Fifteen traditional rulers from the Southwest, Kwara and Kogi states are to be conferred with post-humous awards by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi.

A public lecture titled: "Concepts and Values of the Alaafin in Yoruba land" will be delivered by Prof Adele Jinadu of the University of Lagos and Prof Salihu Jubrin of the University of Ilorin.

The events, to take place on Saturday, are part of activities to celebrate the Alaafin's 77th birthday.

At a briefing yesterday, one of the organisers, Babatunde Ilufoye, said they decided to celebrate the monarch as "an epitome of pride, truth, courage and integrity."

Ilufoye said the lecture would showcase lessons from Alaafin's administration and why the constitution and administration of the pre-colonial empire presented a formidable fabric.

He said the awards were for selected founders of Yoruba towns, especially those loyal and whose ancestral lineages were traceable to Oyo.