Pastor Gandhi,The Kabiyesi
Governor Seyi Makinde on Saturday announced the approval of Prince Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye as the new Soun of Ogbomosoland. Spanning five local governments, Ogbomosho is the second largest city (after Ibadan) in Oyo State. While the selection of Pastor Gandhi (as many of us from the old ‘Apapa Parish’ of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, know and address him) has come with excitement given his pedigree as a successful businessman, leader, and mentor, it has also raised several questions about faith and culture. I have heard many people ask whether a Pastor can be a monarch because of the notion that the traditional institution is tied to ‘occult practices.’
I dealt with this issue a few years ago during the crisis in Warri Kingdom arising from the tension between Pentecostal Christianity and tradition. I referenced Richard Niebuhr’s highly revealing book, ‘Christ and Culture’, to demonstrate how Christians have attempted to deal with the challenge of their faith against the background of old beliefs and customs. Niebuhr identifies five approaches which he listed as: Christ against Culture; The Christ of Culture; Christ above Culture; Christ and Culture in Paradox and Christ the Transformer of Culture.
Unfortunately, as I have also argued in the past, the Pentecostalism that has been embraced in Nigeria today fits into the paradigm of ‘Christ against Culture’, a notion which rejects all the traditional African mores as archaic, backward, and evil. The presupposition is that those traditions belong to some sinister gods that need to be dropped for us to prosper materially and spiritually. While expressions of faith differ from one denomination to another, the preponderance of opinion among pastors is that our traditional heritages (sometimes including priceless artifacts, dating back to centuries) are hindrances to our faith as believers hence we must do away with them.
There is nothing to support this extreme and warped, even if dominant, position. Aside from the fact that culture itself is not static, the
89-year-old Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, spoke to this issue in his 2010 memoir. As a young bachelor in the United Kingdom 64 years ago, the Awujale (who is easily the most respected monarch in Yorubaland today) was brought home to assume the throne of his forefathers. In a rather cynical manner, the monarch made several revelations in, ‘AWUJALE: The autobiography of Oba S. K. Adetona Ogbagba II’ which suggest that most of the rites associated with the traditional institutions and coronations are myths. Even though I highlighted some bits in a previous column six years ago, they are worth recalling: “…As part of the coronation process, the Odis (aafin attendants) embarked on the various rituals that would lead to my installation as the Awujale of Ijebuland. Personally, I can say here that there is nothing about these rituals that could not be made public. In fact, many of the Odis performing the rituals were themselves novices to the rituals and were actually trying out their roles for the first time. It must be remembered that my predecessor, Gbelegbuwa ascended the throne in 1933 and my ceremony was conducted 27 years afterwards. Many of the Odis were at sea as to what was to be done. So, for many of them, it was all experimental and mostly guesswork. All the secrecy that they maintained about the rituals was, therefore, as I saw it, simply a ploy to extort money from the public, just as their fathers did before them. They deliberately made the rituals look very mysterious.”
The Awujale was not done: “…at the Owa Stream, the Elese of Ilese carried me on his back across the stream as custom had it that my feet must not touch the water. After this, according to tradition, the Elese must never come to Ijebu-Ode again to visit me for the rest of his life. Also, at Odo Esa, I passed an Iroko tree which, again by tradition, I was told I must never see again. Indeed, I was forbidden to ever pass that very road again or, according to tradition, I would die. I did not believe any of this of course and I have since travelled that road and passed the Iroko tree on several occasions! Also, at Ijebu-Imusin, there was again another tree which I passed and which I was never to set my eyes on again, yet I have also seen this one many times. So much for all these unnecessary taboos!”
All factors considered, I see no reason why any person who professes either Christianity or Islam cannot be a traditional ruler no matter how committed such a person is to his faith. Meanwhile, it is instructive that one of the first persons to congratulate Pastor Gandhi is the Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomosoland, Tellat Yunus Olushina Ayilara II, who called on all sons and daughters to “join hands with our Soun-Elect Prince Afolabi Olaoye in building a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous Ogbomosoland.” He ended his statement with a prayer: “May Almighty Allah bestow upon him, knowledge and wisdom, grant him long life and good health, bless his reign and increase Ogbomosoland in abundance.”
I join the Soun-elect and my dear Pastor Gandhi, in saying Amen to that prayer. K’ade pe l’ori, ki bata pe l’ese!