Osun govt warns Oluwo over alleged ‘inflammatory’ remarks, fears religious, communal conflicts

The Osun State Government has cautioned the Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed Akanbi, over what it described as inflammatory public statements capable of triggering religious and inter-town conflicts.

In a letter dated November but with no particular day stated and addressed to the monarch, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs warned that his alleged conduct could undermine communal peace and peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths.

The letter, signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Wale Alli­yu, said the government had observed with “worries and anxieties” recent inflammatory statements and pronouncements attributed to the monarch.

“The persistence of such crisis-inciting activities and likely disruptive conduct against peaceful interfaith cohabitation has reached a level this administration can no longer ignore,” the letter partly read..

The government reminded the Oluwo, a high-raniking traditional ruling in the state, that the Nigerian constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of religious association, adding that traditional rulers were expected to respect the rights of their subjects.

“You cannot and you must not conduct yourself in any way that can foment religious crisis through serial attacks on people of other faiths,” the letter warned.

It also cautioned the monarch against using his traditional position to promote religious conflict or undermine the cultural values and traditions of the people he governs.

It noted that pursuing a reform with potential to create community violence and conflict is a development its administration will not tolerate.

“Your activities are raising communal tension, sowing seeds of communal and religious discord and increasingly discrediting the traditional values of your people and Yoruba Society of which your domain is a major part of,” it stated.

The government, therefore, outlined six directives to the monarch, including an instruction to stop any further attacks on people of other faiths and refrain from making statements or engaging in conduct that could provoke confrontation with other traditional rulers.

It also urged him to preserve the culture and traditions represented by his throne and conduct himself in accordance with the norms and regulations stipulated in the state’s chieftaincy laws and resolutions of the State Council of Obas.

The ministry said it would monitor the monarch’s compliance with the directives, while the State Council of Obas was also directed to “watch and act on recent developments within Iwo land.”

The Oluwo’s spokesperson, Alli Ibrahim, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES via a phone call on Thursday that the monarch had received the government’s letter.

Mr Ibrahim said the Oluwo would “respond to that appropriately.”

Oluwo’s controversial views

The letter, however, did not identify the specific public statements or incidents that prompted the government’s warning.

Over the past years, the traditional ruler has repeatedly criticised Yoruba traditional religious practices and other monarchs who retain traditional deities in their palaces.

His controversial stance has pitted him against devotees of traditional religious practices.

He has maintained that those traditional religious practices were not part of true Yoruba culture and traditions.

In late July, the Oluwo reportedly declared that palaces without idols were greater than mosques, churches and shrines.

“Palaces, most especially Yoruba palaces without idols, are greater than Mosque, Church and Shrine.”

He also described kings who promote idols in their palaces as ignorant of their position and urged traditional rulers to remove deities from their palaces and relocate them to shrines or museums.

“It is sad that most Yoruba kings are ignorant of their position.”

On 1 July, the monarch also described traditional rites for newly installed monarchs as a route to idolatry. He described the practices as avenues through which new monarchs could be drawn into idolatry.

On October 10, the mornach also dismissed the significance of ancient Yoruba crowns. In a video shared on his Facebook page, the monarch challenged the cultural significance attached to ancient Yoruba crowns.

“Don’t be deceived, there is nothing like ancient crown. Once a king dies, his children will pack all the crowns he left behind.”

He further argued that a new monarch should make his own crown rather than retain the crown of his predecessor.