This was made by the Araba Awo of Oke Agbe, Ayobami Ogedengbe, while speaking at the celebration of Isese Day, a celebration of Yoruba cultural and spiritual heritage on Tuesday.
Traditionalists have stated that the use of traditional oaths for public officeholders would curb corruption and ensure integrity within the political system.
This was made by the Araba Awo of Oke Agbe, Ayobami Ogedengbe, while speaking at the celebration of Isese Day, a celebration of Yoruba cultural and spiritual heritage on Tuesday.
He noted that political officeholders traditionally taking oaths would go a long way to add another dimension to the country’s political space.
Ogedengbe said the system would help restore sanity in governance, saying an average Nigerian or Yoruba man understood the implications and consequences of what would follow if he went against the oath he took before getting into office.
He also sought recognition for the practices, including the establishment of a national holiday for Isese Day and the inclusion of African traditional religious studies in school curricula, according to PUNCH.
He said, “The system that we currently run in Nigeria has loopholes for one who is challenged as far as integrity is concerned.
“Our people know and understand that the gods uphold integrity and no Yoruba person will go against his or her oath before the gods.
“This will restore sanity to our system because an average African, average Yoruba man is scared of the consequences that will follow if you swear with Ogun (god of thunder) or any of the traditional means.
“They dare not swear to what they don’t believe in and swearing using the traditional means adds to the potency of African traditional religion and some of the mechanisms used as vehicles for the practice.
“The usual means of oath-taking with Bible in the Christian way and Quran in the Islamic way had failed to bring the best out of our leaders.”
State governments in Yoruba-speaking states of Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Oyo declared August 20 as a work-free day, to celebrate the Isese Day, in line with the declaration by the United Nations, which set aside August 20 of each year as World Traditional Religion Day.
Some newly appointed supervisors and advisers in Ikere-Ekiti Local Government Area of Ekiti State had in May, 2024 sworn by Ogun (god of thunder) and either the Holy Quran or the Holy Bible at the inauguration.
The Chairman of Ikere-Ekiti Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Olu Adamolekun, in a video was seen administering the oath of office on the new appointees using a cutlass and either a Bible or Quran.
The appointees are seen taking turns wielding a cutlass (a totem believed to be for the god of iron) in one hand and either Quran or Bible in the other, at the Conference Hall of the office of the LGA chairman Olu Adamolekun on May 2.
Adamolekun, while administering the oath of office, asked the appointees to repeat his words after him in Yoruba.
He said, “From today, I will be loyal and truthful to BAO (Ekiti State Governor) and Monisade (Deputy Governor), APC (All Progressives Congress) and its leaders.”
“I will take instructions from the leaders and If I refuse to do so, Ogun or the Quran should kill me. For this, I will be truthful,” he added.
The appointees repeated after him one after the other.
The LG chairman congratulated the appointees and urged them to see their appointment as a call to service.