The President, International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR), Chief Dr. Fayemi Fakayode has declared that for any Yoruba traditional ruler to assert territorial and social control within his domain, Oro deity is a weapon that must be used.
Fakayode, said any Oba that fails to give the Oro adherents their due respect will lose control of his domain and become irrelevant.
He stated this on Saturday at a special lecture organised to commemorate the 2024 World Oro Festival at the Aseyin palace, Iseyin, Oyo State.
Dr. Fakayode, added that any Yoruba community that gives recognition to Oro has the opportunity of being in peace, because evil-minded people will desert such area.
While discussing the topic of the lecture, titled: “Waning Moral Values and The Role of Tradition and Yoruba Culture,” the ICIR President opined that the prevalence of electoral crisis, contract killing, economic downturn and insecurity, reflected a society that is at the threshold of anomie and according to historical facts, the Yorubas of old used Oro to reverse the trend.
“Our bad attitude towards the way of our ancestors is responsible for our current ordeal, our ancestors have invented a system to implant peace and harmony in the society. Oro festival is one of the devices that our fathers of old developed to make the land conducive for living.
“Oro is a male Orisa, he is one of the Orisas who descended from the celestial realm. Therefore, Oro is an Imole, whose real name is Ita. When he was co-existing with other Orisas, he liked emphasising the relevance of sacrifices initiations and rituals to maintain development and ward off iniquities, which made him popular and well respected among his peers.
“It is important to note that Oba, the King, owns the land, he is the second in command to the Òrìṣà. This means Oba is the authority on earth, because he is the representative of the ancestors and the Òrìṣà. If the Oba is the authority, how does his authority be effective?
“Here we are talking about real Obas in Yoruba land like Aseyin of Iseyin, Alaafin of Oyo, Oonirisa of Ile-Ife, Olubadan of Ibadan and Soun of Ogbomoso, we are not referring to the misfit who call himself Emir in Yorubaland, besides Ilorin on which we need to beg our ancestors to reclaim for us.
“Oro has become a symbol of the King’s authority. This is why the Kings of towns where Oro is celebrated are always powerful and have strong authority.
“Whenever people want to render a King powerless, whenever they do not want him to have control of his domain any longer, they will campaign against Oro festival of the town.
“If they are successful in their evil plan, the King has lost his authority, which will reflect in prevalence of social vices and predominace of dangerous crimes and people will manifest.
“Oro is a system of security and protection of the community. Those who don’t understand our tradition think it is a thing of darkness. Even nowadays, the Police, the Army and others who provide security for our communities must always keep their activities confidential.”
Fayemi, called on political, religious and leaders of thought in Yorubaland to urgently seek the help of Oro and other Isese adherents to right the current wrongs that he said have become pervasive and bearing damning consequences.
Present at the event were traditional Chiefs, youths organisations, Civil society members and students from public and private schools, who provided entertainment for the audience.
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