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Tag: traditionalists

  • Traditionalists lament marginalisation

    Traditionalists lament marginalisation

    Traditional Religion Practitioners Association of Nigeria has lamented marginalization and institutional rejection by the government in the country.

    Speaking during a visit to The Nation office on Friday, the Supreme Leader of the traditionalists, Dibia Chukwuma Ezeorounye (Nkenkenyin Africa) said the marginalization of traditional religion was the reason the county has yet to make any appreciable progress since its independence.

    He urged the government to ensure an all-inclusive policy on religion that would give traditional religion worshippers the latitude to practice their religion without any hindrance.

    “Peace will continue to elude the country because the gods are angry. Even in the olden days, our elders had a way they were appeasing the gods and deities, and there was peace in the land; that is why we are demanding that we traditionalists be allowed to flourish because we have something to offer as a panacea for peace in the country.

    “A lot of African countries, especially the francophone states have gone back to traditional religion and their countries are peaceful. Yet, there has never been a time that the government of Nigeria contacted us to proffer solutions to the challenges facing the country.

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    “In Igboland, monarchs are crowned in the church, yet the owners of the land who are the gods and traditionalists are pushed to the background in the scheme of things. 

    “I want the people to know that there is hope for us in this country if the right things are done. The right thing that should be done is to allow traditional worshippers to freely practice their religion and appease the god and there would be peace and abundant blessings in the country.

    ‘’We, the traditional religion worshippers, are solidly behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu is not the problem of the country. The problem is religious intolerance and rejection of traditional religious worshippers, hence people should leave Tinubu alone because he (Tinubu) is not the problem of the country. Since Christians and Muslims have been praying, has there been a solution to the country’s problems? No. Trust me, until we allow the owners of the land, who are the traditionalists to appease the gods, there won’t be a remedy to our problems in the country.”

  • Native herbal practitioners, traditionalists hail Ajimobi

    Members of Nigerian Traditionalists and Herbalists Association of Nigeria have praised the outgoing governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, for bringing the dividends of democracy to the grassroots, through his various capital projects across the state.

    In a chat with our correspondent at their Ibadan zonal headquarters after a regional meeting at the weekend, the herbalists said more than any governor that had ruled in Oyo State, Ajimobi stood out.

    Some leaders of the native herbal practitioners, namely Chief Kareem Oriola  from Ojoo, Ibadan; Chief Adeyemi Ifayemi from Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State, and Chief Ismail Jayeola from Iro, Ogun State, all, in separate interviews, praised the governor for the road construction, rural electrification and water schemes he put in place across the several communities in Oyo State.

    Speaking, Jayeola said, “He has set the standard, not only for his successor but also for other governors in the South-West; and as such, they cannot afford to perform less.

    Speaking in the same vein, Oriola, an engineer, said, “I am happy that the governor also gave we, the traditionalists, relevance, as he is open-minded and never ruled by ethnic, religious or family sentiments, which is common with most of our emerging leaders.”

    Ifayemi, on his part, however enjoined traditionalists not to allow Nigerian traditions to die, stressing, “They must encourage their children not to abandon these treasures handed over to us, as Nigeria is a country of traditions and we must not allow them to vanish.”

     

  • Traditionalists to govt: use African culture to fight social ills

    The founder, The Ancestral Pride Temple worldwide, Oluwo Faniyi Fasola, has urged the Federal Government to recognise, uphold, respect and observe the African traditional religion to promote and value the nation’s history and heritage.

    He said upholding the African traditions and culture would complement the fight against corruption and other social vices, noting that it will further promote peace,  harmony and grow the economy through tourism and other infrastructure.

    Oluwo Fasola made the call at the 2018 Children Day anniversary of Indigenous Faith Parish of African Traditional Religion (Ijo Orunmila ti Adulawo) in Ota, a suburb of Ogun State. He said progress and peaceful co-existence would be the order of the day when African tradition is given preference, observed and regarded.

    He said: “Orunmila (God) didn’t make a mistake by creating the country with many ethnic groups, different languages and traditional cultures. the effect of neglecting other traditional cultures and embracing other cultures “Christian and Muslim” is what is happening today.

    “There were no issues of theft, incessant killings, criminality and other society norms in the olden days when our forefathers observed traditional cultures. Orunmila (God) and His messengers are very clean and have zero tolerance for indiscipline.

    “Till today, a true traditionalist doesn’t involve in criminality or else the wrath of the deities would befall such a person. Our research had shown that majority of people involved in killings or caught with human parts for money rituals and others are Christians and Muslims, especially the church owners.

    “That is why we the traditionalists are appealing to the government to consider, observe and give total recognition to African traditional religion to enable the traditionalists operate as one entity to complement the fight against indiscipline, criminality and other social ills affecting the progress of the country.

    “Christians have five days as public holiday, Muslims have about 6 days but we are only requesting for just one day to project and celebrate our heritage. It is time to forget playing and joking with our tradition, we should not be fraudulent with the benefit of traditional worship.

    “We must not forget our tradition as it was handed over to us from our forefathers, we must wake our neighbours up each time they want to go astray,” he said.

    Chief Priests of African Traditional Religion,  Chief (Aro) Adekunbi S. Kayode called on all association members to be dutiful and respectful in their choice of religion.

    He urged all members to abstain from any form of indiscipline that would not promote the image of the traditional heritage. He noted that they should quickly expose anyone contradicting or portraying a bad image of traditionalists while hiding under its umbrella.

    He urged the Federal Government to ensure that August 20  was declared every year as public holiday to mark African Traditional Day. Kayode said a deep exploration of African tradition would give a boost to the nation’s tourism sector because every machinery to drive tourism “is embedded in African tradition”.

    The event featured singing,  dancing,  quiz competition and drama.

  • Traditionalists seal off rape suspects’ homes

    Traditional worshippers in Ondo town, Ondo State, yesterday protested the alleged defilement of two underage girls by five men.

    Five suspects, Bode Akinsiku, Olabanji Femi, Abiodun Ayodele, Fadairo Wahab and Adedayo Adebayo were said to have allegedly lured the teenagers to the home of one of the suspects at Kogbona Street in Ondo town where they were defiled.

    The Nation learnt that the suspects, after having carnal knowledge of the victims, stripped them naked, tortured them, recorded the act and posted it on social media.

    They were, however, arrested by the police, arraigned at a chief magistrates’ court and remanded in prison custody.

    The traditionalists are members of Natural Traditional Medicine Practitioners, herbalists, Orunmila, Sango and Obaluaye worshippers.

    They also include Ogun devotees, members of the Reformed Ogboni Confraternity and masquerade worshipers.

    The protesters, clad in regalia and armed with charms, sang in Ondo dialect.

    The traditionalists, before shutting the houses, converged on a shrine along Sora where they prayed before heading for the street where the alleged defilement occurred.

    Among the traditionalists were women, who chased other occupants of the house away and placed palm fronts round the building after chanting incantations.

    Similar rites were performed at the home of one of the suspects, Akinsiku.

    It was learnt that the traditionalists took the action following a rumour that the two teenagers have been allegedly kidnapped by unknown persons.

    Sources hinted that the assemblage of the traditionalists came on the heels of recent crimes in the town, especially defilement and other vices, which have been a source of concern to residents.

    A traditional chief in Ondo town hailed the Osemawe-in-council for approving the rites and sealing-off of the suspects’ homes. He said the recording, which had gone viral on the Internet, was not good for the image of the town.

    The chief urged the judiciary and other stakeholders to intensify efforts to prosecute the suspects.

  • Traditionalists seek Aug. 20 as public holiday

    Traditionalists in the Southwest have urged the government to declare August 20 as public holiday to celebrate Isese Day.

    They hailed Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola for acknowledging the importance of isese, saying he deserved a national award.

    The traditionalists, in a statement by the National Youth President of Ijo Orunmila Adulawo and Founder of Orunmila Brotherhood Foundation, Oluwo Fasola Faniyi Babatunde, likened Isese Day to Eid-el-Kabir and Easter. They said it would be unfair if the government refused to grant their request.

    The statement reads: “August 20 is a holy day for traditionalists across Nigeria and we implore our government to declare the day a public holiday to enable traditionalists to celebrate Isese Day. We pray for Nigeria’s progress whenever we celebrate Isese Day and God answers because it is a holy day.

    “No African can run away from Isese because it belongs to us. August 20 is the day set aside for traditional worshippers to celebrate their deities and past warriors. This is now widely accepted as Isese Day and celebrated worldwide.”

  • Traditionalists crave public holiday at Ifa festival

    Traditionalists crave public holiday at Ifa festival

    The rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba was on display at this year’s Ifa Festival held in Sango Ota, Ogun State, report ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA AND IBRAHIM YUSUFF.

    For Ifa worshippers, it was an opportunity to show the stuff they are made of and also make a case for a public holiday. Dressed in colourful traditional attires, they performed all kinds of stunts and rituals to add colour to their 17th Ifa Festival held in Sango-Ota, Ogun State in the country.
    President of Ifa Olokun Foundation Dr Ifakayode Faluade and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi led the campaign for public holiday.
    They also appealed to all tiers of government to preserve the nation’s cultural deposits and suggested that traditional religion be accorded equal status with Christianity and Islam.
    Other eminent, including the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Kabiru Agbabiaka; a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Dr Fafolarin Agboola, and German tourist, Michael Ehrenberg, among others supported them.
    Oba Adeyemi said Ifa culture does not only exist in Nigeria but also in other parts of the world. “Ifa has been globalised. There is no place you will go to in the world that you will not meet Ifa. Therefore, we could go back and retrace our steps to our cultural heritage as Africans, I believe everything will be fine for us,” he insisted.
    Faluade condemned the neglect of traditional religious practices and inadequate promotion of the nation’s culture by the governments, while linking most of the socio-cultural problems to the neglect of cultural values.
    “Governments need to play active role in promoting the elevation of our culture, especially traditional religion. They have neglected it in preference for Christianity and Islam and this does not amount to equality. I’m calling on them to also give public holidays to traditional worshippers to celebrate our culture like other religions”, Faluade.
    Faluade, however, debunked certain misconceptions about Ifa alongside some other deities in the Yoruba culture. He noted that the traditional religion, Islam and Christianity share some similarities.
    He said: “Ifa does not go against any religion. We the Ifa preachers are ready to relate and work with members of any religion or groups. There are many similarities between Ifa and Islam and Christianity. Both Muslim and Christians make sacrifices to God. The issue of ebo (sacrifice) is not peculiar to traditional worshippers alone. The ebo we make in the traditional religion also exists in Islam and Christianity. For instance, the killing of goats during Muslim festivals is also a way of sacrifice to God.”
    The paramount ruler, who was represented by his daughter Princess Folashade Adeyeye, also sought a rebranding of traditional culture to entice more people, particularly the educated.
    “We need to encourage our youths to embrace their cultural heritage. One of the reasons why many people are not attracted to traditional culture has been the manner it was presented in the past. But now, we need to represent and repackaged to make it more appealing to people. Organising lectures, seminars exhibitions, and cultural awareness such as this will go a long way in addressing the cultural gaps,” he advised.
    Oba Agbabiaka frowned that traditional religion is being abandoned by the authorities with preference for ‘imported’ religions.
    The monarch described Ifa as a ‘source of knowledge’ and a deity with which ‘mankind can ascertain his or her source of problems’ and how to find permanent solutions to them.
    Ehrenberg, a German tourist, noted that the infiltration of the Western culture caused the erosion of African culture. Ehrenberg, who said he was in Nigeria to acquaint himself with the culture of the southwest, urged governments to support campaign by individual and groups such as Ifa Olokun Foundation at promoting the culture of every tribe nationwide.
    In his word, Agboola urged the entire black race to imbibe the “Ifa” deity, saying it is the pathway to success and progress of the black continent.
    He blamed most parents for their inability to communicate with their children in local dialect, saying this has also led to decline and gradual extinction of the nation’s values.
    Agboola, who is the chairman of African Cultural Heritage Group, recommended that universities nationwide should run a programme in ‘African Cultural Studies’ in order to promote re-establish a sense of belonging among Africans and others.
    “Let me also correct the misconception about Ifa deity, it is not against any other religion or politics. Just as politicians consult Islamic and Christian clerics before elections, so does the Ifa priest. There is nothing evil about Ifa. It is the local type of science, used for knowledge and does the same job as the computer.
    “If our leaders have been honest and listen to predictions from Ifa, this country would have been greater. So I’m urging our youths to disregard insinuations and embrace our culture so that it does not perish.”
    Earlier in his welcome address, Dr Faluade praised Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola for supporting traditional religion worshippers and granting them public holiday during their festive period.

  • When traditionalists celebrated Isese festival in Osun

    When traditionalists celebrated Isese festival in Osun

    A year after Osun state governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola declared a public holiday to celebrate Yoruba traditional religions in the state, worshippers of various Orisa (deities) converged on Osogbo, the state capital to mark Isese Festival. ADESOJI ADENIYI was there. 

    The 2014 Isese Festival did not go without drawing people’s attention to its significance – acknowledging and honouring the Yoruba Orisah as (deities) and ancestors.

    Holding this year edition in a grand style in collaboration with the Osun State government, the Traditional Religion Worshipers Association regarded the festival as Odun Nla (Big festival.)

    The Sport Centre of the Technical College, Osogbo venue of the celebration of the festival was full of traditionalists, who were happy to demonstrate their religious faith. Apart from the social components associated with the celebration, the major highlight of the festivity was the invocation to all divinities (Apebo) and prayer (Iwure) for the people of the state, the government and devotees. Each masquerade in its posture presented the long lost history of the Yoruba race.

    Each of the 30 local government areas in the state brought masquerade (Egungun) to feature in the festival. The masquerades, which came in different forms and regalia, displayed according to their tradition.

    The festival, with the theme: “Exploring Religious Tourism for Economic Empowerment in the State of Osun” was full of fun and an avenue for probing the essence of the Yoruba cultural values with the intention to achieve understanding.

    The state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, represented by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Hon. Sikiru Ayedun and his counterpart in Regional Integration and Special Duties, Hon. Ajibola Basiru, reiterated his administration’s commitment to equal opportunities for all religions.

    The Traditional Religious Worshipers Association, an amalgamation of all clustered traditional religions, was inaugurated in 2013 after the state government declared a day in the calendar year as public holiday for the traditionalists. Initially, it generated tension in the state, particularly among Christians and Muslims but Aregbesola insisted it was meant to give all religions equal opportunities.

    The traditionalists are not resting on their oars as they spend each year’s Isese festival to consolidate on their gains. They described Isese as the origin or source of creation. The association was designed to serve as the coordinating body for the various clustered traditional religious organisations in the state and oversee the regulation and practice of traditional religion. It is also expected to initiate and advise the Osun State government on policies related to the practice of traditional religion and to promote advocacy and dialogue on the development of traditional religion and inter faith synergy with adherents of other religions.

    The President of TRWASO, Chief Idowu Awopetu, in his speech summarised the essence of the festival when he said: “Today, history is once again being made in our dear state, Osun, which is the centre of Yoruba culture, tradition and civilisation as we mark the 2014 Isese festival.” He called on the state government to introduce Ifa studies in the education curriculum in both primary and secondary schools in the state.

    He reminded the governor of his promise in 2013 to introduce Ifa studies into the curriculum in secondary schools in the state. Awopetu lamented that efforts by traditionalists to ensure the introduction of Ifa studies in the teaching curriculum have failed because the state government was yet to accede to their request. He maintained that with the introduction of Ifa studies in schools, juvenile delinquencies would be prevented in the state.