OPINION: Traditionalists’ Blockade From Awujale’s Burial; An Elevated Xenocentrism, Blended With Mediocrity

I have long believed that the retrogressive attitude of many Yoruba traditional rulers is rooted in inferiority complex, one deeply ingrained in the African subconscious by the destructive legacy of colonial cultural imperialism. But I now see that I have not been entirely correct. These rulers, like Judas, deliberately hide under legal technicalities and political cover to evade the spiritually oriented and incorruptible justice system of tradition.

Nothing could be more disdainful, intimidating, and malicious than seeing a paramount Yoruba ruler of the pedigree of the Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, buried without the final traditional rites, as traditionalists were barred from performing their roles.

This was in strict compliance with the Ogun State “Obas and Chiefs Law, 2021,” which Oba Adetona himself championed. Section 55 of this law allows a traditional ruler to be buried strictly according to his personal religious beliefs, granting his family the right to exclude traditional rites altogether.

Such a move is not only hypocritical but also retrogressive. How can one enjoy all the benefits of being an Oba—the honour, economic privileges, and reverence—yet discard the very tradition that institutionalized the stool in the first place?

This opinion is not an attack on any religion. Rather, it is a sincere expression of grievances over the gross de-marketing and attempted extinction of Yoruba culture by those who are supposed to preserve it.

Never in the history of Mecca has a Sharif of Mecca been buried according to Christian rites. Never has a Pope of the Roman Catholic Church been buried under Islamic customs. Yet, in Yorubaland, we continue to witness traditional rulers of revered stools buried according to imported religious practices.

This systemic decimation of tradition is not accidental; it is a deliberate attempt to evade the spiritual consequences of corruption and maladministration. And it is no coincidence that more Yoruba traditional rulers are being disgraced—arrested for fraud, caught rolling marijuana in their palaces, oppressing their subjects, grabbing land, or acting as political puppets.

Logically, if a person does not believe in Islam, he would never become an Imam. It would be unthinkable to bury an Imam according to traditional rites, whether by his wishes or his family’s. Why then is it legalized for a king enthroned through the institution of tradition to discard that same tradition while enjoying its benefits? Is that not unfair to the traditional religion itself?

I am not oblivious to the political manipulation behind this decay. Politicians now hijack the Obaship selection process, imposing their loyalists as kings to advance selfish interests.

While everyone has the right to choose their faith, integrity and conviction must come first. If you detest traditional religion and its practices, steer clear of an institution that exists because of that tradition. Respect is owed to the very culture that gives you a throne.

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