I believe most of our people have not read Sections 55, 56 and 57 of the Obas, Chiefs and Traditional Council Law of Ogun State.
No where did the law take away the observance of traditional and cultural installation and burial rites of an Oba or Chief. No.
In fact SECTION 55 (iii) states: “Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, it SHALL be the responsibility of the RELEVANT TRADITIONAL COUNCIL to determine the CUSTOMARY LAW and the NATURE OF TRADITIONAL BURIAL RITES.”.
SECTION 55 (ii) states: “A traditional ruler SHALL be entitled to be buried in accordance with the CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS OF THE LAND, save however, that HIS BODY SHALL NOT BE SUBJECTED TO ANY MUTILATION OR CANNIBALISATION”.
SECTION 55 (iv) states: “The determination endorsed by those referred to in (iii) above SHALL be made by a DECLARATION TO BE REGISTERED within 21 days of its so been made or any amendments thereof”.
SECTION 55 (v) states: “The RECEIPT OF THE DECLARATION by the Commissioner shall be deemed to be SUFFICIENT PROOF OF THE REGISTRATION”.
SECTION 56 (i) states: “From the commencement of this law, human ritual as part of installation and burial rites of an Oba or Chief is hereby prohibited”.
So, what section of this law exactly is anyone against? I can see that the government and even our Obas and Chiefs have either not enlightened our people about what exactly this law is about.
There should be more information dissemination about it.
Moreso, I have seen that most commentators have not read the law at all.
We are all just talking like in a market place. We are not talking from a position of what exactly the law is about.
So, what exactly is the law about ?
1. The law tacitly acknowledged that there’s mutilation, cannibalisation and human ritual involved in the installation and burial rites of our Obas and Chiefs. That, the law has prohibited.
2. The law in Section 55 (i) states expressly that it’s a crime for anybody to disturb an Oba or Chiefs family in the burial rites of their Patriarch but
SECTION 55 (ii) and (iii) also makes the right of the Traditional Council sacrosanct in burying the corpse of an Oba or Chief, provided no mutilation, cannibalisation or human ritual is involved.
In short, I will assert that the law has not taken away the traditional rites of Ipebi in the installation of an Oba or Chief and neither has it taken away traditional or customary burial rites.
What has unequivocally been taken away by the law is the involvement of human rituals in these traditional rites of Obas and Chiefs installation and burial rites.
So, coming to the issue of the moment that started the controversy, the question we need to ask the Traditional Council of Ijebu Ode is whether they have registered the customary law and traditional burial rites of an Awujale with the relevant Commissioner in Ogun State before the burial of Late Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba Agbaotewole? Have they?
If they have, then I don’t believe the Kabiyesi would have been buried strictly on Islamic rites.
I will advise other Traditional Councils in communities with Obas in Ogun State to follow up with the law by formulating such customary declarations and register them within 21 days of doing the same with the relevant Commissioner.
For me, I can’t see anything that has been taken away from our tradition except mutilation, cannibalisation or human ritual wherever it exists in our tradition and culture of the installation and burial rites of Obas and Chiefs, except there’s another version of the Obas and Chiefs Traditional Council Laws of Ogun State that I am yet to come about.
©️Femi Oniyide Esq
