The exchange of handshakes between Nollywood actors, Pete Edochie and Kanayo O. Kanayo, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Enitan, has elicited a flurry of comments on social media.
In the viral video shared on Thursday, Edochie and Kanayo approached Ooni’s table at Nigerian entrepreneur Elizabeth Jack Rich’s 40th birthday party on Tuesday and exchanged Igbo back handshakes with the monarch.
Social media users on Instagram took to the comment section of the video on Kanayo’s account with some knocking the actors for disrespecting the tradition by exchanging handshakes with the monarch.
A user, Max Maxwell, blamed the monarch for accepting the handshake saying, “The blame is on the Ooni of Ife for going to that kind of place and for also accepting a handshake from people. I’m not against the Nollywood stars but they are supposed to bow before the stool of the king of Ife. if it was the former Ooni of Ife who could try this and even give him a handshake?”
Edochie’s son, Linc, hailed the actor saying, “A gathering of Elites…”
Blazing Fire claimed that the amount of handshakes represents how great men are greeted in the Igbo nation. He wrote, “They gave the Oba a three handshake which is how great men are traditionally greeted in Igboland, do you expect Chief Pete Edochie to prostrate for the Oba😮 It’s not done, we are NdIgbo.”
Another user, Noel Enomhonse, compared how the Oba of Benin exchanged greetings with people with the Yoruba monarch saying, “It looks like this king doesn’t know what his culture expects of him. I’m still thinking of that man in Nigeria who shook hands with the great Oba of Benin in that manner. Even the president and other world leaders bow before him. Sorry to say! Pete Edochie just disrespected the king.”
“Pls always respect traditions, this is disrespectful to our culture,” Rahmon Oladipo, commented.
A movie director, Ugezu J. Ugezu, hailed the actor saying, “When you hear OKWU OTO EKENE EZE…….. now you understand it.” which means “he who stands up straight, to greet kings.”
Flappyu wrote, “If you don’t respect yourself no one will .. if the real and former king 👑 is on the seat this nonsense will not happen. I respect 🫡 the work and talent of the legend but if the king starts respecting the throne and acts like a king 🤴 this madness will not happen. If anything remove your cap 🧢 😢”
However, another user, Obi Akamel, reacting to the video said, “I watched this again and it’s actually the Ooni that offered the handshake first. Edochie is a god on his own.”