Our Corrupt Politicians and The Bastardization Of Yoruba Sacred Traditional Institutions

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Our Corrupt Politicians and The Bastardization Of Yoruba Sacred Traditional Institutions (Mayor Of Fadeyi Writes On the threats of unleashing Oro and Sonpono on protesters by govt apologists) 

So Lagos, and some other Yoruba lands, in their desperate bid to avoid people protesting the Ashiwaju Govt and their inordinate hustle to stop their own citizens from exercising their inalienable rights to protest, have scheduled 15 days for the Oro festival ostensibly to ‘cleanse the land’ of evil (FYI: 15 straight days of Oro is probably a record in the history of Oros in Yoruba culture, by the way. Oro is typically a one-day, three-day, or at most five-day event, based on historical accounts).

Though I myself am  a born-again Christian, I cannot help but shudder in disgust and anger at this unfortunate involvement of traditional institutions in politics and the brazen bastardization of the sacred institutions in Yoruba land in a sad effort to silence the people from expressing themselves against an underperforming government.

People say they want to protest against the incredible hardship in the land, and all our leaders can think of in response is to roll out Oro, Sonponna, and something called Agodongo—whatever that is. In fact, I heard that name ‘Agodongo’ for the first time in my life from a born-again Senior Advocate of Nigeria who was using it to intimidate prospective demonstrators in Lagos. Go figure 🤷🏿‍♂️

All I could do was shake my head in disgust after my futile efforts to make that gentleman and his fellow supported see how incongruous and dangerous such rhetoric was especially coming from reputed leaders and highly placed lawyers who are supposed to be protecting citizens right to life, liberty and protest.

Even when they qualified their utterances to claim they will only sic Oro on violent protesters and shoot them at sight, my efforts to let them know that even if a protester is violent he does not deserve Oro or shoot at sight order, seemed to be going nowhere. After-all beheading is not a good cure for headache. Civilized nations arrest and prosecute violent protesters not shoot them or send Sonpono to ruin their lives 🤷🏿‍♂️

The fact of the matter is that our leaders forget that Oro, Sonponna, Obatala, and others operate under principles of fairness and justice. Their supreme love and care for the people is why they were powerful during the days that most ethnic tribes revered and feared them.

Typically, these previously revered traditional institutions were brought in to settle disputes, ensure justice in the land, protect the people from oppression, and punish the guilty and thieves among the people with fatal diseases or outright death.

However, some of the descendant priests of these traditional institutions, who have allowed themselves to be swayed by oppressive leaders with dirty pieces of silver and patronage, have robbed these institutions of their potency and bastardized their purpose in the land.

I may not be a traditional man, but I think it is such a shame to see our unique culture and spiritual contributions to the world brought so low by corrupt and careless leaders who have not given a thought to what their actions are doing to these institutions.

Many of our traditional rulers, who once commanded awe with their mere presence, and who ruled with unchallenged authority as the ‘Ikeji orisa,’ have also allowed themselves to become errand boys for leaders who should ordinarily be rolling on the floor in their palaces in fear and reverence.

Even as a Christian, it is very troubling to me that, in today’s Nigeria, constitution aside, an ordinary local government councillor can insult an Oba without the people feeling outraged because they know many of their Obas and chiefs have become tools of oppression, losing the respect they once commanded.

We recently saw OBJ ordering Obas and high chiefs to stand up and sit down for governors like kindergarteners in public without their own people taking offense at such an insult to our Obas, because the subjects of those Obas know most of them have lost their way due to ‘atenuje,’ filthy lucre, and corrupt patronage by politicians who no longer care about their people.

So to most, if OBJ likes, he can even tell them to kneel down, and we will all just laugh. What a shame, and how the high and mighty have been brought so low by their own hubris and shameless kowtowing to corrupt politicians.

Those in Lagos threatening Agodongo and Sonponna and organizing fake Oro festivals to intimidate their own citizens, who just want to protest against their government, forget that Oro and Sonponna are actually tools for justice in the land.

These traditional deities are meant to cleanse the land of evil, eliminate injustice, and ruin the lives of corrupt leaders. It would not be surprising if the leaders who are busy dragging them out in broad daylight to intimidate their citizens start to experience calamity themselves. Real Oro is not human. It’s a spirit and operate by universal laws of fairness and justice . Even evil spirits cannot be given permission by the Omnipotent one who owns all the powers that exist, in both heaven and hell, will NOT give them permission to wreck havoc unless there is justifiable cause . So in that sense all Oros are powerless without the permission of heaven and they can’t get permission without making a case for justice

But I digress . Back to Oro threats .

As they say, you cannot beat a child and then say the child should not cry. The ‘alales’ are watching, and I am sure they are weeping as their children are being flogged and then flogged again for daring to cry out from the flogging by way of protests.

In a way I am actually very glad our leaders still believe in these Sonponna and Oro traditions, because you must believe to really get the ‘miracle.’ All I can say is may their faith be richly rewarded by the same traditional institutions they have rolled out ot cleanse the land. Let no one weep for them when they themselves start getting cleansed from our land

I am not a traditional man. In fact, I am an ordained pastor, but I am deeply upset by the involvement of Oro in this situation to settle what is essentially a political fight and survival dispute between the ruler and the ruled. Rolling out Oro for 15 days is a disgusting response to the agitations of the people. Since when did it become an abomination in the land to protest that we now want to roll out ‘Oro’ for 15 days to ‘cleanse’ the land of protestors, violent or not? Even during the intense Kiriji wars, we never heard of Oro appearing for 15 straight days.

By these actions, our thoughtless leaders expose our sacred institutions in Yoruba land to ridicule by dragging them into politics and to protect their hold on power. Now, when an angry youth disrespects an Oro or Eyo in public, people will claim they do not respect traditional institutions. Yet, traditional institutions earned respect by upholding justice and avoiding evil in the land.

All these threats by the government and its apologists, using Oro against their own people who merely want to protest and express their hardship and pain, are empty Lagos bluster.

The truth is the true Oro or Sonponna we all read about in Yoruba studies do not act on orders from a corrupt politicians or based on how much anyone gave their priests. These institutions must see a just cause to strike the evildoer. They are called ‘Ara Orun’ for a reason. They have no need for filthy lucre and do not operate by human frailties; they did not exist to help a corrupt and underperforming government maintain its chokehold on the people. They exist to cleanse the land of the evil of corruption and ojelus who steal our commonwealth with reckless abandon .

Right now, those deserving the wrath of our traditional institutions are some our unconscionable leaders. They are the ones who keep buying 200 million Naira cars, fly private jets and pay themselves 100s of millions in allowance while telling us the nation cannot pay N100,000 in minimum , they are tje ones who keep renovating an already renovated government house with more billions we do not have, and they are the ones who are asking the people to be patient while they wallow in luxury without making any cost-cutting measures for themselves. Yes, Oro and Sonpono is watching and may they arise and do justice in the land now that they are being rolled out!

So, if injustice is in the land and needs to be cleansed, the Oros and Sonponnas they believe in so much, and that they themselves have rolled out, know exactly who to strike. No nigerian protester need fear any threats. It’s your right to protest and real Oros sef will join you and protect you.

My own fervent prayer is that the real Oro the leaders believe in will bring REAL justice to the land, regardless of how much their human priests have been paid. A true ‘Ara Orun’ does not covet human wealth. Even in those days, their sacrifices were simple foods and oils, offered before they acted against injustice.

I personally fear no Oro or Sonponna, not just because Jesus Christ is my own personal protection against an Oro or Sonpono, but because I have not done any evil in the land, and most of the protesters have not done any evil, so Oro cannot come near them unless the Oro wants to be disrobed with no consequence.

Let their Shigidi keep threatening to come out in the rain and play. Whatever its eyes see, it must accept. The Supreme God of heaven and earth, who controls even the lesser gods of Oro and Sonponna, will not let evil go unanswered. If anyone does evil and escapes, surely their children cannot.

Even as a pastor, I seriously believe in a kind of karma that is real and unrelenting. In fact, the kind of karma I am talking about, when stripped of the complicated levels others may tend to take the meaning, is an inviolate law of nature, and even our Bible stressed it when it said, ‘GOD CANNOT BE DECEIVED, A MAN SHALL REAP WHAT HE SOWS.’

Also, we saw God seed a kind of ‘karma’ into nature when God said, “Let everything produce according to its own kind,” and said  “As long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest shall never cease.”

Whatever these leaders are doing, BOTH GOOD AND EVIL, shall be reaped or paid for in due time. No Oro or Sonponna can thwart the will of the Almighty God. Their role, if any, is to cleanse our lands of evildoers, and I say so be it in Jesus’ name.

So we all stay tuned as breaking news starts to happen.