by Gbenga Oloniniran
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has bemoaned the use of human parts for money rituals, saying such it was strange to the Yoruba culture and traditions.
Speaking on Monday at the 2022 edition of Wealth Festival (Odun Aje), which was held at the Powerline Praying Ground in Orile Agege, Lagos State, he stated that he had in recent times, monitored the various stories of ritual abuse and money-making across the South-West.
Adams noted that there was an urgent need to speak up against the barbaric act.
“It is sad though that our society has lost its core values. What we see today is a complete departure from the original practice and ethos of the Yoruba race.
“As the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, it is time for me to speak up and express my displeasure at the ugly narratives that have turned Yorubaland into an abattoir, where human parts usually littered the entire community.
“Things cannot continue like this. We are at the centre of all these and we must speak against this ugly trend. All our royal fathers in Yoruba land should speak up,” he said.
Educating the Nigerian youths on staying away from this ugly trend, Adams said, “We will need to educate the youths of these days about the core values of hard work and reward. We will need to educate them that it is inhumane to kill human beings for ritual purposes.
“We will need to educate them about the dignity of labour and the essence of preserving their names and that of their parents. We will need to educate them about the sanctity of our culture and traditions. We will need to teach them how to respect the elderly. We must teach them about morality and the need to stay away from acts that could render them useless in the future.
“The society has lost the battle to instill morality in the minds of the youths. And as I have said earlier, it is quite unfortunate that social media has done a lot in killing all the values and teachings that could enhance societal values and behaviours.
“Therefore, it is our duties as leaders to preach the gospel of truth. The law enforcement agencies also have to play their statutory roles in enforcing the laws. We must not shy away from our roles and responsibilities to curb this societal menace.
“For instance, in the spiritual realm, wealth is one of the most powerful deities. It is in control of everything good or bad. This is one of the reasons for celebrating the Wealth Festival (Odun Aje).
“So, as we celebrate the festival today, we are also advancing the cause of promoting our cultural identity. We are aligning with the spirit of wealth and at the same time seeking abundant blessings and wealth from the spiritual realm,” Adams added.
“In a society where we seek progress, there’s a need for us to retrace our steps and work towards correcting the societal ills.
“Yorubas are a blessed race. We have everything working for us as a race. But until we address the issues collectively, we will live to regret the sad reality of our failed society,” he stated.
Money ritual strange to Yoruba culture – Gani Adams
