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For Chief Kayode Faluade Anikinnikun, the Olu-Omo Edu Agbaye and Olu-Ifa of Yoruba land, nothing about the Ifa oracle is beyond his knowledge. He knows about Ifa divination inside out and he has made a great success out of providing solutions to people’s problem in the Yoruba traditional religion way. With his mansion where he has his Ajigbotifa Temple Limited located at 2, Faluade Ajigbotifa Way, Powerline Phase 2, Ewupe Ota, Ogun State, the high and mighty in this country form the bulk of his clientele. On Wednesday, 11th April, 2014, the man popularly called Kayode Ajigbotifa paid a courtesy visit to City People headquarter in Lagos where he was engaged in a no-holds-barred roundtable interview with the City People editorial crew. The interview lasted for almost 2 hours and the well exposed Ifa Priest spoke to us like never before. Below are excerpts.
How did your journey with Ifa start?
Right from the beginning in my lineage, Ifa has always been with us. I am the third generation of Ifa worshippers in the lineage that has taken it as his main preoccupation in life. The first in the line-up was my grandfather called Agbefawo Anikinnikun from Idi-Ori in Abeokuta but was based in Ibogun in the same Ogun State. It is from that Ibogun that Ifa worship was bequeathed to my own father. My father also went on garnering more knowledge about the Ifa oracle all over the place in other to enhance what he had learnt directly from his father. Called Faluade Alani Anikinnikun, my father was the one who handed-over the Ifa worship to me as a way of life before his demise. And it was even in his life time that I started doing Ifa consultation for people with his blessings. And I have carried on till now. So in essence, Ifa oracle has been with my family right from the beginning.
Right from the beginning in my lineage, Ifa has always been with us. I am the third generation of Ifa worshippers in the lineage that has taken it as his main preoccupation in life. The first in the line-up was my grandfather called Agbefawo Anikinnikun from Idi-Ori in Abeokuta but was based in Ibogun in the same Ogun State. It is from that Ibogun that Ifa worship was bequeathed to my own father. My father also went on garnering more knowledge about the Ifa oracle all over the place in other to enhance what he had learnt directly from his father. Called Faluade Alani Anikinnikun, my father was the one who handed-over the Ifa worship to me as a way of life before his demise. And it was even in his life time that I started doing Ifa consultation for people with his blessings. And I have carried on till now. So in essence, Ifa oracle has been with my family right from the beginning.
How long have been doing Ifa consultation for people?
It is over 30 years now because I was already into it while I was still going to the elementary school back then. Like I said earlier, my late dad was still very much alive when I started Ifa consultation for people like he was doing.
It is over 30 years now because I was already into it while I was still going to the elementary school back then. Like I said earlier, my late dad was still very much alive when I started Ifa consultation for people like he was doing.
What do you think you are doing differently from other Ifa Priests that made you so popular?
My grandfather and father had built the legacy of righteousness and credibility for someone like me before they passed on. And because I am still following their footsteps, that has really helped in spreading the good gospel of what I do to all and sundry. As a matter of fact, some of the people who used to patronize my late father are still coming to me because they know I have been carrying on his legacy. And such people have been vouching for me all over the place that they knew me right from the beginning and that my family has a culture of credibility.
My grandfather and father had built the legacy of righteousness and credibility for someone like me before they passed on. And because I am still following their footsteps, that has really helped in spreading the good gospel of what I do to all and sundry. As a matter of fact, some of the people who used to patronize my late father are still coming to me because they know I have been carrying on his legacy. And such people have been vouching for me all over the place that they knew me right from the beginning and that my family has a culture of credibility.
Apart from Ifa worship, do you practice any other religion?
Ifa itself represents an independent religion. But the truth is, there is a lot of misconception about Ifa by our people. That is why they are not attaching much importance to Ifa. Like I said, Ifa itself is an independent religion just like Christianity and Islam. Ifa is the voice of God and similarly, it is on record that the Bible is the voice or words of God same as the Holy Quran. The only area of difference in the 3 categories is the manner of using the words of God or worshipping with it. The long and short of my analysis is that, Ifa itself is an independent religion and you might not really need to combine any other one with it.
Ifa itself represents an independent religion. But the truth is, there is a lot of misconception about Ifa by our people. That is why they are not attaching much importance to Ifa. Like I said, Ifa itself is an independent religion just like Christianity and Islam. Ifa is the voice of God and similarly, it is on record that the Bible is the voice or words of God same as the Holy Quran. The only area of difference in the 3 categories is the manner of using the words of God or worshipping with it. The long and short of my analysis is that, Ifa itself is an independent religion and you might not really need to combine any other one with it.
Is that why it is said that, if a true Pastor, a true Alfa and a true Ifa Priest look into a particular situation bothering somebody, their findings are usually the same?
The 3 are like six of one, half a dozen of the other. It’s all the same once it is based on truth. What is causing discrepancies between the 3 religions is lack of deep understanding. There is nothing in the Bible that is not in Ifa oracle or in the Holy Quran. They are all based on truth which is the basic element.
The 3 are like six of one, half a dozen of the other. It’s all the same once it is based on truth. What is causing discrepancies between the 3 religions is lack of deep understanding. There is nothing in the Bible that is not in Ifa oracle or in the Holy Quran. They are all based on truth which is the basic element.
Why is it that some of the people that patronize Ifa Priests like to do it under the shade of darkness? Are they not proud to identify with Ifa in the open or what?
Let me attribute such attitude to ignorance on the part of those doing it. Yes, there are individuals like that but like I said it is ignorance. (Chants Ifa’s philosophy supporting his argument) Some people cannot make bold to say they believe in Ifa, yet they depend on consulting it before taking any step in life. And some of these people would still come out to condemn Ifa in the public. But ironically, this same Ifa oracle they are condemning holds the key to their success. So in essence, Ifa oracle cannot be said to be bad because it always comes with the messages of how to trace one’ step to glory. Everything about knowledge was bestowed on Orunmila who is the progenitor of Ifa oracle. And there is no obstacle that did not come face to face with Orunmila but he surmounted it all.
Let me attribute such attitude to ignorance on the part of those doing it. Yes, there are individuals like that but like I said it is ignorance. (Chants Ifa’s philosophy supporting his argument) Some people cannot make bold to say they believe in Ifa, yet they depend on consulting it before taking any step in life. And some of these people would still come out to condemn Ifa in the public. But ironically, this same Ifa oracle they are condemning holds the key to their success. So in essence, Ifa oracle cannot be said to be bad because it always comes with the messages of how to trace one’ step to glory. Everything about knowledge was bestowed on Orunmila who is the progenitor of Ifa oracle. And there is no obstacle that did not come face to face with Orunmila but he surmounted it all.
And in the light of that, whoever has the knowledge of Ifa divination, there is no obstacle he cannot surmount. Ifa oracle is full of wisdom, knowledge and plainness. And like-wise, if we go into the analysis of both the Holy Quran and the Holy Bible, they share the same qualities of wisdom, knowledge and plainness. It is just that Ifa oracle is in the fore-front of them all. So, back to the main question, there are a lot of people out there who would come for Ifa consultation in the dead of the night or the break of dawn in the morning. Some would even call and say please, come and consult for me in my house; I don’t want people to see me coming to your place and all that. Meanwhile, they would still go out to condemn the same Ifa oracle in the pubic and discourage others from seeking succor to their life problems from it. We can’t be mentioning names, but there are surely people like that. And it is not only at my own end, there are a whole lot of them patronizing other Ifa priests secretly and condemning it publicly.
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About Unknown
Deji Sadiq, a.k.a DEJI OF LAGOS is a LASU trained Economist turned freelance journalist, a Blogger, an information strategist, a public affairs analyst and a committed activist with a passion for equal opportunities.
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