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Obaala (or in Yoruba orthography Ọbaálá) is a senior title in the royal council of many kingdoms of the Central
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
subgroups, namely: the
Igbomina
The Ìgbómìnà (also colloquially Igboona or Ogboona) are a subgroup of the Yoruba ethnic group, which originates from the north central and southwest Nigeria.
They speak a dialect also called Ìgbómìnà or Igbonna, classified among the Cent ...
,
Ijẹṣa and
Ekiti sub-ethnics.
Ọbaálá literally means "mighty king" or "senior king" and is almost always next in rank to the high king or paramount king of the areas where the title is used. The Ọbaálá is often designated as the automatic regent on the demise of any reigning king or paramount king.
The most famous Ọbaálá in recent Yoruba history is easily Ogedengbe, the Ijẹṣa war commander who co-led the "Ekiti Parapọ", a clan confederation which stood to oppose the imperialism of 19th century
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
.
Yoruba culture
Yoruba royal titles