Two unhappy incidents provoked this piece. I encountered two funeral events late final month – earlier than the Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, stopped all funeral rites in Benin Kingdom due to the annual Igue Pageant – that acquired me pondering. There are two massive morgues on the Ekenwan axis of Benin Metropolis. On that highway, particularly each Thursday, it’s hell for drivers and commuters alike. The ‘mourners’, who normally accompany the deceased’s members of the family to the morgues, are the most-unruly tons one can ever come throughout. They block the highway each methods and are by no means sober about it. Once they transfer, they change into reckless, doing stunts with their autos. Additionally it is a standard sight to search out younger boys, and at instances, women, hanging dangerously on the neck-speed autos! However within the two encounters I’m speaking about right here, the reverse was the case. The funeral trains have been organised, simply because the ‘mourners’ have been emotional and orderly.
I acquired intrigued by the unique automobiles within the convoys. Apart from, the ages of the ‘mourners’ and their signature hair types, with the accompanying earrings fired my aproko (busybody) intuition. I knew that I wanted to search out out why these convoys have been totally different from the same old ones. On the autos have been color posters of the pictures of the deceased. By my estimation, they’d be of their late 20s or early 30s. I drove a bit away from them and parked. I got here down and approached the aged ones, who clustered in entrance of one of many retailers near an occasion centre, alongside the highway. I joined the group. The individuals have been additionally members of the aproko membership. Then I acquired the gist. The 2 deceased have been identified Yahoo Plus guys of their areas. In line with the gossip, the 2 boys got here to wealth virtually on the identical time. One of many individuals, who seemed to be acquainted with the histories of the deceased, volunteered the wanted info.
In line with him, the 2 boys didn’t end secondary faculty earlier than they left city. The informant stated that they first went to Ghana, after which relocated to solely God-knows-where. What occurred subsequent was that the duo later returned to Benin in stable wealth. They got here again late 2021. The 2 boys, on arrival, have been stated to have purchased totally different automobiles. Additionally they constructed homes for his or her mother and father, and constructed mansions for themselves. In fact, women acquired interested in them the identical approach ants swarm on sugar. They grew to become the large boys of their areas. In Sapele Highway, the place they constructed their mansions, they have been the true “taking place guys”. Then instantly, round mid-October, one thing unusual occurred. One among them fell ailing. The second took him to hospital. A couple of days later, the opposite one too fell ailing. Neighbours additionally rushed him to the identical hospital. Inside one week, the 2 younger males died. No person, in keeping with the informant, may say what occurred to them. Then he concluded: “Their cash ritual don expire.” I’ve heard sufficient. I shook my head and headed again to my automotive. I overtook the 2 convoys across the College of Benin (UNIBEN), Ekenwan Campus, space. They have been solemn of their motion. I took a quick take a look at the opposite ‘mourners’ of their unique automobiles. I shook my head once more. I keep in mind the saying of our elders: “Oku nsun’kun oku…”- the useless additionally mourn the useless! How lengthy will these ones too final earlier than they are going to observe go well with? In the event that they too acquired their ‘wealth’ by means of rituals, what’s the expiry date given to them? However the largest query that troubled my thoughts as I drove to city to thoughts my very own enterprise like the standard Falana that I’m, was: Is there something like money-ritual – oogun owo?
I had an uncle, who died in 1993. His title is Orilonise (your future does all for you). Ori in Yoruba means head. But when one goes deeper, its precise interpretation is Ayanmo. In additional Yoruba semantics, Ori may imply Ipin. Ipin, merely means one’s portion or lot. So, when used interchangeably, Ori or Ipin, means future. Within the African perception system, future is believed to predate man’s sojourn right here on earth. No matter a person turns into, we imagine has to do with the portion allotted to him by the Almighty. Once you hear the Yoruba title for the Almighty as Orunmila, what it merely means is that solely Heaven is aware of who will probably be wealthy (Orun-lo-mo-eni-to-ma-la). Yemi Elebuibon, the well-known Ifa priest says of Ori in his “The Therapeutic Energy of Sacrifice” (2014) that: “Future is believed to have very robust imprints on the kind of life one lives. Therefore the saying: A kunle, a yan Ipin. A dele aye tan oju yan ni (We select our future on bended knees. However arrive on earth to start out struggling). This merely implies that a lot of the issues with which man has to wrestle have been pre-destined…. In Yoruba language use, a person could also be known as Oloriire or Oloriburuku (a lucky and unlucky man, respectively), relying on the accomplishments and failures of the person individual involved. Nevertheless, the kind of head chosen doesn’t preclude hard-work, good character, sacrifice and prayers. These components are to be current to help everybody to realize the lot apportioned to him” (Web page 42-43). If we settle for the quoted Ifa priest’s place on future, it then implies that one can help one’s future to realize that which has been pre-destined by the Cosmic. Then how does one obtain that? Via ritual or sacrifice, or outright allure – oogun?
I do know that individuals get rich by means of ritual or oogun. There have been circumstances of such money-rituals after we have been rising up. But it surely all ended up very badly. We knew concerning the harvest-propelling allure by farmers, identified within the native parlance as Ako. Ako are in two kinds. The primary is deadlier; an epitome of wickedness in its bare type. It includes a person killing others (relations, neighbours or simply every other man) by metaphysical means. The useless victims afterwards reworked to bodily beings, who’re commanded to work on the farmlands of the ritualist. What this does for the ritualist is that his farms change into bigger, extra productive than most of his contemporaries, regardless that he places little or no effort. A big farm would finally translate to a big harvest and more cash. The second diploma of Ako is when two farmers share farm boundaries. For the ritualist, whereas his personal farm produces, let’s say, yam tubers, would, on harvest, end up greater and more healthy, those from his neighbour’s farm, depressing. The previous achieves this by merely transferring his neighbour’s yam seedlings to his personal (ritualist’s) farm. Such esoteric behaviour comes with grave repercussions.
The opposite degree is known as Aworo. That is used primarily by merchants. Aworo merely means customer-pulling allure. For the consumer, irrespective of the place his enterprise is situated, prospects should come on the lookout for him. If anybody is unlucky to share the identical market retailer with the ritualist, whereas the Aworo ritualist would proceed to promote and replenish his inventory, the ope (naïve) dealer would solely be opening his or her store as mere ‘ritual’ as she or he will get little or no patronage. The dual brother of Aworo is Awure – fortune-attracting allure. That is widespread amongst company employees or authorities officers, who do such to achieve favour from their bosses, or to draw some perks to themselves. For somebody utilizing Awure, he could be promoted to increased duty above his superiors. It simply occurs and nobody would have the ability to clarify it. Like each different ritual, Awure could be optimistic or adverse. There are situations too the place somebody utilizing the allure is skipped when fortune is being shared. I heard a few highly regarded politician, who was very near one of many ex-governors within the South-West states. There was a selected yr the governor determined to purchase Sports activities Utility Automobiles (SUVs) for all of the political leaders within the state. In a coincidence, the governor was stated to have given the autos to all different political leaders besides that specific man, his Man Friday. When the eye of the governor was finally drawn to the omission, the governor was quoted to have stated: “Ha! Baba, awure ti po ju – ha, Baba, an excessive amount of fortune-attracting allure! The Web, lately, is awash with movies of younger girls and boys concerned in money-making rituals. Some are seen taking their tub in public all within the title of sacrifices to change into wealthy. Do sacrifices result in wealth?
I return to Elebuibon to reply this poser. Within the second chapter of the quoted e book above, with the title “The Significance of Sacrifice: The Battle Between Sacrifice (Ebo) and Drugs (Oogun), the Ifa priest says: “A small sacrifice. Slightly drugs. Whereas the drugs is for troubled days The sacrifice is for on a regular basis” (web page 78). My little information of this situation would permit me to make a distinction between sacrifice (Ebo), which is at all times prescribed by a Babalawo (Diviner), and ritual (Etutu), which, most frequently than not are prescribed by an Adahunse (sorcerer), for his or her purchasers. I’ve learn Professor Wande Abimbola’s “Ijinle Ohun Enu Ifa” (Elements 1 and a pair of), a few instances. I additionally glanced by means of his “Awon Oju Odu Merindilogun”, twice or extra. I’ve equally studied Elebuibon’s “Ifa Eleri Ipin” and Abosede Emmanuel’s English Translation of E. M. Lijadu’s “Ifa (as Literature) Nipa”. In my childhood, I watched, with eager pursuits, lots of of uncooked divinations, I’ve by no means come throughout the place a Babalawo engages in money-ritual- making divination. The one one shut, which house wouldn’t permit me to relay right here, is that of an historical Olowo (king of Owo). Even at that, the sacrifice prescribed by Ifa for the traditional Olowo to make even in life is such that solely a hard-working particular person would have the ability to perform! Arduous work, diligence and perseverance are the substances of wealth as demonstrated by our forebears. So, from the place do these younger people get their thought of Yahoo Plus or Yahoo Rituals? Positively not from a Babalawo to gbo Ifa lotu Ife – A Babalawo who understands Ifa the way in which of previous! The one attainable approach the boys on the town get this sudden wealth is from sorcerers (Adahunse). Within the rating of spiritualists in my a part of the world, Adahunse occupies the bottom degree of the ladder. Not even Oloogun (Drugs man), who’s senior to an Adahunse, can rival an Onisegun (Herbalist – those that treatment by means of the herbs), who can be a youthful brother of a Babalawo.
For so long as we’ve got many Adahunse roving round as Babalawo, we’d proceed to have a individuals with sudden wealth. And the result’s that we’d proceed to have younger girls and boys going to their graves of their primes. Even when one goes for rituals or sacrifices to hasten one’s future, the injunction of Elebuibon, to wit: “…Nevertheless, the kind of head chosen doesn’t preclude hard-work, good character, sacrifice and prayers…”, should come to play. We’re about to go to a brand new yr. Dad and mom and guardians have extra necessary roles to play in molding, and re-shaping the lives of their kids and wards. I nonetheless don’t get it how a father would re-park his personal automotive in his personal compound to accommodate the automotive of his year-three undergraduate son! I can’t place the place the mother and father who supervise constructing initiatives of their secondary school-drop-out-20-year-old kids place their morals. So long as we’ve got Yahoo Boys Moms’ Affiliation protesting the arrest of their kids by the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), we are going to proceed to have mother and father witnessing the funerals of their kids of their prime. Could that not be our portion within the new yr. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE