Actor Paul Doyle has stirred reactions online after making a controversial statement following the deaths of former President Muhammadu Buhari and the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona.
Doyle in a Facebook post late Sunday said his thoughts were only with the Ijebu people.
“Two obituaries were announced today and my heart goes out to the good people of Ijebu Land only. I have no apologies to make. It is what it is,” he wrote.
Oba Adetona died on Sunday, at the age of 91. He had been the Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland in Ogun State since 1960, making him one of Nigeria’s longest-reigning monarchs.
He will be buried on Monday at 4 pm in Ogbagba Court, Igbeba, Ijebu Ode.
A statement issued by Prince Adedire Adetona on behalf of the royal family described the late monarch as a “courageous leader, a revered hero, and a symbol of dignity and strength,” adding that Oba Adetona lived a formidable life in service to his people.
“With deep sorrow but profound gratitude to God for a life well spent, we announce the passing of our beloved father, His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, The Awujale of Ijebuland, Ogbagba II,” the statement read.
The family also urged mourners and guests to proceed directly to the burial venue, where condolences would be received.
Buhari, who served as military head of state between 1983 and 1985 and later as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023, also died on Sunday in a London hospital at 82.
Oba Adetona and Buhari shared a historic friendship. In 1984, Buhari’s military government stopped an attempt by the Ogun State government to remove the monarch from the throne. The Awujale himself recalled this in his autobiography Awujale: The Autobiography of Alaiyeluwa Oba S. K. Adetona, Ogbagba II.
