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Strange! Male Priest Carries Sacred Calabash At Osun-Osogbo Festival

Published

2 months ago

August 8, 2025

This year’s annual Osun-Osogbo Cultural Festival witnessed a little adjustment in proceedings as a male carried the symbolic white calabash called ‘Igba Osun’, a duty usually performed by a votary maid.

In March this year, a new Arugba Osun by the name, Alimot Osunbunmi was selected.

The role is played by a female virgin from the royal family in the town that must have been chosen by the Ifa oracle.

Osunbunmi replaced Osuntomi Ewatomilola, who performed the duty for about 12 years.

She exited the role following her marriage last year August, shortly after concluding the year’s duty as Arugba Osun.

Sources close to Ile Osun, located inside the Ataoja’s palace, that craved anonymity however, said the Osun Chief Priest, identified simply as Adesina carried the calabash rather than giving it to Osunbunmi, who was performing the duty for the first time.

When the procession that accompanied Arugba arrived at Osun grove, Adesina was the one who carried the calabash, while Osunbunmi walked in front of them.

The procession was heavily guarded by soldiers, DSS and operatives.

It could not be immediately ascertained why the votary maid did not carry the calabash, as it is usually done.

But a traditionalist, Olawale Osunfemi, while explaining the possible cause, said “It is not unusual. The likely reason may be due to the strength of the new Arugba.

“She is still a kid. Most probably, her strength could not cope with the weight of items for sacrifice to the river goddess that are put in the calabash.”

He continued, “She will grow up and begin to perform that function before long. It is a duty that is spiritually and physically demanding.”

Meanwhile, a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, in Osun State, Mr. Dotun Babayemi, has called for the preservation of cultural artefacts and relics of the Yoruba race in Nigeria.

Such a move, Babayemi contended, would help to secure the future of the race, especially in the area of the Yoruba language which he lamented, was gradually going into extinction.

In addition, he emphasised that consistent celebration of cultural festivals in Yoruba land would keep the consciousness of their historical backgrounds alive, a development he added, would always assist in fostering unity among the people.

The gubernatorial hopeful who made these known in a release by his media office, congratulated the people of the state, especially the indigenes of Osogbo on the celebration of this year’s annual Osun Osogbo Festival.

“Our culture is our identity and our selling point. , we must all strive to protect and preserve. It’s our common ancestry heritage which separates us from others and this we must keep jealously.

“We need a conscious cultural rebirth that will help to re-engineer and inculcate an enduring belief in our younger generations. More importantly, the celebration of our various cultures links us with the past to foster our unity of today and tomorrow,” he said.
(PUNCH)

News

Coup Prophecy: It’s False Spirit -Mahdi Shehu Tells Primate Ayodele

Published

6 minutes ago

October 16, 2025

Editor

A public affairs commentator, Mahdi Shehu, has criticised Primate Elijah Ayodele over his recent prophecy warning of an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Shehu described the cleric’s statement as attention seeking and misguided by a false spirit.

Primate Ayodele was quoted in an Online report as saying that “some powerful Nigerians are plotting to remove Tinubu through a coup” between November 2025 and January 2026.

Reacting, Mahdi Shehu said in a normal society the primate should be treated as an accessory to the fact of planning a coup, which he described as a treasonable offence.

“In a Normal society where suspects are not cherry picked, the primate must provide further details in public including names because he seems to know more than many Nigerians,” he said.

He wrote: “Before the primate is treated in the right manner, if he ever will be, all right-thinking Nigerians must ignore him and treat his so-called spiritual alert with caution and maturity.”

Shehu further cited several Bible verses, warning against false prophets, false spirits, and attention seekers who claim to speak with divine authority.

According to him, “The Bible warned people against false prophets and speculation. Not everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit of God is truthful.”

He also alleged double standards in public reactions, saying if a Muslim cleric had made a similar claim, the media and security agencies would have demanded his arrest.

“If a sheikh or malam had made such a claim, the whole country would be in uproar, with news headlines calling for his arrest and even tribunal trial,” he said.

“Even the naive Nigerians are aware that coup is never an option, even in the face of the most stupid brand of democracy,” he said.

Mahdi concluded by describing Nigeria as a country full of fake alarms and hypocrisy warning citizens not to fall for divisive or baseless prophecies.

News

Out-of-school: Bauchi Education Ministry Takes ‘Back To School’ Campaign To Markets

Published

13 hours ago

October 15, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi State Ministry of Education has launched a sensitization campaign on the importance of education across selected market places in the state.

The campaign aims to encourage school enrolment and showcase the infrastructural facilities provided by the Bauchi state government to ensure a conducive environment for learning and teaching in the state.

Speaking during the flag off of the campaign at Gadan-Maiwa Community, Dr. Mohammed Lawal, the state’s Commissioner for Education, emphasized that the marketplaces are ideal locations to promote education, as it is a hub of activity where people gather to buy and sell.

He highlighted the various infrastructural facilities provided by the government, which he said included the mega schools, provision of qualified teachers, and educational materials to woo parents to enroll their wards into school.

The Commissioner noted that the state has made significant progress in reducing the number of out-of-school children.

Lawal stated that the government has implemented a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme to support the education of girl children, which he said, has recorded significant success.

He therefore urged parents to take advantage of the government’s efforts and send their children to school.

The commissioner also commended Governor Bala Mohammed for his commitment to education and reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state.

On their part, the village head of Gadan-Maiwa, Safiyanu Ahmed, and the Chairman of Gadan-Maiwa motor Park, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar, lauded the government’s initiative and urged parents to support the effort.

The duo also appealed for more teachers to be employed to improve education in the state.

News

How My Fiancée kept Me From Temptations – Singer Spyro

Published

18 hours ago

October 15, 2025

Editor

Nigerian singer, Oludipe Oluwasanmi David, popularly known as Spyro, has revealed that his fiancée, Janet Atom, keeps him him grounded and away from temptations.

The ‘Who’s Your Guy’ crooner shared that before meeting his fiancée he was “tempted” by ladies, especially in Lekki.

Hailing his fiancée as his “Jesus baddie,” he appreciated her for changing his life.

The singer captioned a picture of his fiancée via Instagram; “Eiii God! My very own Jesus baddie @_callme_njure.

“Thank you again for saving me from Lekki girls o, na me know wettin my eyes see.”

Recall that Spyro recently engaged Janet Atom. He disclosed that he met her at a nightclub while announcing their engagement in September.