Stop Ridiculing Yoruba Deities, Traditional Worshippers Warn Oluwo

The Ifa Unity Conference on Thursday warned the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi to stop ridiculing the Yoruba deities and traditional worshippers with his utterances.

The warning was issued during a conference by Traditional Worshippers tagged, “Unity and Growth of Traditional Religion; Way Out”, held at Sadiat hotel, Osogbo, Osun State.

The Araba Agbaye Olu Isese, High Chief Awolabi Aworeni, while speaking during the event said, “Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi is ridiculing us, the traditional worshippers. He has been making utterances to disrespect us. Unfortunately, someone on that stool doesn’t know the importance and the relationship that should exist between the stool and traditional worshippers.”

High Chief Aworeni noted that the traditional worshippers are kicking against the disrespectful actions of Oluwo, saying, “after he ridicules us, he will later come begging, at this point we want to state that, he should stop such actions.”

He added that he has reached out to the president of Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Mr. Bolaji Amusan, to caution filmmakers to stop desecrating Traditional Religion.

“I have called the president of TAMPAN, Mr. Latin over misrepresentation of traditional religion and worshippers in films, I even made it known in the presence of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi when the theatre practitioners paid a courtesy visit to the monarch that we don’t want to fight other and that they should desist from desecrating our religion. Other religions are not exposed to such desecration.”

Earlier, the guest lecturer, a renowned Ifa priest, Chief Yemi Elebuigbon made a wake-up call to people to stop describing traditional worshippers as pagan or unbelievers noting that it is ridiculous.

On Oluwo of Iwo, he said, “there is no way a King will not be linked to tradition. Before a king is enthroned, Ifa will be consulted. But civilisation is changing thing in Yoruba land.

“Kingmakers and chiefs have converted to Islam and Christians and this is responsible for the backwardness in Yoruba land. There has been a lot of challenges with kingship and the palace since we embraced foreign religion. Some of the people whose duty it is to uphold culture have died and no replacement was made.”