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By Christy Anyanwu
Foremost monarch in the South-West and Ooni of Ife, a place regarded as the cradle of Yoruba race, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, recently tickled the audience at an august gathering with his startling revelations about the genesis of his love life with one of his wives, Olori Ronke Ogunwusi.
Over the years, he has been saying that one day he would spill the beans about his romance with soft-spoken Olori Ronke, founder of Africa Fashion Week London and Africa Fashion Week Nigeria.
That fateful evening was at the 2025 edition of Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, held at the J. Randle Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
As he mounted the stage to give the keynote speech of the day, the Ooni revealed what he had been keeping private about his relationship with Olori Ronke Ogunwusi (nee Ademiluyi).
In his words: “This platform brought myself and her together. It’s like a path that we belong to, a single light age that we live in.
“She mentioned the story 11 years ago, when our paths crossed. I could remember vividly like yesterday. I wasn’t Ooni of Ife then, I was a prince. Someone told her that there’s a young guy that could coin the whole Africa Fashion Week.
“So she was desperately looking for me. She wanted money to sponsor her project. I’m saying this for the very first time. There was a friend of mine then that is still very active in business now, the owner of Bet Naija, my friend, my brother, my partner, Ayo Ojuroye Odunlami.
So, they called us that day that there’s a lady coming to look for us. I met this beautiful lady. Immediately I saw her, I couldn’t even move. I said, ‘What is wrong with me?’
“In fact, they tutored her, the way and manner she should dress to see me. So, myself and Ayo Ojuroye saw her that fateful day. She said she was looking for money to do Africa Fashion Week. I said, ‘Stop talking about money, don’t worry about money’. She said, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘Don’t worry Ronke Ademiluyi.’
“That day, I delayed her, engaged her in discussions. In fact, I wasted her time and spent much time that day that her driver left and there was no way she could leave our meeting point. Guess what? I became her driver. I was driving her all around Lagos and I was enjoying it.
“We were so connected, and look at where we are today, to the glory of God. She has been my very good friend, good sister and amiable wife. She is so passionate about what she does, and I vowed that I would be a strong supporter in what she’s doing at both African Fashion Week London and Africa Fashion Week Nigeria.
“Anytime she’s planning this show, she is always tense because it’s a very expensive project, but her passion has actually made way for her.”
Oba Ogunwusi, who is revered and loved in Yorubaland and beyond, during his narrative, said a striking feature about the Olori before they got married was her royal lineage, which was equally a good and bad thing. Coincidentally, Olori Ronke Ademiluyi was a princess, the granddaughter of a former Oba in the same kingdom.
“Though Olori Aderonke was posing for me, at one point I had to call my dad. I found out we were from the same royal lineage.
So I asked my dad if it’s possible for us to have (relations) he said we were related but there is a long (distance). Myself and my dad just aligned. My dad called her Princess Charming. Today, she is Queen Charming.”
Queen Ronke Ogunwusi, a long time champion of African creativity whose portfolio includes founding Africa Fashion Week London, the Adire Oodua Textile & Training Hub and Africa Fashion Week Nigeria, has built a reputation for elevating emerging talent and merging fashion with culture and purpose. Her vision is that AFWN should be more than a catwalk: it must be a catalyst for economic growth, artistic exchange and deeper cultural resonance.
AFWN has in previous years served as a showcase and launch-pad for designers across Nigeria and the African continent as a whole. More than 3,000 designers have participated in AFWN and its sister events to date, drawing more than 90,000 visitors, including industry buyers, media and other stakeholders.
In 2025, the festival is being re-imagined to deliver immersive experiences beyond standard fashion week models.
