Ayodele Joseph Oritsegbubemi Oritsejafor, fondly called Papa Ayo Oritsejafor by many of his numerous admirers is the founding and Senior Pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, located in Warri, Nigeria. He became the national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on the 7 February 2005, a position he held for five years.. He was elected President of CAN, Christian Association of Nigeria. As a result of this, he became the first Pentecostal leader to hold the two positions simultaneously. He is married to Hellen Oritsejafor and they are blessed with many children in the Lord. In this interview, he speaks about the history of Itsekiri people and other topics:


what would you say is unique about the Itsekiri people of Warri kingdom?


First of all, it is very important to establish the fact that Christianity started in Nigeria in Warri kingdom. It is what the average Itsekiri man or woman knows but they don’t talk about it. One of the reasons they don’t talk about it is a lack of spirituality. The first church that was built in Nigeria was not in Abeokuta, Badagry or anywhere. It was built here in the 16th century. The ruins of it are still here.
The first Christian missionary that came here was the Roman Catholic. In fact, the first contact with a white man was here. The Itsekiri people are the first contact with the white man in Nigeria.

By the way, the second thing that many people in Itsekiri may not elaborate on is that Itsekiri is Yoruba. The Itsekiri language is a dialect of the Yoruba language. Itsekiri people migrated from Yorubaland. Some of them migrated directly from Ife. Some migrated from the riverine areas of Ijebu, and some migrated from Ondo. Some of them especially the ones that migrated from Ife, they migrated with the Ilaje. The Ilaje stopped at a point but the Itsekiri continued and they ended up here in Warri.

Now, a few of them came from Benin Kingdom. The Benin connection came from the palace. The palace connection is still Yoruba at the end of the day because the first Oba of Benin was a son of Oduduwa.
The first Olu of Warri was a first son of the Oba of Benin. That’s the Benin connection. The Itsekiri, when they moved here, they came with their Ife.
The upland Yoruba called it Ifa. We are the waterside Yoruba. Our people will call the other Yoruba, Iroke. They called the Oyo people Iroke and other Yoruba Iroke but the Yoruba called them Ara Oke. This history is very important because they are dying away. In those days, the Ife which the mainstream Yoruba will call Ifa was the god of divination. The Ife had told the Itsekiri people that a prince would come and become their king. Therefore, they stayed without a king for a very long time, in fact for many years.

They were waiting for that prince, eventually this prince who was the first son of the Oba of Benin was a grandson of Oduduwa. He was very proud so he had a lot of problems with Benin chiefs. They were going to kill him. His father who was the Oba of Benin, you know he was supposed to be the Oba of Benin after his father, but for his own protection, his father had to get him out of Benin Kingdom. He gave him about 70 chiefs.

They smuggled him out, put him in a boat and they performed all kinds of rituals. They put him in a boat then sailed to Warri. When he ended up here, remember our own people were waiting for a prince, they have been waiting for years.

When he arrived, they consulted their Ife again and the Ife says, “This is the prince”. So, that was how he became the first Olu of Warri. That was how the first Olu of Warri came about.


In those days, in the palace, in Warri kingdom, they used to speak Yoruba. The palace was 100% Yoruba. Don’t forget the Itsekiri language is a dialect of Yoruba land and therefore a Yoruba language as it is to this day. The Benin are not Yoruba; they are descendants of Oduduwa but the palace is Yoruba

https://yemiolakitans..com/2019/12/itsekiri-is-yoruba-papa-ayo-oritsajafor.html?m=1

Itsekiri people migrated from Yorubaland. Some of them migrated directly from Ife. Some migrated from the riverine areas of Ijebu, and some migrated from Ondo. Some of them especially the ones that migrated from Ife, they migrated with the Ilaje. The Ilaje stopped at a point but the Itsekiri continued and they ended up here in Warri. Now, a few of them came from Benin Kingdom. The Benin connection came from the palace. The palace connection is still Yoruba at the end of the day because the first Oba of Benin was a son of Oduduwa.

God bless all Yoruba people anywhere they are in the world.

Yorubaland is big ,from kabba ,kogi state to benin kingdom to itsthekiri,to Benin republic to Togo to Creoles of Liberia to southern America.

Some one is now saying ibos are more numerous than Yoruba.

Obasanjo should have removed the Emir of Ilorin and given the throne to the rightful owner ,after that remove kogi and kwara from North central.

Yoruba people are doing well!God bless Oodua nation proudly yoruba

Land grabbers and chestbeaters will soon come here to insult him and tell how they know his history much more than himself. Watch

[[s]quote author=Sunshineg5 post=89758231]Ayodele Joseph Oritsegbubemi Oritsejafor, fondly called Papa Ayo Oritsejafor by many of his numerous admirers is the founding and Senior Pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, located in Warri, Nigeria. He became the national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on the 7 February 2005, a position he held for five years.. He was elected President of CAN, Christian Association of Nigeria. As a result of this, he became the first Pentecostal leader to hold the two positions simultaneously. He is married to Hellen Oritsejafor and they are blessed with many children in the Lord. In this interview, he speaks about the history of Itsekiri people and other topics:


what would you say is unique about the Itsekiri people of Warri kingdom?


First of all, it is very important to establish the fact that Christianity started in Nigeria in Warri kingdom. It is what the average Itsekiri man or woman knows but they don’t talk about it. One of the reasons they don’t talk about it is a lack of spirituality. The first church that was built in Nigeria was not in Abeokuta, Badagry or anywhere. It was built here in the 16th century. The ruins of it are still here.
The first Christian missionary that came here was the Roman Catholic. In fact, the first contact with a white man was here. The Itsekiri people are the first contact with the white man in Nigeria.

By the way, the second thing that many people in Itsekiri may not elaborate on is that Itsekiri is Yoruba. The Itsekiri language is a dialect of the Yoruba language. Itsekiri people migrated from Yorubaland. Some of them migrated directly from Ife. Some migrated from the riverine areas of Ijebu, and some migrated from Ondo. Some of them especially the ones that migrated from Ife, they migrated with the Ilaje. The Ilaje stopped at a point but the Itsekiri continued and they ended up here in Warri.

Now, a few of them came from Benin Kingdom. The Benin connection came from the palace. The palace connection is still Yoruba at the end of the day because the first Oba of Benin was a son of Oduduwa.
The first Olu of Warri was a first son of the Oba of Benin. That’s the Benin connection. The Itsekiri, when they moved here, they came with their Ife.
The upland Yoruba called it Ifa. We are the waterside Yoruba. Our people will call the other Yoruba, Iroke. They called the Oyo people Iroke and other Yoruba Iroke but the Yoruba called them Ara Oke. This history is very important because they are dying away. In those days, the Ife which the mainstream Yoruba will call Ifa was the god of divination. The Ife had told the Itsekiri people that a prince would come and become their king. Therefore, they stayed without a king for a very long time, in fact for many years.

They were waiting for that prince, eventually this prince who was the first son of the Oba of Benin was a grandson of Oduduwa. He was very proud so he had a lot of problems with Benin chiefs. They were going to kill him. His father who was the Oba of Benin, you know he was supposed to be the Oba of Benin after his father, but for his own protection, his father had to get him out of Benin Kingdom. He gave him about 70 chiefs.

They smuggled him out, put him in a boat and they performed all kinds of rituals. They put him in a boat then sailed to Warri. When he ended up here, remember our own people were waiting for a prince, they have been waiting for years.

When he arrived, they consulted their Ife again and the Ife says, “This is the prince”. So, that was how he became the first Olu of Warri. That was how the first Olu of Warri came about.


In those days, in the palace, in Warri kingdom, they used to speak Yoruba. The palace was 100% Yoruba. Don’t forget the Itsekiri language is a dialect of Yoruba land and therefore a Yoruba language as it is to this day. The Benin are not Yoruba; they are descendants of Oduduwa but the palace is Yoruba

https://yemiolakitans..com/2019/12/itsekiri-is-yoruba-papa-ayo-oritsajafor.html?m=1[/quote][/s] Oga respect yourself no Yoruba in Delta state

mamaafrik:
Yorubaland is big from kabba to benin kingdom to itsthekiri,to benin republic to Togo to Liberis to southern America.

Some one is now saying ibos are more numerous than Yoruba.

Obasanjo should have removed the Emir of Ilorin and given the throne to the rightful owner ,after that remove kogi and kwara from North central.

Go and say this in kwara state

ThatFairGuy:
Land grabbers and chestbeaters will soon come here to insult him and tell how they know his history much more than himself. Watch

No Yoruba in Delta state

Nwanyiogwashi:

Oga respect yourself no Yoruba in Delta state

I am not Pastor Ayo

Go to his Facebook or social media handle to complain.

ok

Nwanyiogwashi:
No Yoruba in Delta state

I said it? Do you know more than him? Besides, what's with you and kwara state? You wan turn gandollar?

ThatFairGuy:

I said it? Do you know more than him?
Besides, what's with you and kwara state? You wan turn gandollar?

Na Ada Sulu Gambari be that oh

An Ishekiri man is taking about his history, another person that is not Ishekiri is saying that it's a lie.

If you insult my heritage, I also will insult your heritage....


But , in the end we are all children of /from the same parents.





Black man is the problem of blackman

Sunshineg5:
Na Ada Sulu Gambari be that oh

An Ishekiri man is taking about his history, another person that is not Ishekiri is saying that it's a lie.

No mind her, she too like wahala pass trouble. -D

Okay o

Sunshineg5:
I am not Pastor Ayo

Go to his Facebook or social media handle to complain.

no Yoruba in Delta state Mister man

When was this interview granted. The timing is important.

Was it before 2015 or after the elections when yorubas insulted CAN and Pa Oritsejafor calling him all sorts of unprintable names such as 'bling bling' pastor, thieving pastor with private jet. etc.

Nwanyiogwashi:
no Yoruba in Delta state Mister man

Sis, please I am not the one to face.

I don't even know as much as Papa Ayo who happens to be a prominent Ishekiri son.

I haven't said anything, I only posted a news.

Direct your questions to Papa Ayo.

smh! who cares? what is itsekiri?

No doubt itsekiri language is a "Yoruba" language

That does not make Itsekiri people Yoruba people

Infact, Donald trump and Nancy pelosi are Yorubas.

SciLab:
When was this interview granted. The timing is important.

Was it before 2015 or after the elections when yorubas insulted CAN and Pa Oritsejafor calling him all sorts of unprintable names such as 'bling bling' pastor, thieving pastor with private jet. etc.

This interview should be around December 2019 based on the website I copied it from.

And apparently, APC members insulted him not Yorubas as a whole.

I agree.

But no need for argument or name calling here.

Everyone will have an opportunity to vote in a referendum where they want to be when Nigeria finally breaks up.

Sunshineg5:
Sis, please I am not the one to face.

I don't even know as much as Papa Ayo who happens to be a prominent Ishekiri son.

I haven't said anything, I only posted a news.

Direct your questions to Papa Ayo.

put your energy here and leave Delta state alone

mamaafrik:
Yorubaland is big from kabba to benin kingdom to itsthekiri,to benin republic to Togo to Liberis to southern America.

Some one is now saying ibos are more numerous than Yoruba.

Obasanjo should have removed the Emir of Ilorin and given the throne to the rightful owner ,after that remove kogi and kwara from North central.

Binis are not Yorubas, even Papa Ayo said as much in this interview.

Nwanyiogwashi:
put your energy here and leave Delta state alone

Ok oh Ada sulu Gambari.

Sunshineg5:
This interview should be around December 2019 based on the website I copied it from.

And apparently, APC members insulted him not Yorubas as a whole.

Their was no dirty name yorubas didn't call Oritsejafor just because he is a minority from the Niger delta, a pastor and close to GEJ.

Bling bling pastor, Theiving pastor, arms smuggling pastor, pdp pastor, TANdroid pastor, corrupt pastor are a few that I recall.

If he were a pure yoruba like osinbajo, he wouldn't have suffered the same fate. But he was a bloody minority from the SS so he was fair game for yoruba army of online BMC dogs.

Sunshineg5:
Ok oh Ada sulu Gambari.

Sunshineg5:
This interview should be around December 2019 based on the website I copied it from.

And apparently, APC members insulted him not Yorubas as a whole.

Shame on you! You have low self esteem. Deliberately attaching yourself with other tribes just to feel good. Both igbos and Yorubas have deep self esteem problems. Spits!

Philistine:

Shame on you! You have low self esteem. Deliberately attaching yourself with other tribes just to feel good. Both igbos and Yorubas have deep self esteem problems. Spits!

Bro petition Papa Ayo.

Dafry or whatever you call yourself, please face your Isoko and allow other reasonable people to comment.

SciLab:


Their was no dirty name yorubas didn't call Oritsejafor just because he is a minority from the Niger delta, a pastor and close to GEJ.

Bling bling pastor, Theiving pastor, arms smuggling pastor, pdp pastor, TANdroid pastor, corrupt pastor are a few that I recall.

If he were a pure yoruba like osinbajo, he wouldn't have suffered the same fate. But he was a bloody minority from the SS so he was fair game for yoruba army of online BMC dogs.

Apparently it is not different from how Igbos treated Okorocha, Amechi and Joe igbokwe for supporting APC.