CONFAB...Traditional Worshippers Cry Foul Over Exclusion

Aggrieved adherents of African Traditional Religion in the country have come hard on the Federal Government over their non-inclusion  among groups expected to send representatives to the proposed national dialogue. The group cautioned that ignoring the religion now or ever, will come back to haunt the country for several decades to come.

They are demanding for at least, three slots on the national conference, to represent them and articulate the interests of practitioners of African Religion and spirituality. The President, International Council for IFA Religion and Dean, School of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Professor Idowu Odeyemi who expressed sadness over the exclusion during a press briefing in Abuja submitted that it was wrong to consciously alienate and ignore a large number of African’s religious class.

Odeyemi observed that in the listing, six Muslim and six Christian leaders, drawn from the six geo-political zones in the country were invited to the confab. He alleged that authorities, acting in accordance with the dictates of foreign media, gave the impression that the country was made up of only Christians and Muslims and that African Religion did not exist in Africa’s largest nation.

The renowned professor further argued that African Traditional Religion was neither envious of, nor at war with the Muslim and Christian brethren, but insisted that the reality of today was that the country had been and was a multi-religious society. He said ideally, all adherents should practise their faiths in peace and harmony even as they make their modest contributions to the development of the nation. He expressed worry that despite having over 250 temples in South West alone, including many other followers in other parts of the country and abroad, followers of traditional African religion were being perceived as good-for-nothing and as if they did not exist.