NEWSROYALE ‘Traditional rulers in South-West are dying in silence’
His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr) Isaac Adeyeba Ayeni, Okin Oloro II, is the Akinla of Erin-Ijesa in Oriade Local Government Area of Osun State. In this interview he spoke on the welfare of traditional rulers in the SouthWest, the people’s heritage and culture,
What would you say has been hindering development in your kingdom? What can the government do to help?
Seventeen years without a traditional ruler was a major factor that dragged us backward as far as development is concerned. This was coupled with the acrimony and legal tussles in the selection of the new king. So, in those years of interregnum, there was nobody who could approach the government on behalf of the community to demand for their rights.
We need government in the provision of drainages, culverts and good roads within the town, market development, and most especially, in the provision of a health care facility.
What festivals take place in your kingdom?
Iro is the major festival celebrated on an annual basis. It is usually celebrated with pomp and pageantry in Erin-Ijesa.
The Agbeleku festival is another one. It is celebrated every three years.
How important are these festivals to the people?
Erin people jealously guard and treasure Iro, which they regard as the goddess of fertility and the soul of the Yoruba nation and its fruitfulness. Lowabisi is the chief priest of the festival. Lowabisi worshipped Iro on behalf of Akinla as Oduduwa himself used to worship at IleIfe. The chief priest was very vast in incantations and charms. No chief priest of this tradition can afford to be frivolous.
Lowabisi was always conscious of his responsibilities towards the Akinla and the community. He was always in seclusion, going through spiritual preparations before the day of worship, which is preceded by a night of rituals shrouded in mystery and not witnessed by non-indigenes and women. These night rituals done on the eve of Iro worship are called upekuro. The following morning, Lowabisi would mount the Iro effigy, called Omoleka. He would emerge from a place called ‘Orutu’ (an elevated platform) and announce the dawn of the festival to the Yoruba, particularly members of Erin community.
From the ‘Orutu’ he would proceed to the burial ground of the first Akinla, called ‘Idi Oodua’ to offer sacrifice and prayers. He would now disembark and go from one corner of the community to another, praying and blessing the people, particularly the poor and barren women.
He will also move from one sacred shrine to another within the town. For example, he will move from the Asiko shrine to Owa-Igun, then to the Akinla’s palace and to the Ogun shrine.
Lowabisi will finally settle at the Oyigbo-Mekun market, where the whole community would have assembled in groups to meet him, dancing to the ancient and ‘ageless’ ijigereji drum. There is this myth that when the ‘ijiregeji’ drum is beaten during Iro worship, it is heard in certain quarters at IleIfe, Oke Ahun in Efon Alaaye and Ikeji. Erin people would come out in their best dresses, chanting various songs, praising Iro. Lowabisi would also worship at the ‘uja’ shrine, evoking the spirits of the past Akinlas and of Oduduwa with his ‘eresi.’
The Agbeleku festival came into being by sheer accident of history in the 18th Century by Akinla Aladekomo, the father of Ada, who was later exiled to ErinOke. It was, therefore, episodic in style and form.
The festival is a period of feasting, eating, visiting, jubilation, joy and excitement. There would be sufficient drumming of the Oshaka, a special musical instrument designed for the festival amidst the booming of guns and satirical songs exposing wrong doings among the people.
Various groups in long procession, including the chiefs of various grades and categories would render dirges remembering the dead. Prayers would be offered for good harvest, fruitfulness, prosperity and peace in the land.
At the ceremony, the Alaaye of Efon sends clothes while Owa Obokun of Ilesa sends a dog, kolanut, a cock and clothes.
It became the responsibility of Aratan to take custody of the carved images after seven days of celebrations. The images would be kept until another year of festival in a place called “Agbunagbeleku.” This is usually within the confines of the rocky and hilly place where the Olumirin waterfall is situated. The carriers of the images and their priest are called “Oliro” and “Akinmo” respectively.
How would you describe the welfare of traditional rulers in the state?
I am of the opinion that the welfare of traditional rulers in the South-West deserves urgent attention. To be candid, traditional rulers in the West are dying in silence, except for the few rich ones.
Our local government authorities have neglected their statutory obligations to traditional institutions. Though there is five per cent allocation to traditional rulers, it is nothing to write home about today. An Oba earns between N30, 000 and N100, 000 a month. How can a king with numerous responsibilities survive on that? In the past, aside from five per cent deduction, there are statutory financial functions of local governments towards traditional institutions, such as payment of festival allowance, driver and police orderly, official cars and palace maintenance. Our palaces are very porous without armed security guards or police orderly.
I have also been reading with keen interest, stories on Yoruba Obas in other states of Nigeria outside the South-West and those in overseas. Inasmuch as I believe that there is nothing wrong in having Yoruba group leaders in those areas, I’m of the opinion that it is wrong to address them as Oba. It is equally wrong to have them issued with staff of office by the government of those states and have their appointment gazetted without defined jurisdictions. In a simple form, they are ethnic group leaders and not kings and should be addressed as such. An Oba must have a jurisdiction to reign over, he must have chieftaincy declaration, and his appointment must be approved and gazetted.
Royal fathers need to take this up with the government at various levels before it is too late. It is our responsibility to protect our cultures and traditions from bastardization.