Oluwo of Iwoland in Osun State, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has urged Nigerians to abide by the teachings and doctrines of Islam which preaches oneness of Allah, insisting that such was crucial for Nigeria to overcome its numerous challenges.
Oba Akanbi stated, “To maximize the benefits of our resources, we must worship and reverence God, so He can bless them and enable us to utilize them effectively.”
He encouraged Nigerians to resist the temptation of idol worship and instead embrace the teachings of Islam, which preaches the oneness of Allah.
The Oluwo of Iwo noted that once a nation turns away from idol worship, many of its problems will be solved. He emphasised that the highest form of wisdom is recognising and worshiping one God.
“By doing so, Nigeria will be greatly blessed, and its citizens will experience peace and prosperity,” he noted.
Speaking in Mina, Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, Oba Akanbi said “to get benefits of whatever resources we have, we must worship God and rever Him so he can bless the resources and help us get its benefits.”
He urged Nigerians to do all it takes to abide by the teachings of Islam and resist the temptations to worship other deities noting “if we profess one God and adhere to the teachings of Islam, Nigeria will be greatly blessed”.
The revered traditional ruler who is currently observing the ongoing hajj rites in the Holy land said the highest of wisdom was to know and worship one God, adding that once a nation moves away from idol worshiping, most of its problems will be solved.
He insisted that Nigerians must revere God who is the owner of the plethora of human and material resources that abound in the country.
The Yoruba monarch described deity worshipping as a universal phenomenon which reflects ignorance of the old dark age noting that he is happy to be one of the believers of one God who created heaven and the earth.
He insisted that the Yoruba deities of Oduduwa, Sango and Ogun worshipped one God noting “all these deities worshipped one God which in Arabic means Allah” and wondered why some people still worship these deities.
While lambasting idol worshippers, Oba Akanbi, who has had running battle with some traditionalists in his kingdom over his firm opposition to idolatry, said deity worshipping is dark age and slavery.
“Ogun is from Ekiti. How can I be going to Ekiti man who doesn’t know me and has never been to Iwo to worship when he will always take care of his own people before taking care of where he doesn’t know. Sango is from Oyo and how can an Iwo man worship an Oyo man,” he asked rhetorically.
He lauded the Saudi authorities for effective planning and coordination of the Hajj exercise, especially the movements of over two million pilgrims from one place to another for the Hajj rites.
