By Oba Dr. Adedokun Omoniyi Abolarin, the Òràngún of Òkè-Ìlá
From the cradle, we were taught two things that never leave us: Respect your elders, and honour your traditional rulers.
It is not a lesson learnt in school. It is the milk we suckled. It is what makes us Yoruba.
This timeless truth came alive again for me in two recent experiences.
The first is my own Principal in secondary school, Elder Dr. Enoch Olaleye Dare, now 93 years old. Ninety-three! Yet, his sense of honour and respect for constituted authority remains unblemished. He is an epitome of humility, discipline and reverence. He still rises to honour the stool, he still bows to tradition, he still teaches by example that age without honour is empty, and that honour without age is pride. Seeing Baba Dare at 93 still exemplifying respect reminds me that culture is not what you wear; it is how you behave.
The second was at the Maiden Toyin Falola Annual Lecture at Adeleke University, Ede. There stood Prof. Toyin Falola, a world-acclaimed scholar, celebrated in Harvard, Texas, Ife, Ibadan, and across the globe, a man whose books are read on every continent. Yet, in the presence of Comrade Hassan Sunmonu, the former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, our father in the struggle for workers’ dignity, Prof. Falola never carried himself high.
He bowed. He honoured Baba Sunmonu. He deferred.
In that single act, Prof. Falola, in his towering academic eminence, taught all of us a greater lesson than his status in the world: That no matter how high you climb, you must never forget to look down and honour those who climbed before you. That is the beautiful Yoruba culture. That is Omoluabi.
Agba kii wa loja, ki ori omo titun wo.
An elder cannot be in the market and watch a child’s head become crooked.
And this culture is not in conflict with our faith; it is confirmed by it. As the Holy Scripture commands us:
“Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King.” – 1 Peter 2:17
To honour all men is humanity.
To love the brotherhood is community.
To fear God is spirituality.
To honour the King is culture.
When we honour our elders, we honour our past.
When we honour our Kings, we honour our identity.
When we honour all men, we honour God who created all men.
Let us not raise a generation that knows mathematics, Artificial intelligence, Coding , but does not know greetings. A generation that knows grammar but does not know respect. For a child who does not know how to respect elders today, will not know how to stand for his nation tomorrow.
May we keep this culture. May we live this Scripture