"In the core Yoruba land or Oduduwa cosmology, money has never been foremost in Yoruba Value System. In our value system, money is number six..
What are the first five?
The first is laaka’ye, which is the application of Ogbon, Imo, Oye (knowledge, wisdom, understanding). For instance, my grandfather was like the Chief Judge in our homestead, Adelegun in Ago-Iwoye, in his time he was an illiterate and not even the richest but he was reputed to have wisdom. When the late Pa Awolowo, Adelabu, Akintola, Abraham Adesanya and Adekunle Ajasin were made leaders, they were not the richest. These Ogbon, Imo and Oye have to do with traditional, cultural and Community acquired wisdom gotten overtime that have been proven to be relevant to day-to-day life of the people in the past.
What is the antecedence of those in the position of authority today?
The second is valour. Akin or Akinkanju. That is why Baloguns are second-in-command to the leaders in Yoruba land. Baloguns are people that can lead them to war. Yoruba has no respect for cowards, hypocrites, weaklings, fearful, double standard person and a woman-hearted man (ojo)
The third is integrity. Iwa Omoluabi. Someone with integrity is a man of his words. If you have all the wealth in the world but lack integrity, it means nothing. Integrity is combined with iwa – Character, which we regard as Omoluabi. What you respect, you will never abuse. They handle people and anything they do with decorum, dignity and honour. They don't behave wiser than others but make use of other people's wisdom to achieve great success. Afi ogbon ologbon sogbon ni kii je ka pe agba niwere.
The fourth is having a visible means of livelihood. Aniselapa ti kiise ole. A person must be identified with a visible means of living; that guarantees a lawful income or sustainance, his or her profession or job must be open and legally approved by the society not through cheating, fraud, yahoo, stealing, forceful or any dubious means. Alainise tabi arisemase kii mowo na. (A jobless or lazy person will never be prudent in spending)
The fifth is honor (iyi), the Yoruba's places premium on the gait and carriage with which one carries himself and public reputation. That's why they usually says that when you set out to look for money and you met honor on the road, that you don't need the journey again because if you get the money, you will still need to use it in buying honor. Eni iyi believes in self-esteem, they can't be easily bought, they are contented and firm; disciplined and consistent. Eni iyi will not sell their birth-rights for anything. They always standout and stand for something good.
The last in the Yoruba value system is money or wealth. ( owo or oro ). If you have money in place of the earlier five, you are nobody in yorubaland of old days. Unfortunately, this is being pushed to be the first nowadays due to erosion of value system.
Can you decide today to be an advocate of cultural values and embrace those things that you will willingly want to relinquish to your children and generations unborn?
Say No to wealth without source, say no to rape, say no to corruption, say no to rigging during election, say no to bribery, say no intimidation, say no to oppression, say no to injustice, ethnocentrism, racism, genocide, murder, etc.
Let there be fairness, truth, justice, equity, love and peace in our Society.
God bless you
Copied and Edited by B. S. Adedeji, from Tola Adeniyi's PhD Thesis
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