Following criticism of a video showing renowned gospel singer Tope Alabi using the Yoruba traditionalists’ common greeting phrase, “Aboru aboye,” in a worship song, an Ifa-priest, Oluwo Jogbodo Orunmila, advised the award-winning singer to get a DNA test to confirm her ancestry.
Alabi and her backup singers can be heard calling themselves “ebo” in the viral video, which literally translates to “sacrifice.” They emphasise that they are “Aboru Aboye,” which means that God has accepted them as a sacrifice.
In an exclusive interview with The Punch on Monday, Orunmila, the chief priest of Iledi Imule Agba in Oyan, Odo Otin North Local Council Development Authority in Osun State, highlighted that Alabi has always been ingrained in the language of traditionalists.
He brought up the singer’s use of “Eledumare” and several other compliments that are typically reserved for Yoruba and Orunmila (the god of wisdom).
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All these statements demonstrated that Tope Alabi need ancestry DNA to prove that she is a member of the Ifa tradition, according to the priest from Ibadan. She just needs the appropriate teachers to help her get back on track because those words are trying to come out.
Ifa is ancestry. A day will come when one of the family members will, deliberately or unknowingly, exhibit the concepts of Ifa when a lineage known to practise Ifa ceases its practise.
He argued that anyone who has called Alabi an idolater is simply serving the public’s perception of him, and they are especially ignorant of the fact that Ifa only recognises people who want to be known since it values privacy.
“Identifying with Ifa is discretionary. One can either let the public know or not. Ifa does not stop you from identifying with other religions even when you are under its supervision.
While fielding questions on whether the phrase is a usual lexicon that anybody could use, Orunmila said, “It is not. It is certainly used by the Ifa initiates.
“The Ifa worshippers (Babalawo and Iyanifa) are the ones that use that to greet one another because it was a legacy passed by Orunmila. In fact, ‘Aboru Aboye’ is often accompanied by ‘ni Ile Ifa’, meaning ‘May everything including sacrifices be accepted in this Ifa household.’”
Speaking into how the phrase became a common greeting among the Ifa initiates, he narrated that Odu Ifa ‘Ogunda meji’ in Ifa corpus birthed the stories of three women; Aboru, Aboye, and Abosise who rendered special help to Orunmila.
“It was said that in a bid for Orunmila to consult Olodumare, these three women were like guardians that must be appeased to help Ile-Ife be peaceful.
“Orunmila made sacrifices to appease these women, and he had an easy passage to see Olodumare to help relieve the land of plague. Just for their power and kindness, Orunmila decided to honour them asserting that anyone who wants to see Iyanifa or Babalawo must first pay homage to Aboru, Aboye and Abosise!”
In 2013, Alabi’s association with her late prophet Elijah Ajanaku, who was reportedly buried by some cult members, sparked controversy. Many referred to one of the gospel singer’s songs that attributed praise to the God (god) of Ajanaku as occultic, while others thought that she must have been under the influence of a strange anointing.
The gospel musician was shown in a video on June 13, 2021, denouncing the well-known Christian hymn “Oniduro Mi,” which was performed by two renowned singers—Tolu Adelegan and Yinka Alaseyori—at various points in the song’s history.
Oniduro Mi simply means “my guarantor” in Yoruba. God is praised in the song as a guarantor and someone who never deserts His own.
Alabi remarked that God was more than a guarantee to her while discussing the song. She added that there had been a period when she had wished to sing the song but had been discouraged from doing so by the Holy Spirit.
