Preserving Traditional Religious Practices Key to Maintaining Yoruba Identity, says Adams

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and Founder of the Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF), Iba Gani Adams, has described Ifa as more than a system of divination, saying it represented the spiritual wisdom and religious heritage of the Yoruba people.

Adams said this while speaking at the 2026 Ifa Festival organised by the OFF in conjunction with the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) at Ogunlowo, Alagbole, Ogun State.

The gathering attracted traditional rulers, OPC members from Nigeria and abroad, youths, women leaders, cultural enthusiasts and members of the host community, and also featured traditional rites and a display centred on Ifa heritage.

The Yoruba generalissimo said the annual festival provided an opportunity for Yoruba people to reconnect with their cultural and spiritual heritage while passing traditional knowledge to younger generations.

On the significance of the Ifa Festival, Adams said the celebration was not merely a cultural gathering but also an occasion dedicated to Orunmila, whom he described as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge within Yoruba spiritual tradition.

He said the festival offered an opportunity to reflect on the history, teachings and values associated with Ifa and encouraged the preservation of traditional knowledge for future generations.

“Ifa is more than a divination system; it is the spiritual wisdom and religion of the Yoruba people, embodying the teachings of Orunmila,” he said and further explained that the Ifa literary corpus is traditionally associated with 256 Odù, with the 16 principal Odù forming its foundational structure.

According to him, Ifa has historically served as a means through which practitioners seek spiritual counsel and insight into issues affecting their lives.

The Yoruba generalissimo said the continued observance of Ifa festivals was important to maintaining a connection between contemporary Yoruba society and its ancestral heritage.

The Aare Ona Kakanfo also used the occasion to call for greater understanding and religious tolerance in discussions about indigenous African religions.

Iba Adams rejected the characterisation of Ifa as diabolical, arguing that it should instead be understood within the cultural and religious context of the Yoruba people.

Adams, while comparing the practice of seeking spiritual guidance through Ifa with forms of spiritual consultation found in other religious traditions around the world, cited Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism as examples of religious traditions in which adherents seek spiritual guidance and counsel.

He therefore appealed to adherents of different faiths to respect one another’s religious beliefs and practices, noting that there is a clear distinction between culture, tradition and religion.

“There is a clear distinction between culture, tradition and religion. I appeal to religious leaders to refrain from disparaging our traditional beliefs,” he said.

Adams added that Christianity, Islam and indigenous African religions could coexist peacefully, stressing the importance of religious tolerance in a diverse society.

The cultural advocate also called for greater efforts to preserve traditional religious practices in Yorubaland, describing them as an important part of the region’s cultural identity.

Speaking further, Iba Adams said Yoruba traditional religion contains historical values, communal practices and moral teachings that had contributed to the development of Yoruba society.

According to him, preserving indigenous traditions would help younger generations maintain a connection with their cultural roots while contributing to Nigeria’s cultural diversity and, therefore, urged governments, traditional institutions and members of the public to support initiatives aimed at preserving indigenous cultural and religious heritage.

The Yoruba generalissimo also highlighted the recognition of Isese Day as an important development in efforts to promote Yoruba cultural heritage, saying the celebration provides an opportunity for Yoruba people to come together in cultural expression and communal solidarity.

He described the Ifa Festival and Isese Day celebrations as platforms capable of strengthening cultural identity and bringing together Yoruba people from different parts of Nigeria and the diaspora.

Iba Adams expressed appreciation to traditional rulers and other guests who attended the occasion, particularly the Alagboole of Alagboole Land, Oba Mutiu Shittu, and the Alakute of Akute Land, Oba Idowu Akindele.

Adams also congratulated participants who had completed the three-day rites in Igbodu, offering prayers for their wellbeing and continued guidance.

According to him, the Olokun Festival Foundation and the OPC have, over the years, used cultural activities to promote Yoruba heritage and create greater awareness of Yoruba traditions among people at home and in the diaspora.

He said despite the financial and other challenges associated with sustaining cultural programmes, the Foundation remained committed to promoting Yoruba culture.

Adams, in his concluding remarks, urged Yoruba people to cherish and preserve their cultural heritage, warning that neglect of culture and tradition could weaken a people’s sense of identity.

He also referenced UNESCO’s recognition of Ifa divination as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, describing the recognition as an indication of the wider cultural significance attached to the Ifa tradition.

He reiterated his call for religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence among adherents of different faiths.

“Without spiritual guidance, one walks blindly through life,” he said, urging participants to approach their cultural heritage with a sense of responsibility and commitment to its preservation.

Also speaking at the event, the Ogun State Central Senatorial Coordinator and Akute-Isheri Coordinator of the OPC, Chief Sulaimon Tijani, described Ifa as a traditional means of seeking guidance concerning an individual’s destiny and life choices.

Tijani said that the practice had continued to attract people seeking spiritual counsel and expressed appreciation to Adams for promoting Yoruba cultural heritage.

He said the festival had helped participants gain a better understanding of the traditional practice and its place in Yoruba society.

In his lecture at the event, the President of the International Council for Ifa Religion, Chief Ifayemi Ifatunde, said that Ifa does not fail, arguing that mistakes and failures associated with consultations often resulted from human beings who interpreted or acted on its messages.

Ifatunde, who was the guest speaker at the 2026 Ifa Festival, spoke on the topic, “Ifa Never Fails, Human Beings Do.”

He described Ifa as one of the most important spiritual institutions in Yorubaland, saying its influence cuts across various aspects of Yoruba life.

According to him, Ifa is associated with religion, knowledge, traditional medicine and other areas of human existence, while also providing a channel through which people seek spiritual guidance.

“If you look at the nature of Ifa, it is infallible. It is the wisdom of Eledumare (God) through Orunmila and it will never mislead anyone. It always provides solutions to problems,” he said.

The guest speaker said some people who questioned the efficacy of Ifa might have done so because of disappointments arising from information or interpretations given to them by individual practitioners.

Ifatunde, however, maintained that such experiences should not necessarily be attributed to Ifa itself, stressing that human interpretation could affect the outcome of a consultation.

He said Ifa was believed to provide insight into circumstances that might not be immediately visible and could warn people about potential difficulties.

“Ifa provides revelation to hidden circumstances. It knows tomorrow from today. Ifa warns people against impending evils. That is why in many Ifa praises, they say we should make sacrifice because of evil occurrences,” he said.

According to him, a warning about a potential problem is often accompanied by guidance on how the situation could be addressed, adding: “When Ifa tells you about impending doom, it also tells people about the solution to the problem that is coming.”

Speaking further, the Ifa scholar also said the tradition teaches ethical conduct and discourages people from deceiving or misleading others, noting that Ifa had historically been used as a source of guidance by Yoruba ancestors and was traditionally associated with understanding an individual’s destiny and responsibilities in life.

Addressing the issue of destiny, Ifatunde said people should understand that individuals have different paths in life and should not expect identical outcomes.

“People are always in a hurry about doing good when they get into the world, but people have different destinies when they get into the world.

“Ifa says it is not everyone that would become big when they come into the world,” he said.

He explained that, within the traditional Ifa worldview, some people may encounter greater challenges before achieving their goals, while others may experience fewer obstacles.

Ifatunde likened the role of prescribed sacrifices in traditional practice to medical treatment, saying that ignoring recommended steps could affect the desired outcome.

He said some individuals could experience setbacks when they failed to follow guidance they had received, just as a patient might fail to recover if prescribed treatment was not followed.

He, however, cautioned that some practitioners could misrepresent or distort what Ifa supposedly communicated during consultations, stressing that such conduct could create problems for those seeking guidance.

He therefore urged people to act responsibly, maintain good conduct and avoid practices that could negatively affect others.

According to him, Ifa provides guidance rather than forcing people to act in a particular way.

“Ifa does not fail. The deity can only point people to what they should do so that they would not fail,” Ifatunde said.