A prominent first-class traditional ruler in the South West, Oluwo of Iwo in Osun State, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, yesterday reiterated its stance against traditional worship, saying he has no regret dumping deity worshipping as a traditional ruler including destroying an 800-year-old deity in his palace.
He stated that he is content with worshipping one God which he said is the ultimate for any human being.
Oba Akanbi who is performing this year’s pilgrimage in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, in a chat with journalists in Mina said worshipping one God, and not deities, gives him direct access to the supreme being.
Daily Trust reports that Oba Akanbi, regarded as a highly controversial monarch in the South West, has faced stiff opposition from ardent traditional worshippers who frown at his repudiation of century-old traditional practices including even removing all deities in his palace.
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The Yoruba traditional institution is replete with practices and beliefs that each monarch refers to and worships.
But Oluwo is one monarch who has repudiated this tradition and openly practises Islamic religion.
Performing the pilgrimage, one of the pillars of Islamic monotheism was for Oluwo a further reaffirmation of his belief in the oneness of God.
He expressed belief that the forefathers of the Yorubaland were Muslims, adding that even the deities in the Yorubaland worshipped one God.
He said, “In Islamic language, we call God Allah. In Yorubaland we call him Olodumare. In Hausa we call him Ubangiji. In Igbo, they call him Chineke, but It’s the same one God.
“When you talk about diety worshipping, diety worshipping is universal. It is ignorance of the old dark ages and people didn’t know. Now we know. One God that connects the whole world, to China, India, Indonesia, anywhere it is one God.
“I am happy to be among the believers of one God. Jesus (Prophet Isa), Abraham, Moses, all the way to Adam, were believers of one God. So, our forefathers, Oduduwa, were believers of one God. All these deities that we have now, they worshipped one God. Zango worshipped God Almighty. Ogun worshipped God Almighty. Oduduwa worshipped God Almighty. Oduduwa did not worship any deity except one God which in Arabic means Allah.
“Deity worshipping is dark ages; slavery and we are not slaves. Worshipping of one God is the supreme. To be protected, to be greater in life, to have more wisdom, only through him (one God) you have direct access. If I want to go through a diety now, will I go through a deity of Taiwan? Does he know me? If I want to go through Ogun (God of Iron), Ogun is from Ekiti, not from Iwo. How can I be praying to an Ekiti man who doesn’t know me.
“Ogun will always take care of his people there before he even takes care of the people he doesn’t know. Sango is from Oyo. Why will an Iwo man worship an Oyo man? So, we all go to one God Almighty and I came here to serve that God.”
The monarch stated that Nigeria should return to God to be able to harness its huge natural resources to achieve the level of development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Oba Akanbi, who was given a royal host in the kingdom, stated, “May God Bless Nigeria the way he blessed Saudi. The highest blessing is to know one God. This is the only country where people come in the time of Hajj. We will never be poor if we go back to one God Almighty. When you have one God you would never miss road.
“I want to move my people from darkness into light and that is why I removed all dieties. It is not about worshipping God of the Sun, God of thunder. It is to worship to one God. It’s confusing to say you want to worship other gods.
“I have removed an 800-year-old deity that they said is killing our people. Why will a deity want to save our people and it is killing? Something that would save you shouldn’t be killing you; it means we are living in fears.”
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