Warn lawmakers not to pass the bill

James Ogunnaike

The traditional worshippers in Ogun State, under the aegis of ‘Isese’ practitioners on Monday called on members of the Ogun State House of Assembly to drop the bill on Obas, Chiefs, Council of Obas and Traditional Council law of Ogun State, 2021, before it, saying that bill should not pass the bill into law.

The traditionalists, who spoke with newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while reacting to a bill before the lawmakers, argued that the bill when passed into law is aimed at eradicating all traditional rites that pertain to the stool of Obaship in the state.

The spokesman of ‘Isese’ practitioners Ifayemi Osunlabu, said, whoever wants to be a king must be ready to abide by customs and traditions that guide the stool, stressing that nobody was forced to be a king.

He noted that if the bill scales through and is signed into law, it will constitute an infringement on the rights of the traditional worshippers and may promote war, chaos, and pandemonium in the community.

“Obaship institution is contained under the traditional institution, as such, anybody who voluntarily gives himself out or permit or volunteer himself to be crowned and installed as a king under the Yoruba culture and traditional institution will immediately attain the status of the “second in command to oracle” of their respective lands and domain.

ALSO READ: Kalu denies visiting British envoy to discuss IPOB matters

“Having agreed, accepted and concurred to fall in line and abide with rules, regulations, doctrines, and practices of such tradition, such person should abide by the tradition.”

While calling on members of the State House of Assembly to stop the passage of the bill to maintain peace and order in the state, Osunlabu said the bill will create a deficiency in the traditional institution that will remain impossible to correct.

He maintained that “the lawmakers had no business legislating over the installation and burial rites of traditional rulers”.

Osunlabu lamented that the Ogun State lawmakers with their attitude on the bill had rubbished the history, values, culture, and tradition of the Yoruba people.

“The Ogun State House of Assembly wants to make history as the first House of Assembly to rubbish the age-long tradition of selecting, installation and burial of Yoruba Obaship”.

He noted that “this bill was first introduced in 2020, but it did not scale through because all traditionalists in the state rose and fought against it. But to our surprise, the lawmakers who are healing bent to destroy the age-long tradition, remain adamant to listen to our voices as traditional practitioners. They went ahead to bring up another bill and to our own understanding, this bills is just avoiding them going seclusion”.

Where there is no seclusion, there is nothing like Obaship. So, we, as traditional practitioners, are not saying that they should not do whatever they want to do, but when it comes to Obaship, it belongs to traditional practitioners. And this is high time, we the traditionalists stand up to fight against all this bad attitude.

The bill is absolutely not unacceptable to us because our traditional rulers are not a politician.

Vanguard News Nigeria