JONATHAN DUPED BY OSUN OBAS?
Ijesha High Chief, counters Osun Obas over walking stick blessing; says act symbolizes nothing
A major chief in Ijeshaland in Osun State on Sunday described as meaningless and of no symbolic value the pointing of walking sticks at President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday at the palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade.
This was just as controversies and mixed interpretations have greeted Saturday’s symbolic endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by traditional rulers in Osun State.
We reliably gathered that the Awise of Ijeshaland is a high ranking traditional chief under the Owa of Ijeshaland, Oba Aromolaran. Oba Aromolaran was also present at the meeting with Jonathan.
While some have described the symbolic pointing of the royal fathers’ walking sticks at the President as a bad omen, others have said the act is a double-edged sword that could be either curse or blessing.
A tradition ruler from the state who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity on Sunday said he and a few other traditional rulers did not attend the meeting for which they were invited by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade to honour President Jonathan.
The monarch, who said his role as a royal father prevents him from dabbling into issues of politics openly said he and some other monarchs in the state preferred to attend a more important ceremony in another part of Osun on that day adding that he did not believe in Jonathan and so could not be part of the ceremony to endorse him.
“You know the walking stick is meant to touch the grounds. Traditionally, any royal who is sincere and really wants to pray would not use his walking stick. His horsetail is the true symbol of blessing to a person.
“My mind tells me that it’s either those Obas present knew deep in their heart that they did not believe in Jonathan and so could not be using their horsetail to bless him or they deliberately set him up for bad luck.
“I must remind you that we once used that walking sticks for a governor one time in the state and that was when we knew his time was up in the state and truly his time was up and he was booted out,” the royal father said.
The irukere , the horsetail is used for both blessing and curse. If you use the tail of the horsetail, it is curse. If you use the head of the horsetail, it is blessing.
Speaking with our correspondent on the phone on Sunday, the Awise of Ijeshaland, Chief Idowu Awopetu, said the use of walking stick to pray for someone is not known to Yoruba Obas.
“The one you are referring to in which some of the Obas in Osun pointed their walking sticks at President Goodluck Jonathan has no meaning in traditional blessing. It is just a walking stick.
This walking stick is useless, baseless, with noting, no power there. As a traditionalist, we call it Opa Itile . It’s just for the kings to walk around. If its Irukere, it is used for both cursing and blessing. There are two ways to use it. If you use the bottom (tail), is is curse. If you use the head, it is blessing. Instead of them pointing their walking sticks at the President, they should have used that Irukere (horsetail). So it is useless.

Jealousy go kill some people.

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