origins, ancestral memory and the continuity of indigenous civilisation. The Ooni occupies the throne of Ile-Ife, revered in Yoruba tradition as the cradle of Yoruba civilisation. Da Amakiri Tubo holds the title of Amanyanabo of The Source, a royal institution tied to the ancestral origins and historical identity of the Kalabari people.

The engagement could open avenues for cultural festivals, historical documentation, academic exchanges, heritage tourism, creative industries and commercial partnerships linking the Niger Delta with the South-West.

The Ife visit followed other royal engagements earlier in the week, including calls on the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Etsu Nupe.

Together, the visits point to a deliberate effort to build relationships between Elem Kalabari and traditional institutions in Nigeria’s major cultural regions as Se Diye approaches. Rather than treating the coronation as a purely local celebration, Da Amakiri Tubo is using it to create opportunities for dialogue and lasting relationships across the country.

Dokubo-Asari was accompanied by Prince Tonye T.J.T. Princewill, Paramount Head of the Queen Elebabene Da Ogo group of houses and satellite communities of Kalabari Kingdom; Hajia Ramat Dokubo-Asari; Hajia Halima Dokubo-Asari; Mallam Mustapha Wakama; Flora Ezeoko; Al Humphrey Onyanabo, The Storyteller; Prince Melford Princewill; Engr Bashir Lawal; and Alhaji Sanni Kazeem Adebayo.

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