Aboru Aboye: Ifa priest explains why Tope Alabi may need ancestral DNA test.

Ifa allows secrecy and allows practitioners to practice without informing others.

An Ifa-priest, Oluwo Jogbodo Orunmila, has advised the renowned gospel singer, Tope Alabi, to conduct a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test to confirm her ancestry. This is in response to the comments that greeted a video of Tope Alabi incorporating the Yoruba greeting ‘Aboru aboye’ into her worship song.

Alabi and her backup vocalists can be heard in the viral video referring to themselves as ‘ebo,’ which means sacrifice, and emphasizing that they are ‘Aboru Aboye,’ which means that God has accepted them as sacrifices.

Orunmila, the chief cleric of Iledi Imule Agba in Oyan, Odo Otin North Local Council Development Authority in Osun State, stated in an exclusive interview with The news reportes on Monday that Alabi has always been intertwined with traditionalists’ lexicons.

He mentioned the singer’s use of ‘Eledumare’ and other praises typically reserved for Orunmila (goddess of wisdom) and Yoruba deities.

The Ibadan-based priest stated, “All of these phrases indicate that Tope Alabi requires ancestry DNA to corroborate her Ifa tradition membership. Those words are pushing their way out; all she needs are the proper instructors to get back on track.

“Ifa is genealogy. When a lineage known to be Ifa practitioners ceases its practice, a family member will eventually demonstrate the Ifa doctrines, whether knowingly or unknowingly.

He maintained that whoever has come forward to label Alabi as an idolater is merely stoking public opinion and is especially ignorant of the fact that Ifa only identifies those who wish to be identified because it cherishes secrecy.

“Identifying as an Ifa is voluntary. One can either inform the public or not do so. Even when under its supervision, identifying with other religions is not prohibited by Ifa.

Orunmila responded, “It is not.” It is undoubtedly utilized by Ifa initiates.

“The Ifa devotees (Babalawo and Iyanifa) are the ones who use that to greet one another, as it was Orunmila’s legacy. “In fact, ‘Aboru Aboye’ is frequently accompanied by ‘ni Ile Ifa’, which means ‘May everything, including sacrifices, be accepted in this Ifa household.'”

He narrated that Odu Ifa ‘Ogunda meji’ in the Ifa corpus gave rise to the stories of three women who provided special assistance to Orunmila: Aboru, Aboye, and Abosise.

“It was said that in order for Orunmila to consult Olodumare, these three women had to be appeased in order for Ile-Ife to be at peace.

“Orunmila made sacrifices to placate these women, and as a result, he was able to visit Olodumare without difficulty to help rid the land of plague. Orunmila decided to honor Aboru, Aboye, and Abosise for their strength and generosity, declaring that anyone who wishes to see Iyanifa or Babalawo must first pay homage to Aboru, Aboye, and Abosise!

In 2013, Alabi’s affiliation with her late prophet, Elijah Ajanaku, who was reportedly buried by some cult members, sparked controversy, with many referring to one of the gospel singer’s songs paying homage to the God (god) of Ajanaku as occult, while others believed that she was afflicted with a strange anointing.

A video that circulated in the Nigerian digital space on June 13, 2021, showed the gospel singer criticizing the popular Christian song “Oniduro Mi,” which was performed at various times by Tolu Adelegan and Yinka Alaseyori.

Oniduro Mi means literally “my guarantor” in the Yoruba language. The hymn praises God as a protector who never abandons His own.

Alabi stated, in response to the song, that God was more than a guarantee to her.

The singer added that there was a time when she desired to sing the melody, but the Holy Spirit dissuaded her.