Monarchs in Ekiti State recently joined renowned blind cleric, Prophet Muyideen Moses Kasali, at an outreach and revival hosted by one of them, the Olowa of Odo Owa, Oba Gideon Ayorinde Oyedeji. SAM NWAOKO reports happenings at the event.
THE palatial St. Paul’s Millennium Anglican Church, Odo Owa, in Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was the venue and, being the community of a former Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Reverend Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye, it was fit for the unique evangelism event. The event was a special evangelism outreach programme with traditional rulers from across Ekiti State.
And the monarchs turned out in their numbers to worship the King of Kings at the programme anchored by renowned blind cleric, Prophet Moses Muyideen Kasali, promoter and General Overseer of Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry Worldwide (Oke Alaseyori), domiciled in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The monarchs defied a heavy downpour to seek the face of God in their personal affairs and those of their respective communities. The Elesure of Esure-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Ajibola; the Onikun of Ikun, Oba Ibiyinka Timothy; Owajumu of Omu-Ekiti, Oba Joseph Ogundeji; the Olomuo of Omuo-Oke, Oba Valentine Adebayo Otitoju; the Onimojo of Imojo-Ekiti, Oba (Dr) Olatunji Olusola Samuel, all graced the occasion.
Others at the programme were the Obaloja of Oloje-Ekiti, Oba Peter Falade; the Alarà of Ara-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Adebayo Fatiba; The Elepè of Epe-Ekiti, Oba E.O. Agbeleoba; the Onipere of Ipere-Ekiti, Oba Olufemi Omiyale James; the Onipoti of Ipoti-Ekiti, Oba James Kolade; the Olowuro of Orun-Ekiti, Oba Z.O. Adewumi, and the Alaaye of Aaye-Oja, Oba Samuel Ayanniyi Olatoye.
Interestingly while the Alaaye of Aaye-Oja is also known with the alias: “the Evangelist Oba,” the Elesure has already gained international acclaim as an evangelist, having been reportedly invited to other countries to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Evangelist Oba said he had his first encounter with Prophet Kasali, while at the popular prayer mountain in Erio-Ekiti, through Prophet Sam Olu Alo.
The traditional rulers were with their wives and they were unabashed as they sang and danced in unfettered praise and thanksgiving to God. Kasali, who reiterated his physical blindness, noted that the kings were fortunate for their decision to queue behind Jesus Christ and dedicate their domains to the kingdom of God Almighty.
The popular cleric, in his brief sermon at the programme, charged the monarchs not to return to anything that is unchristian. He said: “Do not forget Jesus in whatever you do; whatever your situation. Always remember Christ. He has forgiven your sins and past misdeeds, but do not backslide.”
Prophet Kasali said he had seen that some of the monarchs were not just kings, but prophets and other tools that God would employ to rejuvenate, reinvigorate and raise the status of their communities. He, however, advised against fetish sacrifices, saying “such fetish and old-fashioned ways have repercussions. Only the anointing of God comes without any form of negative consequences and this should be your choice.”
He charged them to stick to the Bible and keep within the tenets prescribed by God, the Almighty King. Kasali, who took his sermon from the first book of Samuel, said when a king obeyed God rather than go with sacrifices, “such a king would always receive the favour of God and be at peace and thus, have true rest of mind.”
The programme had all the trappings of a Christian revival and it was a success, going by the reactions and final outcome. The host traditional ruler, the Olowa of Odo Owa Ijero Local Government Area of the state, Oba Gideon Ayorinde Oyedeji, said Prophet Kasali had been long in coming. According to him, there was the need for a rededication to Christ because God had been sustaining him on the throne of Odo Owa.
He said it was a thing of joy that his town was the host and expressed his belief that the prophet’s coming to the town, and his special prayers for the traditional rulers, would transform both their lives and the lives of their respective communities.
A contentious issue in Obas professing Christianity is their role as traditional rulers and custodians of the culture of their respective communities. This issue was brought before Oba James Olufemi Omiyale, the Onipere of Ipere-Ekiti in Ilejemeje Local Government Area and he dismissed a clash of interests in religious and cultural issues.
Oba Omiyale said: “I thank God and give all the glory to our Lord, Jesus Christ because there’s no effect of culture and traditional religion on my professing Christianity. There’s no effect because all cultures are under the king as the custodian. But each of the Orishas has its Aworo (priest). Thus, each Orisha in the community has its Aworo and these aworos or priests are the ones in charge of their worship, not the king.
“It’s like government service. Government services have departments and each department is headed by a director. So, the director is in charge of what goes on in his department, while the governor come and goes and doesn’t necessarily have to be the Aworo.”
Also answering questions on whether their roles as traditional rulers don’t clash with their Christian beliefs, Oba Peter Falade, the Obaloja of Oloje-Ekiti, explained that there is a difference between culture and religion.
According to him, “culture is different from religion because culture encompasses our dressing, food, dance and sundry ways of life. For instance, it would be very awkward for you to see a Yoruba traditional ruler dress in a suit to attend cultural events. Our culture is the gown with crown and beads.”
However, he held that “religion is what you believe in and worship. There are Sango, Oya, Ogun, and people worship them. If you put a stone somewhere and worship it, that’s your religion. It’s different from what you eat and what you wear, which are components of your culture.”
“My belief in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour is a different thing from the culture of Ekiti and my culture domain, Oloje-Ekiti,” he noted, and called on other communities to emulate the Olowa, who brought Prophet Kasali to his domain.