The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has dismissed the long-held claim that Ile-Ife is the cradle of the Yoruba race. Flanked by his chiefs, the controversial monarch declared: “Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. They refer to God as Eledumare, and there is nothing like Eledumare in the Yoruba language. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.”The Iwo monarch argued that Ife already had inhabitants before Oduduwa arrived and conquered the city, adding that the language spoken in ancient Ife was distinct from Yoruba. The debate over Yoruba origin comes amid recent traditional disputes between prominent monarchs.