One should not be coy in demanding one's rights. The proverb is based on a deliberate misinterpretation of the name. It is the contraction of the sentence, Adé kàn mí bí, meaning, “It is my turn to give birth to a person destined to wear a crown.” The proverb takes the name to be a contraction of the sentence, Adé kàn mí bí? in which the word “bí” is taken not to be the verb “to give birth to,” but the interrogatory, “is it that?” In many instances, succession to Yorùbá chieftaincies is contested by many aspirants.
One should not be coy in demanding one's rights. The proverb is based on a deliberate misinterpretation of the name. It is the contraction of the sentence, Ade kan mi bi, meaning, “It is my turn to give birth to a person destined to wear a crown.” The proverb takes the name to be a contraction of the sentence, Ade kan mi bi? in which the word “bi” is taken not to be the verb “to give birth to,” but the interrogatory, “is it that?” In many instances, succession to Yoruba chieftaincies is contested by many aspirants.