Let’s clean the Yoruba race together – Oluwo urges YCE

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has called on the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) to support efforts to free the Yoruba race from mental slavery and reform traditional institutions by separating religion from culture and traditions.

Speaking while receiving a delegation of YCE in his palace, Oba Akanbi said, “I’m a cleaner. As a cleaner, you have to clean your house. I’m ready to work with you to clean the Yoruba race. Yorubas are great people with excellent culture. I want the leadership of YCE to deliberate on my monarchical teachings, especially the freedom of Yoruba sons and daughters from mental slavery and the upgrade of Yoruba culture by separating religion from culture and traditions.”

Oba Akanbi reiterated his commitment to protecting the Yoruba race from harmful traditional practices, including deity worship by kings, land grabbing and traditional lording.

He said since his enthronement as the Oluwo of Iwoland, he has not sold a single plot of land.

“I call on Yoruba traditional rulers to re-engineer the spirit of love to entrench the institution as a fatherly position and not the usual fear tactics introduced to the throne by certain religions,” Oba Akanbi stated.

The monarch urged the council to caution monarchs ascribing the etymology of other tribes to the Yorubas and called for a withdrawal of such statements.

Earlier, the YCE President, Chief Ajibade Oyekan, said the visit was to promote Yoruba traditional unity and discuss means of checkmating the disproportionate losing of Yoruba land to strangers.

Oyekan, visibly impressed by the monarch’s openness, said, “”We want other traditional rulers to also be dynamic, to be open to change. Not a crazy change but a good change. There were many things our father did in the past; no more of such. We want our monarchs to hold our culture and ensure they are dynamic to meet up with modern reality and promote tourism. It’s only when we upgrade that it can be attracted to and accepted by modern blood.”