From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Prominent Ifa Priest Ifayemi Elebuibon has said any king that was not crowned in Arab or Jerusalem can not ban traditional (Isese) worship in Yorubaland.
He stated this at the freedom park, Osogbo, during the 2023 grand finale of the Isese Day celebration, on Sunday.
The Araba-Awo of Osogbo also posited that a king can be a Christian or Muslim but he should respect the tradition of his town because it doesn’t affect each other.
He said, “We have cases where kings don’t behave in a manner that represents the stool they are occupying because they are not truly the heir to the thrown. Yoruba kings that banned Isese, are they crowned in Arab or Jerusalem? Are they from those places?
“Any king that banned the Isese festival is behaving like an illegitimate child who is ignorant of the seat he is occupying. We the traditionalists, do not kick against kings from practising other religions but they should respect the traditional religion and ethics that formed the throne.
“We should allow peace to reign. Traditionalists are not violent people. We have been coordinating ourselves so well in the time past. Our concern is to ensure peace, development, and growth in the society. Those that lack knowledge are the ones causing problems and we want to implore them to give room for peace,” Elebuibon said.
The President of the Traditional Religion Worshippers Association (TRAWSO), Dr Oluseyi Atanda, said “This year’s festival theme should serve as a reawakening for all. Our royal fathers are the conduit with our ancestral lineage and no society excels when they cut ties with their culture. Society is fast collapsing. Ills here and there, probably because our royal fathers are shying away from ancient responsibilities.”
The Special Adviser to Governor Ademola Adeleke on Traditional Religion Matters, Kehinde Oloke said the government will follow all the injunctions made by Ifa corpus of Obara Ose.
“Ifa said we should end animosity and ensure that we don’t fight each other. We are going to follow the instructions from Ifa to the latter,” Oloke said.