Alaafin Of Oyo Warns Ifa Priests Against ill- gotten Wealth, Dubious Characters

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola
Adeyemi 111 on Friday warned priests of Ifa
traditional religion against desperation for ill-
gotten wealth capable of bringing the
cherished Yoruba culture and traditions into
disrepute before foreigners.
Oba Adeyemi gave the warning in his palace
when he received three Cubans who had been
initiated as Ifa priests.
He said dissemination of truth about Ifa
mythology and other traditional religions to
foreigners was necessary in order to ensure
that the legacies of Yoruba forefathers were
not bastardised and desecrated.
The newly initiated Ifa priests include, Jase
Lara, Dasiel Guerra and Fernauco Garrico who
were led to the palace by an Oyo-based senior
Ifa priest, Ifaniyi Omoyemi, the Ajitena Awo of
Alaafin.
The monarch cautioned that the porous and
fraudulent awards of chieftaincy titles,
especially to foreigners, by some Oyo Ifa
priests must stop, adding that only Irokin and
white caps must be used in their installation,
rather than the crown and staff of office used
by priests.
He said ‘’No matter the mastery of Ifa
traditional religion and proficiency of its
practice and mythology, no practitioner has the
right to confer on anyone the title of Ifa king
and presents such person with staff of office.
As an Ifa priest, you are to interpret the oracle
and not to confer chieftaincy titles. It is illegal
and unconstitutional”.
Alaafin expressed dismay over disregard to the
due process of Oyo traditions before the
installation of foreigners as Ifa priests by some
disgruntled adherents of the traditional religion.
He said “The Yoruba traditional beliefs see the
world as a product of two connected worlds;
the visible world of material life and the
invisible spiritual world.
The connection of these two worlds produces
power that is called Ase in Yoruba
cosmology’’.
For the Yoruba, Alaafin stressed that the
Creator rules over the entire universe
manifesting the elements of nature, adding that
these indigenous beliefs and practices were a
life of philosophy and natural science.
He added that ‘’Oyo metropolis not only
remains centre-piece of Yoruba nations world-
wide, but Mecca and Vatican of the richest
culture and traditions in the universe.
“All traditional religions, including the Ifa, are
registered under one umbrella called Asa Orisa.
All the religions under the authority of the
Alaafin are independent of one and another
and co-exist harmoniously.
The same is applicable to both the Islamic and
Christian religions. This is the reason why
there can never be any religious upheavals in
the metropolis.
There is no way anyone or group from this
association can operate in isolation and
disregard to the due process and succeed in
their motive. They cannot go away with it.
‘’Our traditional religions are part of our
heritage, which needs to be jealously preserved
from bastardisation for pot of porridge.’’
Oba Adeyemi expressed delight that in spite of
the assaults and attacks by Western powers in
the past, Yoruba culture and traditions had
demonstrated its resilience and beyond that
relevance in a troubled and confused world.
Dasiel Guerra who spoke on behalf of his
colleagues noted that they were in the palace
in acknowledgement of Oyo as bulwark of
Yoruba culture and traditions, and the Alaafin
as the custodian.
Guerra added that they were also in the palace
to intimate the royal father of a Yoruba
cultural organization established about thirty
years ago and to seek for his support and
guide.