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Religion vs Tradition: Christian Oba faces dethronement after praying at a shrine with the Holy Bible
By Adekunle Badmus
Oba Abiodun Aderemi Adefehinti, the Alara of Ilara-Mokin Kingdom in Ondo State is facing a serious dethronement threat after the monarch decided to pray at the city’s sacred shrine with the Holy Bible.
The King is facing serious criticism and removal threat after he prayed in Jesus name rather than mentioning the name of their gods during the last Ijesu Festival held last Sunday 30th August, 2020.
According information, Oba Aderemi has been ruling the kingdom for about 15 years and his major problem with his subjects has been mixing religion with Tradition.
It was reported that, the people of Ilara have endured the hybernating level of their spirituality and relationship with their deities since the reign of Oba Aderemi but, the level he took it to this year and his his Olori even holding a Church bell in her hands to the city’s shrine during the New Yam festival was unacceptable.
A Nollywood actress, Alhaja Anike Alajogun, who is from the town in Ondo State also voiced her mind on the controversy rocking her hometown.
According to her, “Ijesu Festival is one of the Festivals we cherish alot in Ilara-Mokin. This is a festival that you will see every child of the soil returning from abroad to celebrate not until when the present king was installed and gradually changing the history. I personally go against the way the Alara of Ilara-Mokin kingdom is mixing up tradition with religion, praying with Bible and in Jesus name during the festival.”
Speaking further, Anike said,
“Since the beginning of his tenure, he’s been a stubborn king who doesn’t listen to his people.
He initially want to condemn the tradition but “Alale ko gba fun” (the ancestors didn’t allow him).
At every Ijesu festival, he will go to the place we call OKO IDASU, where all the previous Kings do go to perform their rituals and prayers, but rather than him doing the same, he will go there with his Bible and the wife will carry Church Bells and Tambourine to pray in Jesus name.
It’s absolutely wrong, it is time for all this rubbish to stop in our land.”
According to Anike, Alara’s style of leadership and approach to the deities has brought backwardness into the land.
“Since the time this King started complicating things, Ilara-Mokin has not been united, things turn upside down
no progress. The elders and the chiefs in the town are doing nothing about it because they are hypocrites.
“If Oba Abiodun can not comply with the Isese, he should leave the seat for those who are ready to do it according to Isese. It is not by force that he should die on the throne. Nobody forced him to be a King.
“The last Ijesu festival was held last Sunday. It is an annual festival that holds every year after new Yam arrived”, Alhaja Anike said.
Ilara-Mokin land is a town in the central part of Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State.
