The popular Oro cult is one of Yorubaland’s cultural ramparts or protective defences for warding off intrusion from outside or for confronting anticipated evil. It is essentially gender bias as it contains within its doctrine and practices, many male chauvinistic theologies. 

The popular concept of the woman in the creation myths is that the woman is morally weak and evil. Even the most celebrated religious traditions of the West denied, for centuries, the right of women to lead in religious, economic, educational, professional and political activities of their societies. 

In one notable Yoruba myth of creation, Olodumare sent several men and one woman to run the affairs of the world. The men initially ignored the woman thinking her improper for their assignment. Everything became impossible for the men respecting their mission.

When they complained to Olodumare about the seeming impossibility of their instruction, Olodumare openly chastised them and insisted that unless they included women in running the affairs of the world, peace and progress were sure to elude them. 

Unfortunately, Olodumare’s admonition in this regard has been lost on humanity as men have failed or refused to abandon their male chauvinistic views and discriminatory practices against women even in Yoruba society where Olodumare’s instruction was first received. 

The Oro cult body of practices is one such stubborn or disobedient manifestations of man’s recalcitrant behaviour. It will not admit women into its fold. The Oro is possessed of a grandiose conception of its mission living through blackmail; feared rather than honoured and respected. 

The Nigerian political class particularly in Lagos State has identified a striking correlation or similarity between it and the fearsome Oro cult. The two appear to be in constant relationship with each other at strategic occasions. The relationship must be conceived rather as a complex scheme of diabolical cultural activities of the involuntary type series which has left the cult to abandon, if temporarily, its set of norms which set is not identical with the new-found command performance interventions regarding its age-long descriptive terms. 

The Oro cult today is losing its character as a metaphysical entity denominated by a transcendental spirit. It is today viewed as a visceral agent of temporary wielders of power which could be summoned at will. A defence mechanism for furthering the cause of society and for promoting her cherished values has been cavalierly surrendered to the whims and caprices of those who want to assume the place of the gods in our affairs to be propitiated, persuaded and promoted as personalised spirits to achieve personal political goals. 

Politicians have characteristically taken advantage of the Oro’s  “blind, instinctual energy or brute force” to corral it into the political space for doing their bidding to terrorise, blackmail, harass and intimidate ordinary residents of Lagos State or of the entire Yorubaland. 

A nationwide public protest to express dissatisfaction concerning the degrading economic and political situation of the country has provoked from the government a frenzied denunciation of the values of public outcry in the midst of deprivation or of government placidity respecting the people’s angst. Short of calling the protesters treasonable felons or street miscreants, the government has derided the necessity for a protest. 

Even the Nigerian Army conveniently misunderstood its mandate and thereby shot itself in the foot by unreflectingly marching into the affray. The army denounced the would-be protesters forgetting that its own jurisdiction is in the protection of the territorial integrity of Nigeria against foreign or external aggression and not to perform police civil responsibilities or duties. 

The people are protesting the financial recklessness of government in, for instance, the unfeeling or rude purchase of N160m SUVs each for members of the National Assembly; the purchase of a 150m U.S. Dollar jet for the president in the light of the prostrate state of the economy.

The people want the government to visibly address the pervading hunger pangs in the land resulting from a dire food shortage crisis. They abjure the frenetic speed in the award of a contract for the construction of a needless Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

They call for a sincere abolishment of government’s primitive ostentatious lifestyle; the reversal of the pump price of fuel to the pre-May 2023 regime. The people want a transparent, accountable government. They decry the opaqueness or under-the-table dealings that have been the sickening features of government these nine or so years.

Since the announcement of the protest action, hawks in the presidency and in other agencies of government have taken over. Some of them are questioning the rationale for a nationwide protest as government, according to them, is trying its best to ameliorate the excruciating living conditions of the people. Some even categorically said it was importune at this time to protest the good intentions of a government that has its handle firmly on the plough. Others have read the Riot Act to the would-be protesters reminding them that the wounds of #EndSARS protests have yet to heal. 

These ones could not see the possibility of a peaceful demonstration. They believe violence must ensue even as there are valid suggestions that such violence have been conduced by official agents as thugs sent to disrupt proceedings and confuse the situation; they had attacked peaceful, innocent protesters. 

In Lagos, the Oro cult has been called in aid of the official position that the scheduled protest is not necessary. Oro cult worshippers have announced that the period of the scheduled protests is not available to the protesters as they have scheduled a festival to commence propitiation rituals on the land.

They even had the effrontery to order people to keep off the public space during the period of their exercise from the August 1-15, 2024. They threatened unsavoury consequences upon disobedience of their decree. And all these in a mega city or in an intensely cosmopolitan environment. 

The government is looking bemused in ignorance and appears to lack the moral authority to question the audacity of the Oro cult. There is a palpable absence of governance here. On the eve of the February 2023 Governorship/ House of Assembly elections, certain dreary fellows gathered at strategic locations in the Lagos metropolis visibly performing ritual ceremonies in support of certain candidates in the election. 

The verbiage of the prayers fanned embers of disunity, tribal hate and unspeakable bigotry. The Oro dimension this time around is the extension of the unchallenged situation of the other time. 

This proposed Oro festival, its sponsors and the age-long awe of Oro cult practices will be the losers as they surrender their myth and craft to mischievous politicians. “Myth,” a favourite term in learned discussions hovers around an important area of meaning shared by religion, folklore, anthropology, sociology and, even, the fine arts. 

The Oro myth is neither an adjunct of nor competitor to political gerrymandering or deception. Its pristine functions or methodologies ought to be left entirely to it  –  not allowed to be diluted by those who are mere birds of passage or cultural dilettante. 
Rotimi-John, a Lawyer and Commentator on Public Affairs, is Deputy Secretary General of Afenifere. He can be reached via: [email protected]