The Olowu of Kuta Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oba Makama Oyelude, has enjoined journalists to stop promoting the views of any traditional ruler, who does not believe in the Yoruba cultures and traditions.
Oba Oyelude said this while responding to a question on the rationale behind the eroding Yoruba culture on Friday when he was featured at the breakfast meeting of the South West Group of Online Publishers (SWEGOP), held at Development Support Centre, Iyaganku Quarters, Ibadan.
The first-class Oba, who described the major responsibility of a Yoruba traditional ruler as to maintain the Yoruba culture and tradition lamented that “One of my colleagues, a traditional ruler would just stand up and say he doesn’t believe in the Yoruba culture and traduction, and journalists would give him a platform to hear such a view. No traditional ruler was installed in a mosque in the Yorubaland. We are traditional rulers, not religious leaders. Up North, from Kwara State, they are not traditional rulers, but religious leaders. They were installed with Islamic tenets as Emirs. Nobody is an Emir in both the Yorubaland and the Igboland.
The letter of appointment given to any Yoruba traditional ruler by the government to ratify his instalment as an Oba states that ‘they are hereby appointed as the oba of their town to maintain culture and tradition.’ That is what is in the Chieftaincy Law. That is our duty. That is what we are meant to protect for the upcoming generations.
“Any king who says tradition is an abomination, watch him very well, he’s a misfit,” Oba Oyelude said.
The Osun monarch, however, urged the government to develop a policy, including financing, that would adequately strengthen traditional institutions in Nigeria
Oba Oyelude, who was against the conferment of frivolous chieftaincy titles, also noted that as an embodiment of royalty, traditional rulers should not engage in activities that would jeopardise the revered institution.
“Gone are the days when conferment of chieftaincy is to the most patriotic and loyal subjects of traditional rulers.
“Traditional institution should be properly strengthened adequately and financially. Fingers are not equal, things are not the same, the way our forefathers do it, is no longer the way we are doing it now.
“You know the Bible has two versions-the old and new testaments. In this generation, things have gone so wrong. You must be above board to maintain the standard, all these are taught in the seclusion where we called ‘Ipebi’; we were taught all these,” the monarch submitted.
