Messages From Ifa

MESSAGE FROM IFA
BY: SOLAGBADE POPOOLA
INTRODUCTION EDITION.
OYEKU LOGBE
The Chain Of Life
A o maa ba a lo peu
Awo Irele
Dia fun Orunmila
Nijo ti won o ko’kun aye le Baba lowo
Ebo ni won ni ko waa se o
Translation
We shall continue to handle it with certain
The Awo of gentility
This was the message of Ifa for Orunmila
When the rope of life was to be handed over to
him
He was advised to offer ebo
When Olodumare completed His work on the planet earth, He

summoned Orunmila and handed over the ropes that gave
balance to the planet to him. Olodumare told Orunmila that the
ropes of the world must be handled with caution because if the
ropes broke, there was nothing and nobody that could tie them
together back.
As soon as Orunmila returned home, he summoned all the Awo in

his vicinity and asked them to come and consult Ifa for him. The
main purpose was for him to know how to handle the ropes of the
world and by extension the ropes of life in order to ensure that the
ropes did not break. When Ifa was consulted, Oyeku-Olomo was
revealed.
The Awo advised Orunmila to first of all offer ebo as prescribed by

Ifa. He complied. He was also asked to feed Ifa with a mature
she-goat. He also did. They equally advised him to feed Esu
with a big cock. He did. After all these, all the Awo present told
Orunmila that in order to be able to control the world without
breaking any of the ropes he needed to embrace eight principles
and eschew eight other principles. Doing all these would make
him lead the world aright, without crisis and without problems.
The virtues which Orunmila was advised to embrace were:
i. Truthfulness: The ability to speak all those words which,

after verification, were found to be as they were spoken.
The speaking of those words which were constant without
changing.
ii. Honesty: Ability to do things with sincerity of purpose,
without cheating, lies or deceit. Doing things with purity of
purpose without blemish or ulterior consideration.
iii. Benevolence: the act of generosity and the desire to do
good at all times, without any selfish consideration
iv. Patience: The ability or willingness to wait or defer
gratification or result. Ability or willingness to wait it out.
Willingness or ability to suffer pain, delay, irritation,
disappointments and so on without compliant or protest.
To persevere.
v. Dedication: The ability to be totally devoted to any course
without looking back. To give oneself completely to a
course or belief or project.
vi. Humility: The ability and willingness to have moderate
opinion of oneself or one’s worth. Ability to present
oneself below one’s actual capability or one’s real worth.
vii. Hopefulness: Ability and courage to feel that what one
wants will eventually happen. The belief that tomorrow
will be better than today and that yesterday will not be as
good or as rewarding as today
viii. Understanding: The elder sibling of intelligence and
wisdom. It is the ability to know and appreciate how
others feel under any circumstances. Ability and
willingness to put others feelings into consideration at any
given point in time and under any circumstance.
The Awo told Orunmila that the eight principles were the seeds
which the chain of Opele, the consultation device were
attached to. They were in pairs. Truthfulness and honesty
were in pair. Benevolence and understanding were the second
pair. Patience and Hopefulness were the third pair. Humility
and Dedication were the fourth pair. If all these were observed,
the chains in the Opele representing the ropes of the world and
life would not break. If they were not observed, then it would
take no time before the ropes of life were broken. If they were
allowed to break, nobody could tie them back.
Orunmila was also told that the eight principles which could
easily break the ropes of the world in such a way that nobody
would be able to tie them back together were the following:
i. Anger: This is a bitter and violent feeling against others

and/or what they represent. This is a negative and
unproductive feeling against other people based on real or
imaginary reasons.
ii. Hatred: Having a great dislike for others or/and what they
represent. A very bad or unpleasant dislike for others.
iii. Envy: The inability to accept another person’s good
fortune or success. The feeling of discontent at another
person’s luck or success
iv. Wickedness: The art of thinking, speaking and doing evil
and/or sinful things against another person based on real
or imaginary reasons
v. Pride: Vain or personal dignity. The exaggerated feeling
of pleasure and subjective satisfaction at one’s
possessions or achievements at the expense of other
people’s feelings or disposition.
vi. Selfishness: The thinking of one’s own personal
pleasure, satisfaction, achievement, aspiration etc without
any consideration for other people.
vii. Greed: The desire for all the good things of life for oneself
only at the expense of others. The desire to convert what
belongs to many to one’s own alone without any
consideration for the feelings or needs of the others.
viii. Intolerance: The inability to bear or endure other people.
The unwillingness to allow others to air their views or
express themselves in any way as long as it is different
from their own views or opinions.
The Awo told Orunmila that Anger and Hatred were the first
pair. Envy and Wickedness were the second pair. Pride and
Greed were the third pair. Selfishness and Intolerance were the
fourth pair. They told him that wherever these negative
attributes were allowed to operate, the ropes of life would take
no time before they broke and nobody would be able to mend
them.
A o maa ba a lo peu
Awo Irele
Dia fun Orunmila
Nijo ti won o ko’kun aye le Baba lowo
Ebo ni won ni ko waa se o
O gb’ebo, o ru’bo
Nje e o fa’kun aye ire o
E o fa’kun aye ire
Taye ba ja
Oniso o si o
E sa jee ka fa’kun aye dendere
Translation
We shall continue to handle it with certain
The Awo of gentility
This was the message of Ifa for Orunmila
When the rope of life was to be handed over to
him
He complied
Now, let us handle the ropes of life carefully
Please let us pull the ropes of life gently
If the world breaks
There is no mender
Just let us handle the rope of life with cautions
Ifa assures the person for whom this Odu is revealed that the
ropes of life will not break in his/her hands. He/she however
needs to embrace the positive attributes and eschew the negative
attributes of life as stated above.
Ifa says that the person for whom this Odu is revealed will be
placed in a leadership position in his/her life. Ifa says that
attaining the position is not a problem for this person at all.
Rather, it is how to maintain that position that he/she needs to
offer ebo on a regular basis for. Ifa says that if he/she should
allow any form of crisis or chaos, it will not be possible for him/her
to bring the situation back to normalcy. This is the reason why
this person needs to be level-headed, patient, enduring and
understanding at all times.
Ifa advises this person to offer ebo with three cocks, three hens,
three guinea-fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa
with one matured she-goat and feed Esu with one cock.
NOVEMBER EDITION
OGBE IWORI
Lessons From Youth To Elder
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-
ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la;
OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation
Ifa; declares that it is time to learn wisdom from

those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those
behind us
This was Ifa;’s message for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going to learn wisdom from
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every five days
He was advised to offer eôboô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and OÙba¾ta;la; were good friends. They had

been together for a long time. One day, OÙbata;la; told
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would like to study philosophy, esoteric
language and indepth understanding of life with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾.
After some deliberations, they concluded that OÙba¾ta;la;
needed to come to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house every five days to
learn new things.
The first OÙru;n came and OÙba¾ta;la; went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾

house. He met OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s absence. He however met his
child, a seven-year old at home. After both of them exchanged
greetings, OÙba¾ta;la; asked the boy where exactly
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had gone to. The boy responded thus, “Baba
mi¾ ra;n asôoô aweô; kan loô ni” meaning “my father has just
gone to sew one strand of clothing material leaving behind the
other strand unsewn”.
OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of what the boy had said.

“What was that supposed to mean child?”. The boy said, “Baba,
if you want me to tell you the meaning, then you have to pay me
two kolanuts with four lobes each and a bottle of liquor”. Out of
curiousity, OÙba¾ta;la; paid. Then the boy explained thus,
“Baba, as you were aware, my father had two wives
OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ and my mother. When my father went
out very early this morning there was a little misunderstanding
between the two wives. As soon as my father returned, my
mother, the younger wife, complained bitterly to my father about
what happened in his absence. She cried and wailed when
narrating her story, giving my father the impression that she had
been abused and maltreated by Iya OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ the
elder wife. Instead of investigating what actually happened by
listening to the other side of the story and if possible interviewing
those present when the quarrel took place, my father descended
on the elder wife by abusing her. She wanted to explain, but she
was shouted down. If one asks from the first party, is it not wise
to ask from the other when two parties are involved in any issue?
That was why I told you that my father had sewn one strand of
clothing material leaving behind the other strand unsown”.
When OÙba¾ta;la; heard this, he knew that there was a lot of

sense in what the child had just said. He thanked the child and
turned back to go. The boy declared, “Baba, before saying
anything or taking any action on any issue always endeavour to
hear all sides of the matter. This will make you an impartial and
a level-headed judge”.

ke;de¾
Translation

those behind us
behind us
On the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la; went to learn from Orunmila.

When he got there, he met his child outside the house. “Good
morning son, is your father at home?” he asked”. Good morning
Baba. My father has just gone out now”. Where exactly did he
go to?” The child responded thus, "Oku¾n aye; feô; ja; o; loô
tu;n-un so" meaning, “the rope of the world is about to break. My
father has gone to tie it back.”
Again, OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of it. He asked the child

to explain. And again, the child told him to bring two kolanuts
and bottle of liquor. OÙba¾ta;la; did. The boy explained thus,
“Baba, there is a serious disagreement between OÙba
A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run which my father had gone
to settle. Who does not know that if this misunderstanding is left
unsolved and allowed to degenerate into a full-scale contention,
the very fabric of this world would have its foundation shaken and
existence on earth would cease or at the very least be seriously
threatened? In order to ensure that the rope which
Olo;du¾mare¾ used to tie the world is not broken, my father had
gone to bring peace among these two Divinities. Baba, can’t you
see that any fight between OÙba A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba
A®ja¾lo;ôrun will certainly break the rope used to hang this world
in balance?”
OÙba¾ta;la; thought about this statement and concluded that

what the child said made a lot of sense. He told the child to
extend his greeting to his father when he returned. “Baba, please
remember, the rope of the world must never be allowed to break.
Any time you find two very important people engaged in a
quarrel, any time you find two or more major groups engaging in
a misunderstanding or any time you find two societies,
communities, regions or countries engaged in any quarrel, ensure
that you bring peace before it leads to a full-scale crisis or war.
If you fail to do so, then you may end up witnessing the rope of
the world being broken.”
“Thank you, son. Greet your father for me; I will be back in the
next OÙru;n”.

ke;de¾
Translation

those behind us
behind us
Again on the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la; went to

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house to study. And again OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
had gone out of the house. He again met the child at home. He
again asked where OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had gone to? The child
replied by saying, “Baba mi loô tu;n e¾ôhi¾n aye; sôe ni”
meaning “my father has gone to mend the world in preparation
for the time he will no longer be around”.
What did this mean? The child asked OÙba¾ta;la; to procure the
usual two kolanuts and liquor. He did. The child said, “my father
has been receiving signals that he is about to be summoned by
Olo;du¾mare¾ to return to I®koô¾le; OÙ®run in due course of
time. He knew that some of the elders in his family were not in
good terms. He was convinced that if he should depart the world
while this altercation was still going on, these elders would surely
tear each other apart when he was no longer around to serve as
a control for them. That is why my father has gone to the family
compound to settle all the rifts and return life in the family to
normalcy. Don’t you know that when there is unresolved rift in
any family, before the head of the family departs, such a family
stands the chance of disintegrating at the slightest chance? The
head of that family will then stand condemned forever and ever”.
When OÙba¾ta;la; ruminated over what the child had just said he
agreed with him completely. He asked the child to extend his
greetings to his father and turned back to go. "Baba please
ensure that all unresolved crises in your household is resolved
amicably before you return to the great beyond. You have all
worked hard and done well while on earth; do not let that
rubbish all your good works. You need to leave a great legacy
behind; it is equally important for you to leave behind those who
will continue where you have left off. This can be done only
when there is love, understanding, and cooperation”.

ke;de¾
Translation

those behind us
behind us
On the next OÙru;n day, OÙba¾ta;la; again went to

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house to learn. He had vowed that he would
become one of the most knowledgeable Iru;nmoôle¾ô of all
times. When he got there again, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was not at
home. “Where did your father go this time?” OÙba¾ta;la; asked
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s child, who was always at home. In his
response the child said “I®ya; mi loô fa oku¾n aye; a¾ti
t’oô¾run. Bo;ya; t’aye; lo; ma;a ja; mo;ôoô l'oô;wo;ô ni ta¾bi;
t’oô¾run ni eôni¾kan ko¾ mo¾ô. Baba mi¾ loô la;ti m’o;ju;
to;o”. Meaning “my mother pulled the chord of Aye;, earth and
OÙ®run, heaven is in her hands right now. Whether the chord of
Aye; is the one that will eventually remain in her hands or that of
heaven, nobody can say for certain. My father has gone to take
care of that“.
OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of this statement. In order to

get the full explanation of what the child said, OÙba¾ta;la;
himself, without any prompting, gave the child two kolanuts and
a bottle of liquor. The child said, “My mother, right now, has
gone into labour. Nobody can predict the outcome. If she has a
safe delivery, then the chord of Aye; is the one that eventually
remained in her hand. On the other hand, if she dies in the
process, then the chord of OÙ®run is the one that remained in
her hand. To ensure that it is the chord of Aye; that remaines in
her hand, my father had gone to where she is, to oversee things
for himself."
When OÙba¾ta;la; heard the explanation of this child it occurred

to him that even if he had met OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on all the times
he had been coming, he would not have learnt something
different. He concluded that as elders have their wisdom, youths
are not totally bereft of wisdom and understanding. “Ok child,
tell your father that I am no longer coming. You have given me
the wisdom of a lifetime”.
As he turned to go, the child said; “Baba, any time your wife is
pregnant, ensure that you give her all the things that would make
the day of delivery relatively easy and convenient for her. Do so
for all the wives of your loved ones and clients. By so doing,
people will have cause to come and thank you for a job well
done. That is what my father does all the time”.

ke;de¾
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
O: de;'le; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;.
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; Baba o¾un ra;n asôoô aweô;
kan loô ni
ke;de¾
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; oku¾n aye; feô; ja;
Baba o¾un lo¾ôoô; tu;n-u;n so
ke;de¾
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô ni; Baba o¾un loô t'eô;yi¾n aye;
sôe ni
ke;de¾
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; i¾ya; o¾un loô fa oku¾n aye;
A®ti oô¾run
Bo;ya; t'aye; lo; ma;a ja; moô;ôoô loô;wo;ô ni
Ta¾bi; t'oô¾run ni
EÙni¾kan ko¾ mo¾ô
Baba o¾un loô re¾e; m’o;ju; to;o
E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ OÙ®fa
EÙ®yin o¾ moô¾ wi;pe; oômoôde; gbo;ôn
A®gba¾ na;a¾ gboô;n
La fi mu;'le; aye; ro; ni ndan?
Translation

those behind us
behind us
He complied
When he got to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s home
Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home
Where has he gone to?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s child responded that his father
had just gone to sew one strand of clothing
material, leaving behind the other strand unsewn
those behind us
behind us
He complied
OÙ®ru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s child responded that the rope of
the world is about to break
And his father had gone to tie it back together
those behind us
behind us
He complied
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s child responded that his father
had gone to mend the world
In preparation for the time he would no longer be
around
those behind us
behind us
He complied
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s son responded that his mother
is right now pulling the chord of heaven and earth
in her hands
Whether the chord of earth is the one that will
eventually remain in her hands or that of heaven
Nobody can say for certain
My father has gone to take care of that
Travelers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾ towns
Don’t you know that the wisdom of both youths
and elders are what Olo;du¾mare¾ combined to
establish governance in this world?
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed need
not over-rely on the fact that only elders will or can share their
knowledge with him/her. He/she needs to make use of wisdom,
wise counseling, advice or guidance from anyone who can share
it with him/her - whether that person is an elder or a youth does
not really matter. What is important is for him/her to use the
idea shared with him/her in a very positive way.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to
under-estimate any child or young one. Ifa; says that as elders
have their wisdom, young ones also have their own areas where
they excel. For this reason, as youths love to learn a lot from
elders, so also do elders have some things to learn from youths
and young ones.
Ifa; says that for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed,
he/she must endeavour to hear all sides of any matter before
making a pronouncement or taking any action. This, Ifa says is
the only noble course he/she must always take. If this is not
done, he/she will end up being blamed for taking an action
without proper deliberation.
Ifa; also says that if there is any form of contention where this
Odu¾ is revealed there is the need to resolve the issue as soon
as possible. This is because, if left unsolved, the consequences
will be grave for all those involved. In order to enjoy peace of
mind therefore, all misunderstandings, altercations, contentions,
suspicions, hostilities and/or brickbats must be amicably resolved
urgently and permanently.
In this same stanza, Ifa; enjoins all elders where this Odu¾ is
revealed to ensure that a good and enduring legacy is left behind
for future generations. Anything that can lead to controversy or
crisis after the elders have joined their ancestors must be
resolved amicably before they pass on to the great beyond.
Ifa; equally says that there is a pregnant woman where this Odu¾
is revealed, there is the need to offer eôboô for her so that she
will have a safe delivery. Ifa¾ advises the following eôboô to be
offered:
i. To benefit from the knowledge of youths and

other young ones; there is the need to offer eôboô
with three hens and money. There is also the
need to feed Ifa; with two kolanuts and liquor
ii. Not to be blamed for acting without seeking and

understanding all sides of the story; one
matured he-goat and money.
iii. To be able to resolve all contentious issues before

they get out of hand; one matured he-goat
and money.
iv. For elders to leave behind an enduring legacy for

future generations; one big she-goat, one he-
goat and money.
v. For a pregnant woman to have a safe delivery,

two rats, two fish, one hen and money.
After all these had been done, there is the need to feed
OÙba¾ta;la;. The Awo needs to find out what OÙba¾ta;la; will
like to take and use it to feed the Deity accordingly.
DECEMBER EDITION
OGBE IWORI
Where Force Fails, Wisdom Triumphs

E®e¾¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾¾e¾¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n
Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
Ni;'jo;ô ogun run akoô ni;nu; woôn bi; isôu
Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe
Translation
The clustering of ants

And the movement of ants
That was Ifa;’s message for the inhabitants of
I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land
When war eliminated all their male folks
They were advised to offer eôboô
The inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land were very enterprising.

They developed their land to the envy of all the neighbouring
communities. Their businesses thrived. They made a lot of profit
and they used their gains for the progress of their community.
Unfortunately they never planned for war.
When the war came, it had devastating consequences for the

inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. All the males in the land
were killed. Not only this, all the pregnant women were also
slaughtered in case they gave birth to male children. The land
was therefore left with only female folks. Inspite of this, life
continued. They made their I®ya;lo;de the head of all the
women in the land.
One day, they went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifa;
consultation: what will we do now that we have not a single man
in our midst? How will we survive all the vagaries of life without
any man?
The Awo told them that they must always do all their things as a
group. They must take their example from the ant kingdom. The
ants do all their things as a group. That was why it was
impossible for anyone to take advantage of the ants as small and
as seemingly powerless as they were. The Awo assured them
that if they did their things as a group, nobody, man or woman
would be able to take them for a ride. They were advised to offer
eôboô with a matured he-goat. They complied.
As soon as they got back home, they called everyone together

and had a meeting. In this gathering, everybody pledged to work
together and treat any man they saw as a potential enemy. They
vowed never to trust any man as they were the ones who had
reduced their land and had snuffed out joy from their hearts.
They promised each other that they would battle any man who
felt that they could take advantage of their vulnerability. They
said that such a man would meet with the shock of his life.
A few days after this, O®gu;n heard that there was no man in
I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. He was told that they had all been killed.
O®gu;n and his men planned to go to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land to
have a nice time there. What with all the men in the land killed,
surely the women would be longing for the company of able-
bodied men by now. Those who did not want to cooperate could
be roughened up a little to make them cooperate.
When O®gu;n and his group arrived in I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n, because

of the confidence they had that the women could not put up
much resistance and that if they did, before long, they would
cave in. What they met was far from what they bargained for.
The women put up an unbelieveable resistance and resillience.
They simply overwhelmed O®gu;n and his men. They swarmed
over them like ants. In the end, O®gu;n and his men were
chased out of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land with ignominy.
Next came OÙ®sôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ and his men; they were

overwhelmed and chased out. I®ja, O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko, SÙa¾ngo;,
OÙbalu;waye;, OÙba¾ta;la;, Erinle¾ô, Ko;ri¾, etc came and they
were all disgraced out of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. In the end, all
the 399 Iru;nmoôleô¾ came to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n and they were
chased away. They simply could not understand how and why
these weak women were able to overpower the strong and
mighty Iru;nmoôleô¾. Where did they acquire the power to
overcome the Iru;nmoôleô¾, they wondered. All the 399
Iru;nmoôleô¾ went home to nurse their disgrace and humiliation.
E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n

Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sôawo loô si;lu¾u; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
Translation

That was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on a mission for Ifa; to
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the only Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had not gone to

I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land to force the women into submission. He
heard of the attempts made by all the other Iru;nmoôleô¾ and
the consequent failures.
One day, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ made up his mind to go to

I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. His reason for going there was however
different from that of the other Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had been there
before. The reason for his going was that even though the
women had the right to protect themselves and uphold their
dignity, it should not be done in an excessive manner. He
reasoned that the stance taken by the women would not be in
their favour in the long run. If care was not taken, he reasoned,
they would all die off without leaving behind anyone to continue
where they left. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ resolved that the woman
needed to be made to understand that they needed men just as
the men needed them, but not as tools to be trampled upon and
taken advantage of, but as partners who had roles to play
according to the designs of Olo;du¾mare¾.
The women must be made to understand this, but how? They

had taken the stance to suspect, dislike and resist all men. To
succeed in this mission O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ decided to approach the
Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed? How
am I to approach these women? What do I need to do for these
women to soften their stance and allow me to speak with them?
These were the questions that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifa; during
consultation.
The Awo in his response, told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was about

to undertake a delicate task. He was assured that he would
succeed if he approached the issue with wisdom, caution and
understanding. He was told that he needed to behave like a fool
if he must succeed. The Awo made it clear to him that only a
wise person could pretend to be a fool; but a fool had no power
or capability to pretend like a wise person. He was told that his
assignment was such that confrontation would never work. If he
went there and he began to behave like someone who had come
to teach them or tell them that they were wrong, he would fail.
What he needed to do was to work himself into their minds. He
must convince them that he meant no harm firstly before he
could began to tell them anything. He must also show them
evidence that he did not have any hidden agendas. This was the
only thing he could do that would make the women lower their
guard. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the women he was going to
meet at I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n had been accustomed to intimidation,
cheating, bullying, deceit, victimization and chauvinism by men,
and that none of those things would ever work anymore.
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô with 30 fowls,

two I®ro;ôkeô;, two I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô and 30 bags of
cowries. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did. At the end of the eôboô
exercise, the Awo gave him one I®roô;ke;ô and one
I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that instead of bows
and arrows, spears, javellins, clubs and blades, he needed to go
to the land with an I®roô;ke;ô and I®ru¾keô¾re¾¾ô. He was
advised to go there alone. He was also told to go with the fowls
and start as a trader among them. He agreed.
The 30 fowls were put in a cage and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ carried the
cage and set out on his journey to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. It took
him several days to get there. In the end, he got to the land and
went straight to the market place. As soon as the women saw
him, they put up their guards. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ extended his
greetings to them, but none of them answered. They quickly
averted to report the presence of a man to the Iyalode and other
chieftains of the land. When they heard that he came alone, they
became suspicious. They sent out scouts to comb the whole area
in order to ascertain whether or not, he had other people hidden
nearby. In the end, they became satisfied that he was the only
one who came to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n. Still, they decided to put him
at arms length.
During the evening time, as O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was hawking his

fowls, they all escaped in the cage and ran everywhere. He
became confused as to what to do. That was when E®sôu¾
O®Ùda¾ra¾ whispered into his ears that the opportunity he
needed to take advantage of had just happened. He was told to
seek the assistance of the women to catch his fowls back into the
cage; and while doing this, he still needed to convince them that
he meant no harm.
Taking a cue from what E®sôu¾ told him, he cleared his throat
and began to sing thus:
Ara; ilu I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;;nni mo wa; sôe o

O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
I®ya;lo;de i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi I®ro;ôkeô; jagun
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ eô¾ tu;’lu¾u;
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
O®Ùtu;n i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o
O®si¾ i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o
Ki;nni mo wa; sôe o o?
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
Translation
Inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land, what have I come

to do?
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Commerce
I®ya;lo;de, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
Commerce
Nobody uses an I®roô;ke;ô to wage any war
Business
That is what I am here to transact
Trading
One cannot use an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ to sack a town
That is what I am here for
Business
OÙ®tu;n, please help me retrieve my fowls
Business
Trading
O®si¾, please help me retrieve my fowls
Commerce
That is what I have come for
Trading
Commerce.
Hearing this song, the women became confused as to who was

this man? Truly, who could wage war with an I®ro;ôkeô; or an
I®ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ as weapon? What did this man want? Was it
safe to come close to him and allow him to come close to them?
Was it advisable to listen to him? Was this mission truly for
commerce as he had said?
Looking at OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, the women realize that truly, instead

of a bow and arrow, he was holding an I®ro;ôkeô;, instead of a
javelin or a spear, he was holding an I®ru¾ke¾ôreô¾. Did this
man come for war or peace? Surely, nobody wages war with an
I®roô;ke;ô and an I®ru¾keô¾re. Consequently, this man must
mean peace but what did he stand to gain? The women decided
that they would wait to see.
They resolved to help him pick the fowls. By the time that they
finished picking them up, it was night time. He was invited to
stay in the I®ya;lo;de’s house for the night. While in the
I®ya;lo;de’s house he was able to discuss and explain to her the
virtue of living harmoniously with men once again. After much
discussion they both agreed that it was the right thing to do
provided one party did not have the intention of taking the other
party for a ride.
The next day, I®ya;lo;de narrated her discussion with

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ with the other women. They eventually agreed
that they needed to reduce their suspicion of men and give them
another chance. They did. They never had cause to regret.
E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n

Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sôawo loô si;lu¾u; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
O: gb'eô;;boô, o; ru;'boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;yo¾ô, eô wa;a wore o
N®je;ô ara; i¾lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;nni mo
wa; sôe
Ara; i¾lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;nni mo wa; sôe
o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
I®ya;lo;de i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi I®ro;ôkeô; jagun
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ eô¾
tu;’lu¾u;
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
O®Ùtu;n i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o
O®si¾ i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o
Ki;nni mo wa; sôe o o?
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
Translation

That was Ifa’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
He complied
And the movements of ants
That was Ifa;’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
He was advised to offer eôôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Come and join us in the midst of joy
Come and behold all Ire in life
Now, inhabitants of Iramogun land, what have I
come to do?
Trading
commerce
I®ya;lo;de, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
That is what i have come to do
Commerce
Nobody uses an I®ro;ôkeô; to wage any war
Business
Trading
One cannot use an I®ru¾ke¾ôôreôô¾ to sack a
town
That is what I am here for
Business
OÙ®tu;n, please help me retrieve my fowls
Business
That is what I am her to transact
Trading
O®si¾, please help me retrieve my fowls
Commerce
Trading
Commerce.
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall
have cause to celebrate in life. He/she shall be happy and
contented.
On the other hand, the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
needs to be careful never to plan to take anyone for a ride or
take undue advantage of anybody. Anyone who plans to do so
shall be humiliated.
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall
succeed where others have failed. He/she shall be blessed and
accepted where others have been confronted and chased away.
If the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is a man, he shall

be accepted and even accomodated by the women folks. They
will find him very aggreable and for that reason, they will find no
reason to confront him. He too must always be careful not to be
in contention or confrontation with women for any reason. He
must never dream of taking advantage of woman for any reason
because if he does, the women will resist him to the very last.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer
eôboô with 30 fowls and 30 bags of cowries. He/she also
needs to make himself/herself agreeable with women so as to
succeed in his/her endeavours.
JANUARY EDITION
OGBE OFUN
Olodumare Who Creats The World Will
Never Reveal Its Secrets To Anyone
Igi nla nii ta’gbo o fabifabi ja’na
Bi a ba ge e ni’hin-in
Iyoku a wo’gbe
Bi a ba ge e lo’hun-un
Iyoku a wo’gbe
L’aarin gungungun l’opa npaje
Dia fun Oosa
Ti nf’omi oju sungbere omo
Ebo ni won ni ko waa se
Translation
A big tree has its roots running across the road
If one cuts it on this side
The remaining one runs into the forest
And if one cuts it on the other side
The one in the middle is used for herbal preparation
These were the declarations of Ifa to Oosa
When weeping in lamentation of her inability to receive the
blessing of the fruit of the womb
She was advised to offer ebo
Oosa had served Olodmare and the Divinities diligently. She had
been given a very high spiritual reward and position. She was the
favorite of the Irunmole and Olodumare. Through her, many
prayers had been answered. Many problems had been solved.
Many tears had been wiped off and replaced with smiles. Many
pains and anguish had been replaced with relief and comfort.
Sadness had turned to joy. Hopelessness had been converted to
hopefulness. Wants had become surplus. Scarcity had turned to
abundance. Depression became elevation.
Several people trooped to her home in expectation of miracles in
their lives. They had every reason to believe so. They had
witnessed or heard of several miracles that had happened around
them to make them feel so sure that it would happen to them too.
They were not disappointed. They were never disappointed.
Ironically, Oosa waited and waited for the miracle to happen in

her own life and it never happened! Oosa was praying fervently
to Olodumare to give her the blessing of the fruit of the womb and
it never happened. Time was going. She was no longer a young
woman. This miracle which she craved for more than anything
else in her life had simply failed to come.
One day she woke up in the middle of the night and prayed. She
pleaded with all the Irunmole and Oloduamre to grant her request.
She stated that several people had approached her for the
blessing of the fruit of the womb; and through her, they had
become mothers. Why should her own become impossible? She
cried. As she prayed, she wept bitterly. The heavens took pity on
her plight. They directed her to the home of the group of Awo
stated above for solution.
Very early in the morning, she was the first person the Awo saw.
She told them that she had come for Ifa consultation. During this
crucial consultation, Ogbe-Fun-un was revealed.
The Awo told Oosa that she was in dire need of a miracle in order
for her womb to open and bear the fruit of a baby. They assured
her that all the Irunmole and Olodumare had hearkened to her
plea; she was told that she would become pregnant and give birth
to a baby. They told her that at her age, she would be able to
have only one child.
They advised her to offer ebo with four matured she-goats and
money. She complied immediately. She was so grateful and
happy that at last, her own miracle and bundle of joy was on the
way to come into her life.
True to prediction, Oosa became pregnant that same month. Ten

months after, she gave birth to a lovely girl. The baby was named
Eeyan. From that very day, she had been dreaming of several
different assignments for her. She lost interest in many other
things except how to take the best care of her baby. When the
baby was growing up, both of them were seen everywhere
together. She could never go to anywhere without taking her joy
along with her. She developed rapidly too. She looked so much
like her mother in several areas. Anytime that Oosa looked at the
face of her girl, she would simply smile in appreciation of what
Olodmare had done for her.
When the girl reached her adolescent age, many suitors were
already talking to Oosa to give them the hand of her daughter in
marriage. She told all of them to wait. When the girl was matured
enough and ready for the marriage market, Oosa was already a
confused woman. This was because she had agreed to give her
daughter in marriage to four different men! To make the matter
worse, she had already been accepting gifts and presents from
the families of these four men!
The four men were; one, a Trader, two a Hunter, three, a Farmer
and four a Sculptor. Before long, they got the hint that other men
were also in the race to have Oosa’s daughter as wife.
Consequent upon this, the competition became very keen. They
brought more gifts and presents and Oosa accepted them all!
None of the four men wanted to lose. Somehow, the four men
and their families had developed a deep and passionate love for
Eeyan, Oosa’s daughter. They could not think of life without
Eeyan. The love was so deep that they were prepared to
sacrifice anything and endure any hardship in order to ensure that
they had Eeyan as wife.
One day, the four suitors’ families came to the home of Oosa, one
after the other. What they wanted to find out from Oosa was the
day of the wedding. Oosa gave the four families the same date.
She told them that all arrangements would have been concluded
by that time.
As soon as the suitors’ families departed, Oosa realized that she

had organized and concluded serious problem for herself. How
was she going to do it? Where on earth was it ever heard of that
a damsel was handed over to four men in marriage in one day?
What was she going to do to safe her face from inevitable trouble
and humiliation?
She toyed with the idea of running away from the community
together with her daughter. She quickly discarded the idea. This
was because there was nowhere she could go that she would not
be traced to and fished out.
She considered killing herself. She discarded the idea. She

knew that killing herself would mean leaving her daughter to face
the wrath and humiliation of the sin that she never committed.
She thought of calling the four suitors families together to

apologize to them that she had misbehaved and ask for their
forgiveness. The thought was also abandoned because she
knew that the four men would die of anger, frustration and sorrow.
What then should she do?
Meanwhile, the whole neighbourhood was awash with gossip.

They were all counting the date when Oosa would face the
disgrace of her life. They said that anyone who planned to do
what no one had ever done before, such a person should be
prepared to experience what no one had never experienced
before. The tension in the community almost touchable.
They noticed that Oosa had become disorganized and

disoriented. They concluded that she must be planning to run
away from the community. No! They would not allow her to run
away. They organized vigilante groups to take turns in watching
every step she took. The groups were mandated to stop her and
report to the community leaders if they suspected her of making
any unusual step.
When it remained only nine days to the wedding day, Oosa

summoned up courage and took a bold step: she went and
handed herself over to Olodumare.
In the domain of Oloduamre, Oosa cried and pleaded;

“Olodumare, I have erred. I have put myself and my daughter in
precarious situation. I have come to hand over myself to you in
order to decree any punishment you wished for me. I have
concluded arrangement to give my only daughter to four suitors.
The date of the wedding ceremony remained only nine days.
Olodumare, this is disgrace and humiliation! I have served you
with all my heart. I have never for one day transgressed against
any of your directives. I have never refused to carry out any of
your assignments that you gave to me. This is the first major sin I
know that I have ever committed. Olodumare please safe me!
Do not let me be humiliated. I am prepared to face any
punishment you may deem fit for me. If I hand over my daughter
to any one of the four suitors, the remaining three would surely
die! I erred because of my indecision! I am here to plead for you
to have mercy on me, my daughter and the families of the four
suitors. The whole community would also be adversely affected.
Olodumare, please do not leave me to my self inflicted problems!”
As she was pleading, so was she crying and rolling herself on the
ground. All the Irunmole, Egungun, Oro and Orisa in heaven
were all sympathetic. They knew that she had worked tirelessly
and selflessly before this incident. At last, Olodumare directed
Oosa to Obatala. She was told to go and explain herself there.
When Oosa got to the domain of Obatala, she narrated her story
again. Obatala told her that; “you have committed a serious sin
against Olodumare, the Irunmole, Egungun, Oro, all other Orisa
and even against yourself. You have also erred against your
daughter, your family, your community and humanity at large.
You are going to receive your punishment at the appropriate time.
Meanwhile, there is the need to find solution to the problem that
you have created. You have to return to your home now. When
you get there, ask the farmer to bring a big and robust water-yam
for you unfailingly on the eve of the wedding. Ask the Hunter to
bring a matured deer to you on the same day and ask the sculptor
to carve an image in the likeness of your daughter and bring it to
you on the same day. You do not need to ask the trader for
anything. Put everything that they have brought to you in a
special room and await my further instruction and action.
Olodumare who created the world would never reveal its
innermost secrets to anyone”.
With this assurance, Oosa left the domain of Obatala. She knew
that solution would be found to her problem. How and what, she
did not know. She did as she was told. She started to make
arrangements for the wedding.
All the four suitors had known each other by then. There was
tension among them, Oosa told the Hunter to come at Idaji, dawn
to take his wife. She told the Farmer to come at Iyaleta, midday
for his wife. She told the Sculptor to come at Osan, afternoon to
take his wife. Lastly, she instructed the Trader to come at Irole
evening for his wife.
Everyone in the community heard of the different periods that

Oosa had given the four suitors. They believed that she was
planning for the daughter to return to her home as soon as she
was handed over in marriage. This, the whole community was
determined, would never happen. They went round the homes of
the four suitors to instigate them against Oosa and her daughter.
They told them that once the daughter had been handed over to
any of them, they must not allow her to return to her mother’s
home again on that day. They said that the diabolic plan of Oosa
must be frustrated. There were schemes, plans and counter-
plans. Everybody took active part in ensuring that Oosa was
thoroughly humiliated.
To everybody’s surprise they realized that the confidence and

self-assurance of Oosa had returned. She was happy and she
behaved as a self-fulfilled woman. Everybody in the whole
community waited. Everybody put his/her ears to the ground.
Preparations were going on for the wedding. Food and drinks

were ordered in excess. Different types of dresses were bought
for the ceremony from different lands.
On the eve of the ceremony, the whole community was filled with
visitors, guests and onlookers from far and near. They wanted to
see the shame and disgrace of Oosa the next day. Nobody
wanted to be told the story. They all wanted to be eye witnesses!
The three suitors bought what they were asked to bring on that
day. The Hunter brought a big deer; the Farmer brought a giant
water-yam; and the Sculptor brought an image in the height and
likeness of Eeyan.
Nobody slept till the next day. Nobody could sleep. Nobody
wished to sleep. It would have been a big shame for anyone to
sleep off and miss any of the actions and drama that was about to
unfold.
At dawn, the Hunter and his family members arrived at Oosa’s

home! Everywhere went dead silent! Oosa welcomed them and
asked them to take their seats. They were all impatient. She
insisted. They all sat on the edge of their seats. The guests were
served with food and drinks. They were not interested in the food,
but as a sign of courtesy for their host, they took the meals and
drinks.
When it was time to take their wife, Oosa went into the special
room. She was surprised to find Obatala in the room, waiting for
her. Obatala commanded the deer which the Hunter had brought
the previous day to transform into human being, charging that
Olodumare who created the world would never reveal its
innermost secrets to anyone. Right in the presence of Oosa, the
deer turned to a human being in the same likeness of her
daughter! Oosa was overwhelmed with joy. They dressed the
deer-turned-to-human up and Oosa went out with her. She
handed over the “bride” to her Hunter husband.
The whole gathering erupted into a big celebration. They
considered themselves lucky for being the chosen one to have
Oosa’s daughter as wife. They all dispersed and went home to
continue the celebration.
The whole community witnessed the event. They said that the
time for Oosa to face her well-deserved humiliation had arrived.
At Iyaleta, the family of the Farmer arrived. They had been told
that Oosa had given her daughter to the Hunter. They demanded
for their wife while standing. Oosa told them to take their seats.
They sat reluctantly. They were served with food and drinks.
They refused to touch them. Oosa insisted that they must eat and
drink first. They took the food reluctantly.
When the time to hand over the wife came, Oosa went into her
special room and met Obatala there again. Obatala also ordered
the yam to become human being. Again, right in the presence of
Oosa, the yam was transformed into the exact likeness of her
daughter! Obatala said that Olodumare who created the world
would never reveal its innermost secrets to anyone.
When Oosa went out with her “daughter” the second time, the
whole Marriage venue turned dead silent once again. Nobody
breathed again. Nobody could breath! Nobody planned to breath!
Nobody wished to breath! Nobody wanted to breath! The shock
was overwhelming. Everybody was flabbergasted! What went
wrong? No, what went right for Obatala? What wonder was it
that they were witnessing here today? They wondered.
As they were wondering over this wonderful wonder, they noticed
to their extended wonder, that it was the same dress, the same
hair style, the same sandal, the same bracelets and the same
everything that the first daughter and the, should they call her the
second daughter, had on? The two were even having the same
smile on their faces!
But come to think of it, Oosa had only one daughter! Even if she
had more than one, the two could not be the same height, stature,
complexion and age! No, something was amiss here! Maybe
something went right for Oosa which nobody was aware of. Did it
mean that the daughter that had just been wedded out to the
Hunter had quietly returned without anyone noticing her? That
must be the reason! That ought to be the reason. In fact, that
was the reason! They quickly sent two able-bodied men to run as
fast as they could to the Hunter’s home to verify whether or not
the newly wedded lady was there. There were two Eeyan now!!!
The wonder became more wonderful for anyone to wonder about.
The Farmer and his family returned to their home together with
their wife. They too wondered about the wonderful development!
They had their wife with them. They also heard that the Hunter
had his own wife with him. How could they both have the same
lady at the same time? Wonder of gargantuan proportion had
really taken place!
In the afternoon, the family of the Sculptor arrived. They all stood
rigid with anxiety. They had been informed that the Hunter and
the Farmer had earlier came and they had both went away with
the same lady. How such wonder could happen, they too were
wondering. They were all seated and were offered food and
drinks. They ate and drank. They were too confused to be in
haste over anything.
When it was time to hand over the daughter to the groom’s family
and for all the marriage rites to begin, Oosa went inside straight
into the special room. And again she met Obatala waiting.
Obatala again drew out his Ase and commanded the carved
image brought by the Sculptor to transform into a human being,
saying that Olodumare who created the world would never reveal
its innermost secrets to anyone. And again, right in the presence
of Oosa, the image turned into her daughter, in her exact
likeness.
She went out with the “bride”, all dressed up like the other two
“brides” before her. Everywhere stood still and rigid again.
Nobody moved! Nobody spoke! Nobody coughed! Nobody
sneezed! Everywhere was charged. Everywhere was tense with
anxiety. Everywhere looked brighter and darker, all at the same
time! What was this? Wondering about this wonder was totally
wonderful. It was equally confounding. Explaining it in any logical
sense was beyond anyone present. One lady in three places at
the same time! This had never happened before! That was
happening right here and now! History of magnificent proportion
was being made right before their own eyes!
To confirm how wonderful the wonder they were witnessing was,

they sent two able-bodied men to the home of the Hunter again,
and sent other two to the home of the Farmer to ascertain that the
two newly-wedded “brides” were physically present there. The
delegates returned to report that the brides were in their
husbands’ homes! They stated further that they saw them with
their own eyes!
Those who had condemned Oosa before had begun to have a

change of opinion. Instead of condemnation, it turned to
admiration. Instead of hatred, it changed to love. Instead of
disgrace, it turned to respect. But how would she handle the
fourth suitor? They began to wonder again. Well, some felt that
the wonder which took place three times might as well happen the
fourth time. Others felt that Oosa had pushed her luck too far.
Series of speculations took place. They argued and guessed.
They even disagreed with one another. How were they to know
that Obatala had completed his work of wonders? Who would
have told them that the actual daughter of Oosa was the one
about to be wedded out to the Trader?
Then, the family of the Trader came in the evening. They were
seated and entertained. They ate and drank to their satisfaction.
They too had come to witness wonder. They were all aware that
three marriage ceremonies had taken place earlier. They were
also informed that the same lady that they had come to marry had
been given out three times earlier. The only wonder was that this
lady was present in the three places at the same time! Maybe,
just maybe, she would be living in four places at the same time!
Just maybe! What wonder could be more than that, they too
wondered.
When it was time to perform the marriage rites Oosa went inside
the special room and got her daughter dressed up for the
occasion. She came out with her. This time, the whole world
stood still! Those who sat down stood up very slowly to behold
the wonder.
Suddenly, the whole world burst into a spontaneous celebration.

They cried, laughed, screamed, jumped, danced and clapped, all
at the same time. They hailed Oosa for giving them the luck and
opportunity to witness the wonder of unequalled proportion with
their own eyes.
A few moments after this, they asked Oosa; how do you manage
to pull off this wonderful spectacle?” She replied them saying;
“don’t you know that Olodumare who created the world would
never reveal its innermost secret to anyone?”. Everybody
dispersed to their various homes, wondering over the wonder that
they witnessed in the home of Oosa.
Three years after the incident, the Hunter came to Oosa. He said
that his wife was a powerful worker. She could do anything and
she pleased him a lot. Her major weakness however was the she
was too stubborn and recalcitrant. She had no regard for anyone
when she was angry. She could also engage anyone, men or
woman in a physical fight and wrestle down the person. He
complained that he would not like to see her engaging in fighting
or in being disrespectful to anyone again. He also said that she
needed to learn how to stop when asked to do so.
Oosa told the Hunter that love alone was not enough to have a
good relationship with any woman. It must be coupled with
understanding. She told him to go back home and understand his
wife more than ever before. He was informed that his wife had
animalistic traits which he needed to understand and tame. He
must also learn to avoid anything that would activate the
animalistic instinct in her.
With this, the Hunter left, full of determination to ensure that he

made a success of his marriage to his wife. He knew that both of
them needed to understand each other in order to ensure a
successful relationship. As he was determined to understand his
wife, he would also encourage her to understand him too.
Next, came the Farmer. He told Oosa that his wife was very
jovial, neat and respectful. He however complained that anytime
there was work to do, she would be on her bed complaining that
she was either feeling cold or fever. The other women in the
house would be working but she would be sleeping.
Oosa told him that he only loved his wife but he did not
understand her. He was told that he needed to understand that
his wife has the make-up of a water-yam. She is not of strong or
tough physiological make-up. Consequent upon that, she could
not work as much as others. There was the need to give her light
assignments that would make her useful in the house. She could
really not do more than that because she was not created with
enough strength or resilience to perform more than what she was
doing.
The Farmer returned home with the full determination to

understand his wife more than ever before. At the same time, he
vowed that he would encourage his wife to understand him too.
By so doing, he reasoned, they would be able to make a success
of the relationship. He would also make his own family members
to understand the nature of his wife and that would bring an end
to the complaints and grumblings against her.
When the Sculptor came, he told Oosa that his wife was very
beautiful and adorable. She loved him and he loved her too. He
however complained that she was too insensitive to many things
happenings around her. When anything good happened to
someone, she did not know how to rejoice with the person. On
the other hand, if something bad happened, she would not bother
to sympathize with the affected person. People complained
against her but she appeared not to be bothered.
Oosa told him that his observations were correct. She however
told him that it was only love he had for his wife and love alone
was not sufficient to make a relationship work. He needed to
include understanding to the relationship. He was told that his
wife is like a wooden image which is insensitive to all the
happening around it. He was told that if he truly loved his wife as
he had claimed, he must also love her inadequacies with her.
She could not behave better than that because she was like a
carved image. He was told that she meant no harm if she failed
to rejoice or commiserate with people. It was simply her nature.
The Sculptor left with the determination to explain the situation to

his family in order for them to understand his wife and respect her
inadequacies too. He also vowed to understand her more than
ever before and to urge her to understand him too. He was fully
prepared to make a success of the marriage.
The Trader came last. He brought a lot of presents for Oosa. He
said that he had come to show his appreciation and gratitude to
Oosa for giving him such a well-trained and well-mannered lady
as wife. He said that he had no complaint whatsoever against
her. He told Oosa that Eeyan was exceptional in all areas of life.
She was loving, lovable, kind, considerate, humble, truthful, trust
worthy and totally reliable.
Oosa told him that it was not surprising because he had married a
true child of Oosa. She told him that she would do more for him if
he understood her better. There was therefore the need for him
to strive to understand his wife more than ever before. He also
needed to encourage his wife to understand him too. Anytime
that she made a mistake, he needed to understand that as a
human being, she was bound to make mistakes once in a while.
The Trader left with the determination to understand his wife more
than ever before. He also vowed to make his wife understand
him too. It was his fervent desire to ensure that their wedding
continued to work effectively for the rest of their lives.
As for Oosa, she was punished for her misconducts by the

Divinities. How, when and where, nobody knew. It was not in the
nature of the Divinities to make a public announcement of their
administrative styles, especially when it concerned one of their
own.
Igi nla nii ta’gbo o fabifabi ja’na

Bi a ba ge e ni’hin-in
Iyoku a wo’gbe
Bi a ba ge e lo’hun-un
Iyoku a wo’gbe
Laarin gungungun l’opa npaje
Dia fun Oosa
Ti nf’omi oju sungbere omo
Igbati yoo bii
O bi Eeyan
Ko pe, ko jinna
E waa ba’ni ba’yo
E waa wo’re o
Translation
A big tree has its roots running across the road
If one cuts it on this side
And if one cuts it on the other side
The one in the middle what is used for herbal preparation
These were the declarations of Ifa to Oosa
When weeping in lamentation of her inability to receive the
blessing of the fruit of the womb
She was advised to offer ebo
She complied
When she delivered
She gave birth to Eeyan
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all ire of life
Ifa says that the person for whom this Odu is revealed shall not
be disgraced or humiliated. He/she will succeed where he/she is
expected to fail.
Ifa also says that there is the need for some couples to add
understanding to their love in order to make a success of their
relationship. By so doing, they will enjoy each other for the rest of
their lives.
Ifa says that it foresees the ire of child-bearing for the person for
whom this Odu is revealed. Ifa says that he/she shall give birth to
four great children in life. Ifa also assured this person that he/she
will never face humiliation or disgrace in his/her life.
Ifa says that he/she will engage in something that is very delicate
which normally will end up in failure and disgrace but Ifa assures
this person that Ifa, Obatala and Olodumare will perform miracle
in his/her life and instead of disgrace, he/she shall receive
commendation and honour.
Ifa advises this person to offer ebo with four matured she-goats,
and money. If he/she cannot afford this, he/she may offer the
ebo with four hens and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifa
and Obatala as appropriate and as prescribed by Ifa.
FEBRUARY EDITION
OGBE OFUN
Avarice Is Deadlier Than Death
Al’epo ni koolo
Kekeeke laa gb’odu
Dia fun Okanjua
Tii se akapo Iku
Translation
He who has palm-oil in a small container
He needs to carry the large pot with caution
Ifa’s message for Okanjua, Avarice
Who was the sack carried for Iku, Death
Okanjua, Avarice was the subordinate of Iku, Death. They used

to work together. Whenever they went on hunting expedition,
Okanjua was the one who would carry the sack containing the
heads of all their victims back to the house. Sometimes, they
might kill up to 200 people, Okanjua would carry all the heads
inside the sack. When they returned to the house, Iku would
hand over two heads to Okanjua and he would take the rest. On
other occasions, they might kill up to 500 victims in one day; Iku
would not because of that increase the share of Okanjua. This
had been going on for a long time and Okanjua never uttered any
complaint. It got to a stage, however, when what Okanjua was
being given as his own share of their work was no longer
sufficient for him to maintain his family. He pleaded with Iku to
increase it and his plea fell on deaf ears.
Tired of his inability to made adequate provisions for his family,

Okanjua decided to go for Ifa consultation in order to determine
how to improve the living standard of his beloved ones. He went
to the home of the group of the Awo stated above. During
consultation, Ogbe-Funfun was revealed.
The Awo told Okanjua that it was an established fact that his own
victims far outnumbered the ones that Iku, his boss could ever
get. It therefore went without saying that his own meat and heads
were supposed to be far more than those of Iku. The Awo
therefore advised him to separate his business from that of his
boss. He was told to carry his own bag and let Iku carry a
separate one. He was to keep the heads of his own victims inside
his own bag and let Iku do the same. He was advised to offer
ebo. He complied.
The next day, he went to Iku and told him that they needed to
carry their separate sacks as from that day henceforth. Iku
looked at his subordinate with surprise. He told him that he,
Okanjua was complaining of hunger before, the action that he
was about to take would be a sure ticket for starvation. He asked
Okanjua to mention anyone that he had ever killed by himself
without the involvement of Iku before. He told Okanjua that he
would never have pity for him or any member of his household.
All the threats of Iku failed to change the mind of Okanjua. In the
end, they set out on their hunting expedition and each of them
carried his separate hunting bag.
As they were going in search of victims, they came across some

group of people who gathered together in small groups and were
deep in conversations. Upon enquiry, they found out that
someone had just died. They were discussing burial
arrangements since the corpse must be buried on that very day.
They decided to make further enquiries in order to determine who
was responsible for the demise of the person - Iku or Okanjua.
The person that they asked questions from told them that the
dead person was a very old man. “What killed him then?” Iku
asked. The man responded thus: “Before Iku could take this old
man away he had really accomplished all his heart’s desires in
life. He had a compatible spouse, lovely children and he lived a
reasonably comfortable life”. The man paused a little, then
added; “I pray to all the Orisa and Irunmole to make it possible for
me to live the type of life that this man had lived before Iku came
to take him home.
When the man finished his speech, both Iku and Okanjua looked
at each other knowingly. Okanjua told Iku that “this is your own
meat. You are the one responsible for this man’s death. You are
therefore free to cut off his head and put it in our bag”. Iku looked
at Okanjua and said that Okanjua would return home empty-
handed that day. Okanjua on the other hand was totally confident
of the prediction of Ifa. He simply told Iku that if he returned home
empty-handed, so be it.
They continued on their search. They arrived at a home where an

old woman had just called died. The burial arrangement was
being discussed with pomp and pageantry. They called someone
aside in order to enquire about what was responsible for the
woman’s death. The man that they called aside said with
excitement; “This woman had nothing to regret for being taken
home by Iku. Why should she complain? She had lived to her
old age. She was the oldest woman in the whole community.
She was properly taken care of by her children and neigbours
alike. She was a kind-hearted and humorous woman. She
always told us that anytime that Iku comes to take her away, she
was fully prepared for him. She was never afraid of Iku at all.
When Iku came to take her away, she died a happy woman. She
even died in the hands of all her children and loved ones!” The
man paused a little and then concluded; “I am one of the friends
of her children. We are going to bury her as our own mother.
She had extended her love and care to all of us before Iku took
her away. She was the mother of the whole community”.
Once again, Iku and Okanjua looked at each other. When the
man who gave them the information left to join his colleagues,
Okanjua told Iku to go and cut off the head of the woman since it
was certain that the meat belonged to him. Again, Iku made jest
of Okanjua.
As they were going in their hunting expedition, Iku told Okanjua; “I

am in an expansive mood today. Now that it is clear to you that
you cannot kill anyone outside of me, I am prepared to take a
compassionate look at you and accept you back as my
subordinate. If you tender unreserved apology to me now for
having the temerity to force your independence from me, I will
take you back. You must however promise that you will never
exhibit such silly misbehavior again in your life”.
Okanjua looked at Iku and smiled. He told Iku that; “There comes
a time in the life of anyone when he has to take a solemn
appraisal of his life and face the reality of his destiny. It is clear to
me that my existence as your subordinate will never give me the
self-realization that I crave for in my life. Let me be. If I cannot
find any food and I starve, so be it. I will search for other
assignments and continue in my way. I am convinced that I need
to be independent at this moment“.
As soon as they ended this discussion, they continued in their

search. They soon got to the frontage of a compound where
everybody present was screaming wailing, crying and rolling
themselves on the ground. They were shouting that the death of
a young man should not have come at that time at all. He was
the only son of the family. He was the only one taking care of his
two parents who were very ill. Why must he die at that moment?
His death, they screamed, would lead to the abandonment of his
parents. This would surely lead to the suffering and painful but
regrettable death of his parents. Oh! What a pity!
Iku and Okanjua called someone aside and asked; “friend, please
tell us; what is really responsible for this man’s death at this prime
age”. The lady they called aside asked them to let them go a little
further from the crowd. They did. Then she looked sideways to
ensure that nobody was within hearing distance of whatever she
was about to say. When she was sure that nobody was within ear
shot, she whispered, “Do not mind those weeping. All of us know
that it was not Iku who killed him. It was Okanjua”. How? They
asked her to explain further. The woman said. “This young man
had everything that anyone could pray for in life. He married the
most beautiful woman in the land. He gave birth to two lovely
kids. He had a big farm where many people worked for him. He
also had a successful trading business. What else did he want?
He was never satisfied with all these. He was still the head of a
dangerous armed robbery gang. They had been robbing everyone
in the neighbourhood. Tired of experiencing these losses, the
neighbours organized together and employed the services of
three hunters from Idahome land. These robbers were totally
unaware of this. They sent message to the neighbourhood that
they would come yesterday night to rob. True to their words, they
came. They were that daring. Unfortunately for them, they met
more than their match when they arrived. The dead man was
shot with a poisonous arrow. The arrow pierced through his
throat and came out from the back of his skull. He died instantly.
His comrades in robbery brought his corpse home in the dead of
the night”. She said this and rested. She concluded her lengthy
speech by saying; “Please do not mind them, Okanjua killed him, I
must return and pretend that his death pained me, because if I do
not pretend, I may face reprisal from his relatives”. The woman
left and began to cry and wail and roll herself on the ground as
the others were doing. Her own cries were even more piteous
than those of the others.
As soon as they were alone, Okanjua told Iku that the meat
belonged to him since he Okanjua was responsible for the man’s
death. He cut off the victim’s head and deposited it in his bag.
They moved again. They soon got to the frontage of a compound

where people wore melancholic look. Why? A young man had
just died. They called someone aside in order to determine what
was responsible for the man’s death. They were informed that as
soon as the man died, everybody was blaming Iku for snatching
the man away at a premature age. Their informant however told
them that Iku was not responsible for the man’s death. Rather, it
was Okanjua who killed the man. How? He man explained that
the dead man and his friend started a joint trading business.
They contributed equal amount of money to start the business.
However, the moment the business started, the dead man never
participated in the business again. He abandoned everything in
the hands of his friend. The friend complained several times but
he did not respond. For seven months, the friend was toiling and
suffering alone. The friend encountered and overcome all the
teething problems that were usually associated with any new
enterprise alone. At the end of the day, the business succeeded.
There was profit to share. The friend called upon the dead man
and made all the account to him.
Problem started however when the man told his friend that he
would deduct all the expenses from the profit before they shared
the rest. The friend also told his absentee friend that the profit
would not be shared equally since he did not participate in
nurturing the business to success. The absentee friend would
take none of that. He did not want to know anything about
running expenses and he insisted that the gross profit must be
shared equally. This led to a serious argument. In the end, the
absentee friend left his partner in anger. He did not agree to the
sharing formula.
As soon as the absentee partner got home, he began to tell

everyone who cared to listen that his friend had cheated him. He
organized some wild-looking people to go and attack his friend
and take all the profits from him. He led them to the friend’s
house. A serious fight ensued. Those who knew about the
business situation came to the friend’s rescue when he was about
to be beaten to death. In the melee, the absentee partner was hit
on the head with a club. His skull cracked. He died in the
evening of that day. The informant laid emphasis on the fact that
it was Okanjua, Avarice that had killed him.
Hearing this explanation, Okanjua cut off the victim’s head and
deposited it in his bag.
They moved again. They got to the frontage of yet another

compound, it was a pitiful spectacle. Everyone was weeping.
The air of grief was almost touchable. Why? A young lady had
just died. They called a friend of hers aside to ask her what led to
the death of her friend. The lady said, “she died of a terrible
contagious disease caused by her avarice. It was Okanjua that
killed her. If I must say it served her right!” Why must she say a
thing like that against her dead friend? She responded that the
dead friend had three men that she was dating at the same time.
These were not enough for her. She still went and snatched her
friend’s only man away from her. That was why she was still
unmarried. The unfortunate part was that she never married any
of the four men. She kept jumping from one man to the other. In
the end, she contacted this terrible disease that led to her death.
It was not Iku that killed her; it was Okanjua.
They got to another compound. Another youth had just died.

This time, it was a male youth in his 30s, what killed him? The
person that they asked responded that it was Avarice, Okanjua.
How? The response was: He had five wives in his house. He
was never satisfied with the wives. He was planning to snatch the
only wife of his neighbour. The neighbour approached him and
begged him to leave his wife alone for him. He told the neighbour
that there was nothing he could do. The neighbour arranged for
vigilante groups to keep tab on him and report any time the man
was with his wife. It did not take up to three days before he was
caught with the neighbour’s wife right inside the neighbour’s
house! When he was about to be caught, he jumped out through
the window. He fell into a well head on and broke his neck.
Before any help could be arranged for him, he had drowned in the
well. It was Okanjua that killed him.
On and on they went. And repeatedly they heard almost similar

stories.
Business was a little dull that day for Iku and Okanjua. They
returned home and counted 97 heads. Out of these, eight
belonged to Iku and the remaining 89 belonged to Okanjua.
The next day and all other subsequent days were not different at
all. The significance of this was that before Iku could take only
two people home, Okanjua would have been responsible for the
death of several others.
Alepo ni koolo
Kekeeke laa gb’odu
Dia fun Okanjua
Tii se akapo Iku
Ero Ipo, ero Ofa
Ase Okanjua nii npaa’yan
Iku ko!!
Translation
He who has palm-oil in a small container
He needs to carry the large pot with caution
Ifa’s message for Okanjua, Avarice
Who was the sack carried for Iku, Death
He complied
Travelers to Ipo and Ofa towns
Can’t you see that it is Avarice that kills
It is not Death!!
Ifa says that it will not allow avarice to cut short the life of the
person for whom this Odu is revealed. Ifa advises this person to
ensure that avarice is not given any chance in any of his/her
considerations in life.
Ifa says that if the person for whom this Odu is revealed is
working under someone, he/she will soon profit from the work that
he/she is doing. This person will eventually become the boss.
Ifa however warns this person to avoid avarice in all his/her

undertakings in life. He/she must never exhibit greed in any way
whatsoever. Greed must never be part of his/her thought,
speech, or action, lest he/she dies a premature death.
Ifa also warns that there is the threat of multiple deaths where this
Odu is revealed. There is also the need to take instant action
against it.
There is the need to procure one matured she-goat and money.

The chest of the she-goat will be dragged round the whole house
off the person for whom this Odu is revealed before it is used as
ebo material.

Messages From Ifa

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Messages From Ifa

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MESSAGE FROM IFA

BY: SOLAGBADE POPOOLA

When Olodumare completed His work on the planet earth, He

As soon as Orunmila returned home, he summoned all the Awo in

The Awo advised Orunmila to first of all offer ebo as prescribed by

i. Truthfulness: The ability to speak all those words which,

i. Anger: This is a bitter and violent feeling against others

Ifa; declares that it is time to learn wisdom from

OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and OÙba¾ta;la; were good friends. They had

The first OÙru;n came and OÙba¾ta;la; went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾

OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of what the boy had said.

When OÙba¾ta;la; heard this, he knew that there was a lot of

Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾

Ifa; declares that it is time to learn wisdom from

On the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la; went to learn from Orunmila.

Again, OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of it. He asked the child

OÙba¾ta;la; thought about this statement and concluded that

Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾

Ifa; declares that it is time to learn wisdom from

Again on the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la; went to

Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾

Ifa; declares that it is time to learn wisdom from

On the next OÙru;n day, OÙba¾ta;la; again went to

OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of this statement. In order to

When OÙba¾ta;la; heard the explanation of this child it occurred

Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾

Ifa; declares that it is time to learn wisdom from

i. To benefit from the knowledge of youths and

ii. Not to be blamed for acting without seeking and

iii. To be able to resolve all contentious issues before

iv. For elders to leave behind an enduring legacy for

v. For a pregnant woman to have a safe delivery,

Where Force Fails, Wisdom Triumphs

The clustering of ants

The inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land were very enterprising.

Unfortunately they never planned for war.

When the war came, it had devastating consequences for the

As soon as they got back home, they called everyone together

When O®gu;n and his group arrived in I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n, because

Next came OÙ®sôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ and his men; they were

E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n

The clustering of ants

O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the only Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had not gone to

One day, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ made up his mind to go to

The women must be made to understand this, but how? They

The Awo in his response, told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was about

The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô with 30 fowls,

During the evening time, as O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was hawking his

Ara; ilu I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;;nni mo wa; sôe o

Inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land, what have I come

Hearing this song, the women became confused as to who was

Looking at OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, the women realize that truly, instead

The next day, I®ya;lo;de narrated her discussion with

E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n

The clustering of ants

If the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is a man, he shall

Ironically, Oosa waited and waited for the miracle to happen in

True to prediction, Oosa became pregnant that same month. Ten

As soon as the suitors’ families departed, Oosa realized that she

She considered killing herself. She discarded the idea. She

She thought of calling the four suitors families together to

Meanwhile, the whole neighbourhood was awash with gossip.

They noticed that Oosa had become disorganized and