No place for Monarchs practicing idol worship, says Oluwo of Iwoland

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has declared that monarchs who engage in idol worship are akin to herbalists and should consider stepping down from their thrones.

The monarch criticized kings who pay homage to deities, asserting that such actions undermine their status and authority.

Oba Akanbi stated this in his appreciation message to the Yoruba Muslim Community, who honored him with a grand reception ceremony at his palace on Sunday.

Emphasizing that kingship is an institution ordained by God (Olodumare) and must be protected against idolatry, he urged kings who worship idols to either reconsider their actions or quit the throne to prevent an imminent cultural revolt in Yorubaland.

The Oluwo argued that restoring a pure form of monarchy would revive the glory of Yorubaland and usher in a new era of prosperity.

He called on all true sons and daughters of Oduduwa to support efforts to preserve Yoruba culture, traditions, and the sanctity of the thrones.

Cautioning idol worshippers to stay away from Yoruba culture and traditions, he noted that Muslims and Christians do not mix their religion with Yoruba culture.

His words: “We are here today to correct the mistakes of the past and rewrite history, to challenge lies and lay a formidable foundation for truth to thrive. One of the purposes of meaningful existence is to correct past mistakes. It may take time, but truth has no duplicate. The glory of Yorubaland will shine again. We will clean the throne for the prosperity of our dear land.

“We have commenced a cultural revolt against adulterated monarchy. Kings worshipping idols are herbalists. They should quit the throne. We want to make the throne, which is the head, clean. When the head is good, the body will be sound. Deity worshipping is a religion, not culture.

“Idol worshippers should stop mixing the wrong with the right. Our culture is one of the best worldwide. Today, it has been infected and infringed upon by idolatry. The coordinated step to right the wrong is now. We will pursue it to a logical conclusion.

“Selected and interested monarchs from Southwestern states have registered their readiness. We will form an association of Yoruba monarchs who trust only in Olodumare. We want to redirect the throne to God as launched by Oduduwa, the founding father of the throne, through a coordinated cultural revolt against adulterated monarchy.

“All infractions into the Yoruba traditional institution will be checkmated and corrected. A prosperous Yorubaland will rise to be the envy of others. We will clean the institution and restore its glory,” Oba Akanbi said.

In attendance at the visit were about 40 Obas from the six western states of Nigeria, alongside leading Yoruba Islamic clerics.