The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, has cautioned clerics fanning disharmony and religious crisis in Yorubaland to desist or be ready to face the wrath of Yoruba deities.
Iba Adams while speaking at the 2022 edition of Wealth Festival (Odun Aje) disclosed that the Yoruba race is tolerant of Islam and Christianity, stressing that those fanning the ember of religious crisis and disharmony have their well-thought secret agenda.
The Generalissimo of Yorubaland, however, assured of his commitment to defend and stop evil machinations against the people of Yorubaland.
While condemning the spate of religious killings across the country, Iba Adams revealed that uninformed clerics are behind the religious crisis in Yoruba and this, he said, is totally uncalled for.
“I am using this opportunity to appeal to those fanning the ember of discord and religious crisis in Yorubaland to desist from their sinister motives or be ready to face the wrath of the Yoruba deities.
Those behind the motives have their well-thought secret agenda but we will not relent in our efforts to stop their evil plans and machinations.
More importantly, we will continue to play our roles. We will continue to push for the progress of our race.
“That is how Boko Haram started in Borno state when Shekarau led a group of Islamic fanatics to rebel against humanity.
Presently about 17 states in the North are adversely affected by the activities of Boko Haram.
Today, the story couldn’t be said to be in the affirmative. It was a story of mass killings and the spilling of innocent blood across the country.
We must rise against those who use social media to foment trouble and religious crisis. We must tell them the truth that there is a difference between religion, culture and tradition.
Yoruba are a very cultured race. We have our traditions like every other race in the world. Even the Saudis and other Arabians have their distinct culture and traditions.
The Egyptians also have their culture and tradition. All these cannot be said to be derogatory to their being as a race.
For instance, in Yoruba land, we use Oro, a deity used to cleanse and rid the society of evil spirits.
In the good old days, there was peace and tranquillity across the southwest region.
Nothing bad or untoward hardly happened to them because the people of old adhered strictly to Yoruba culture and tradition.
They used the traditional method to prevent unforeseen calamities from befalling society.
In those days, crimes like armed robberies, killings, kidnapping, money-making through rituals, raping and ailments like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDs, COVID -19 and other afflictions hardly occur because the Yoruba of old knew what to do to avoid unforeseen calamities.
However, for a Yoruba Oba to have said it openly that Oro procession is forbidden in his town is nothing but a betrayal of trust. It is unsavoury of a traditional ruler to have said that.
Rather than uttering words that could trigger a religious crisis, it is better to keep mute.” he said
He condemned the increasing rate of ritual killings among the youth, describing it as sacrilegious and abominable.
He said, “We will need to educate our youths that it is inhuman to kill human beings for ritual purposes.
We will need to educate them about the dignity of labour and the essence of preserving their names and that of their parents.
We will need to educate them about the sanctity of our culture and traditions. We will need to teach them how to respect the elderly. We must teach them about morality and the need to stay away from acts that could render them useless in the future.
Society has lost the battle to instil morality in the minds of the youths.
And as I have said earlier, it is quite unfortunate that social media has done a lot in killing all the values and teachings that could enhance societal values and behaviours.
Therefore, it is our duty as leaders to preach the gospel of truth.
The law enforcement agencies also have to play their statutory roles in enforcing the laws.
We must not shy away from our roles and responsibilities to curb this societal menace.
In a society where we seek progress, there’s a need for us to retrace our steps and work towards correcting the societal ills.
Yoruba are a blessed race. We have everything working for us as a race.
But until we address the issues collectively, we will live to regret the sad reality of our failed society.
In recent times, I have monitored the various stories of ritual abuse and money-making across the Southwest, and I feel the urge to speak up against the barbaric act, especially, among the youths.
Any form of physical, sexual or psychological mistreatment that involves the use of ritual is alien to Yoruba culture and traditions.
In Yorubaland and in every part of the world, killing a person for ritual is an abomination. It is sacrilegious. It is not our culture or tradition. It is against the norms of our race.
The issue of using human parts for money-making is against Yoruba practices. It is at variance with our ethos of Omoluabi and we should rise against it.
It is sad though that our society has lost its core values. What we see today is a complete departure from the original practice and ethos of Yoruba race.”
He called on traditional rulers to speak up against the ugly narratives in Yorubaland.
“As the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, it is time for me to speak up and express my displeasure at the ugly narratives that have literally turned Yoruba land into an abattoir, where human parts usually littered the entire communities.
Things cannot continue like this. We are at the centre of all these and we must speak against this ugly trend.
“All our royal fathers in Yoruba land should speak up.”
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