In response to the uproar created by a Bill in Ogun State legislature to reform crowning Obas in Yorubaland, Prince Justice Faloye, President ASHE Foundation, first restated the belief that Original African traditional institutions are essential to the sociocultural, economic and political ascendancy of the Black Race and vehemently opposed the denigration of any Oba.
However, he opined that one can’t but be concerned that the Olokun dynasty across Yorubaland is on a path of self destruction when the traditional institutions are being denigrated and attacked by those meant to uphold its sanctity? Like Oluwo of Iwo who started with crowning his wife, vouching to change his Obaship to Emirship, before finally beating up a fellow Oba, without remorse, the Awujale of Ijebu Oba Sikuru Adetona is in the process of destroying the most sacred Yoruba institution.
Oba Sikuru Adetona, Awujale of Ijebu Ode
Oluwo of Iwo and his now estranged Queen in his and hers crown.
This is a process Awujale started awhile ago when he tried breaking the umbilical cord between Yorubas and Ijebu subgroup by falsely claiming Ijebus were not related to Oduduwa but from Wadai Sudan. Now, at the twilight of his long reign, he wants to ensure that he is the last true Awujale by outlawing the spiritual crowning of Obas in Ogun state, a process to drive a nail into the heart of Yoruba cultural sphere.
Prince Justice warned that the beginning of the end of dynasties and civilizations often starts when social decay seeps into the leadership ranks of a people, with young errant princes becoming kings that don’t fully understand the attendant responsibility of the authority invested in them. All through history from King Solomon to the mad Roman emperors to Alaafin Awole and now the current Trump/Boris Johnson of the Anglo-Saxon empire, one witnesses the truism of the Yoruba proverb that a strong peaceful extended family house is one in which the illegitimate children are still young.
ASHE Foundation, a cultural think tank to promote Niger Congo ethnolinguistic cultural family , frowns at public criticisms of Obas, but when an Oba becomes a clear and present danger to Yoruba traditional structure, it borders on criminal negligence not to join the public discourse currently raised by Oluwos, Osugbos, Arabas and other concerned stakeholders. This Ogun State bill pushed by Awujale has provoked an angry response, as the great antislavery activist and African American leader once stated when the legislature trampled on Black Rights, ”We have been, as a class, grievously wounded, wounded in the house of our friends, and this wound is too deep and too painful for ordinary measured speech. ”
Like Islamists provoked Indians and crystallized a violent Hindu nationalist movement, Prince Justice warned that Nigeria Abrahamists have provoked Original African traditionalists. He pointed out that prominent African traditionalists have clearly stated that they won’t be engaging in meaningless civil rights marches, but the irunmoles, their spiritual entities, will march and single out all those that support this Abrahamic onslaught on Yoruba culture. It has been vouched that henceforth any Prince that wants to vie for kingship must sign that he will uphold all traditional values and can’t claim to be of the Abrahamic persuasion.
To Awujale and others, they have thrown down the gauntlet to his family and Abrahamic followers that if they try to claim the property of our cultural sphere, which is the body of the king, there would be outright war in all places of worship, Churches and mosque, as well as in the streets.
Awujale fails to understand that he is not a standalone king but part of an elaborate system that not only consists of his executive arm, but also legislative, judiciary and enforcement arms. If there is a need for reform, this should come from and discussed within the system as it has been done for thousands of years. Not that an Oba will seek outside interference to override the built in checks and balances. Unfortunately, the foreign indoctrinated Princes and kings don’t understand and believe in the system they lead. They believe the Whiteman’s system is superior and should rein the monkeys with an Apes Obey call.
Oba Sikuru Adetona had pushed the falsehood that Ijebus came from Wadai in Sudan and not related to the main body of Yorubas. Thankfully, this has been proven to be totally unfounded by recent genetic and cultural anthropological evidence, which shows that Ijebus are tied to the Yoruba culture like a hunch on a back. They mischievous changed Whydah in Benin Republic to Wadai in Sudan.
The Yoruba oral traditions had stated that Ijebus progenitor, Olu-Iwa was a brother to Oduduwa, while Obanta was from either Whydah or Benin, not Sudan. Genetic evidence shows that Yorubas evolved in this current location at least 87,000yrs ago while Cultural anthropology shows that Ifa-Afa-Iha-Eha-Fa, the Original African Information Retrieval system was the world’s first knowledge bank and religion. So, if not for racial inferiority complex why would a Yoruba king subject our traditions to Whites and Abrahamists that evolved just 6000yrs ago.
Obaship is a choice and nobody is forced against his wishes to become one. However when you make the choice, it must be with full understanding that Obaship is not only about flamboyancy and access to wealth, but the spiritual, cultural and political leadership of the citystate with Ooni of Ife covering all Yorubas.
Not only in Yorubaland, but the choice and methodology of crowning an Original African king is the sole preserve of the African Information Retrieval system aka Ifa-Afa-Iha-Eha-Fa used across Southern and Central Nigeria. This is the foundation of Original African culture, not the Abrahamic disguised as secular constitution.
Over time Islamic and Christian cultural imperialists have weathered down Original African spiritual and cultural institutions, but there is to be a ferocious fight back at the core of Original African culture, Yorubaland the true origin of humanity and African culture. If this bill is not challenged and trashed, the core, the spirit of the Black African race will be neutered and we shall rise no more.
While the jury is still out on dethroning the Oluwo who has disrespected the royal culture and wants to islamize the Iwo crown, Oba Sikuru Adetona has once been dethroned for his excesses. The war between Oba Adetona and Governor Bisi Onabanjo was inflamed when he refused the Christian governor to attend an Islamic event. This led to his dethronement but he was reinstated by the Buhari military government that overthrew the civilian government shortly afterwards. Now, once again shortly after being made Chairman of the Ogun State Traditional Council, he is seeking to destroy the Obaship institution and make it a preserve of the Abrahamists, especially of his Arabic sect.
This is a declaration of war against every self-respecting African and will crystallize a violent backlash if care is not taken. Some are vouching that a few scapegoats have to be made of the Ogun state legislators that pushed the bills to send a strong message that traditionalists have been pushed to the wall and will fight back.
As of Oba Adetona, it is said that dethronement is an easy way out after he has enjoyed a lifetime of royalty. Instead, they are insistent that he must stick to the agreement that brought him to the throne and if anybody or group dares to withhold Adetona’s corspe when he joins his ancestors, it would lead to a bloody religious war.
ASHE Foundation therefore pleads for cultural understanding and justice. For far too long, Eurocentric elite, Christians and Muslims, have gone around with the wrong belief that Original African culture is backward and barbaric and needs to be whitewashed by opposing cultural spheres. This is very wrong.
The European and Arabic style of governance has restrained our development, and not ‘civilized’ the masses to greater economic, cultural or political heights. Before the advent of these foreign cultural platforms, we of Southern and Central Nigeria were first amongst equals in the world. Not until the 1800s, after over 200yrs of European terrorism and looting, did the European have a better production technology, political system or economic success than us.
An advanced political system already existed in Yorubaland, with effective arms of government like the Oyo Mesi the legislature, the Ogboni judiciary, with daily consultations, unlike in England where the king only assembled the parliament to raise war finance until they came to Africa. Africans fought for justice in European systems because of what they were used to in Africa.
Our President (Oba) was not the commander of the Armed forces (Bashorun). Women were better represented and powerful with the control of the economy under Iyalaje and especially the Iyalode whose joint action with the Bashorun was all required to dethrone a king. We had freedom of speech and right of association. A balanced fair system contrary to what we currently experience in African neocolonies. The human sacrifices and excesses of the 1700s were a reaction to the terrorism just as Western democracies now curb and abuse civil rights in their new war against Islamic terrorism. Instead of listening to the obvious need of restructuring following the failure to deliver over the last 20yrs of democracy, they have the effortery to tinker with our 10,000yr old institutions.
Culturally and morally, we had evolved to a higher moral standard based on laws of retributive justice as opposed to the unfair messianic justice practiced in Nigeria, resulting in large scale corruption and a false sense of entitlement and authority without responsibility. The new Abrahamic cultural values have failed and are in no position to seek a reform in our traditional institutions. Economically, we were far ahead of Europeans when they arrived in 1470s. No European city was as prosperous and well kept like Benin. We had tolls not filled by extortionists as we now suffer.
So what exactly feeds the arrogance to attempt to tweak our system if not ignorance, racial inferiority complex and a cultural imperialist agenda? Well, they have pushed the traditionalists Ram to the wall and nobody should blame it if it knocks them down and out of existence.
