MICHAEL AKINOLA
Indigenes and residents of Ijegun Egun Egba community in the Oriade Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, have appeased the town’s Ogun Ajobo shrine with high expectation that the town will have its own monarch after hundreds of years.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the indigenes also called on the State Government to prevail on the Local Government authority in the area to desist from interfering in their rights to worship.
The residents alleged that the chairperson of Oriade Local Government, Hon Ramota Akinola- Hassan, in her bid to stop them from appeasing the gods, wrote petitions to law enforcement agencies to prevent them from appeasing the town’s deity.
They stated that President Bola Tinubu approved a monarch for the town when he was the Governor of the state but the town never had any as the approved monarch was not crowned till his death.
Indigenes of the town, while speaking with newsmen during the Ogun Ajobo Festival, expressed their strong belief that the festival will herald the crowning of a monarch in the Awori community.
One of the leaders in the town, Prince Raji Haruna, said “It is the biggest celebration amongst residents of this community. It is our heritage! Our Ogun Ajobo has been our saviour for over five hundred years”.
He added, “Our forefathers have been appeasing it for over 500 years. With this appeasement, we expect peace and progress in ijegun Egba, Lagos State and Nigeria”.
On their aspiration of the time for the next celebration, Haruna said “We want foreign investors to celebrate with us next year”
A 90-year old woman, Musilimotu Raji, popularly known as Mama Shoba, also said, “Our forefathers have been celebrating it every year. It is premordial; it belongs to Aina Jagun Aturu, the progenitor of this town”.
She added, “After every appeasement, we enjoyed progress, good health and development. Ogun used to be our health centres. Traditional worshippers used it in the past for pregnant women to ensure safe delivery”.
Mama Shoba also said that strangers from all parts of the country also visited Ijegun Egba to appease Ogun Ajobo.
“We have allowed non indigenes to also appease it in the past” she said.
On what she wants from the Ogun Ajobo Festival this year, she said “We want a king in Ijegun Egba. We want to have our own monarch after all these years”.
“I heard that they were stopping us from worshipping the gods of our forebears. They should not destroy the heritage of our forefathers. Ogun Ajobo is not politics! They should allow my people to worship the gods of their roots.”
A centenarian, 120-year old Alaba Moliki said, “I am from the neighboring town, Ibasa, but I am married to them in Ijegun Egba. I know how valuable Ogun Ajobo has been to them. This Ogun is our heritage. My father is from Ibasa. He has his Ogun. We eat dog over there but here they don’t eat the dog”.
She also expressed her strong belief that, “It (Ogun Ajobo) will help to have them crown an Oba in Ijegun Egba. If not for my weakness, I would have done wonders during this celebration”.