The Ogunsua royal family of Modakeke, on Saturday prayed for peace and justice within the town, Osun State and the country in general as it marks the outing of Ologbojo, the lead masquerade in the town.
According to impeccable family sources, the Ologbojo masquerade had been left in hibernation at the groove without being tended for close to 30years as a result of the prolonged discord linked to succession to the throne of Ogunsua in the community.
A family head from Ile Oba Ogunsua, Modakeke, Prince Bisi Oyedeji, however, said the need for the masquerade to be brought out from the groove arose when the deity gave a stern warning to the royal family that failure to appease it might spell doom for the community.
Oyedeji, who noted that justice and peace were being compromised in every facet of life, said the festival provided an opportunity to appease the gods for normalcy to be restored in Modakeke and the nation as a whole.
Explaining that where there is no justice there could not be peace, he said the outing of the Ologbojo masquerade to the four walls of Modakeke town was crucial and significant to usher in peace.
Oyedeji said, “The Ogunsua royal family prayed for Modakeke, Osun State and Nigeria as a whole. This is very important at this time when insecurity and injustice seemed to have prevailed.
“Today, (Saturday, June 19) marks the outing of Ologbojo, the lead masquerade in Modakeke. In towns and cities across Yoruba land, Ologbojo is the head of all masquerades. The outing signifies that Ogunsua is the leading family in Modakeke. The masquerade had not been out of the groove for more than 20years until we received some messages that the deity had been complaining and alleging us of negligence.
“To this end, we decided that we would not only obey it but we would bring it out to the four corners of Modakeke, and that was exactly what we did. Leaving it in the groove for so many years could be termed as negligence on our part. Under normal circumstances, it comes out once in a year but for many years now, because of the problems that we are facing in the compound, we didn’t bring it out.
“If we had been bringing it out every year the story would have been different today. Younger people in the family might have heard of Ologbojo, but never saw it as being witnessed today. It is a pathetic story. Ologbojo, anywhere in Yoruba land, is the father of all masquerades.
“The prayers being said today were general because we had to pray for the compound and the development of the town. It was a prayer for everybody; all the inhabitants of the town. We pray for the peace and progress of the people being ruled over.
“In our prayers, we took into consideration the peace of Osun State and the situation of the country. Peace and security, as is evident, are very key. As widely known, the goodness of one affects the others.
“My message for the leadership in Nigeria is that we should dispense justice because where there is no justice there can’t be fairness. Once there is justice, everything will go well, which is what we are lacking now in the country. We pray that the situation be rectified. The reality in the country is a larger picture of what goes on in our various communities.”
Laying credence to the importance of the festival, Prince Wahab Adegbami, lauded the efforts of Prince Oyedeji, son of Babaloja, for championing the activities that led to the event and for his leadership roles as a family head and custodian of culture.
He said, “Prince Oyedeji has demonstrated courage and acumen. Of course, he was the one that was chosen by the Ifa oracle to reign as king in Modakeke. Our progenitor was a warrior from Oko community near Oyo town. We are the royal family in Modakeke.
Also, shedding light further on the significance of the festival, Prince Rafiu Oyetunji said, “The Ologbojo masquerade had been abandoned for many years as a result of intrigues in Modakeke. The masquerade is for the entire town but as a result of conflict in the town, it was sidelined.
“Wingbolu, our progenitor and founder of Modakeke, was a warrior and a blacksmith. He was a friend to the Ooni at that time so he gave him the place where Modakeke is located near Ile-Ife. That is our origin.
Wingbolu had three shrines of Ogun, namely Ogun Akete which is at home; the second is Ogun Oja otherwise called Ogun Ese while the third one is Ogun Ereta which is at Akrabata in Ile-Ife.”
