Browsing by Author "ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi Solomon"
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Item Africanisation of Numeral Concept in Christian Religious Worship among the Igbomina in Eastern Yorubaland(Faculty of Arts, Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State, 2018) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonHuman thoughts can be expressed both in words (letters of the alphabets-ABCDE…) and figures (symbols representing numbers – 12345…). Numbers are significant both in the secular (mathematical calculations or statistics) and the spiritual sense. This work reveals the biblical basis for the popular adoption of some frequently used numbers in both secular and religious programmes today. However, correlation of such numbers identified, reveals that some of such numbers had been sacred and prominent before the advent of Islam and Christianity. Methodology used include: oral interviews, observations, attendance at ceremonies and festivals for careful juxtapositions and scrutiny of printed materials. The study concludes that Christian worship today often appears to be ritualistic in nature due to the band-wagon effect of traditionalism. God must however, be worshipped in truth and holiness; His attributes does not customarily restrict Him to one-way traffic or formula in his deeds and actions. Neither His action nor attention can be won via repetitive or magical use of numbers.Item Africanisation of Numeral Concept in Christian Religious Worship among the Igbomina in Eastern Yorubaland(Faculty of Arts, Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State, 2018) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonHuman thoughts can be expressed both in words (letters of the alphabets-ABCDE…) and figures (symbols representing numbers – 12345…). Numbers are significant both in the secular (mathematical calculations or statistics) and the spiritual sense. This work reveals the biblical basis for the popular adoption of some frequently used numbers in both secular and religious programmes today. However, correlation of such numbers identified, reveals that some of such numbers had been sacred and prominent before the advent of Islam and Christianity. Methodology used include: oral interviews, observations, attendance at ceremonies and festivals for careful juxtapositions and scrutiny of printed materials. The study concludes that Christian worship today often appears to be ritualistic in nature due to the band-wagon effect of traditionalism. God must however, be worshipped in truth and holiness; His attributes does not customarily restrict Him to one-way traffic or formula in his deeds and actions. Neither His action nor attention can be won via repetitive or magical use of numbers.Item Challenges of Integration and De-coloniality in Africa: The Nigerian Experience(Langaa Research and Publishing CIG, Mankon, Bamenda, 2016) ABOYEJI, Adeniyi Justus; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonNigeria, prior to its imperial mid-wifing, was a multi-national expanse of land with its plurality of states. In spite of the marriage of inconvenience and artificial imperial tinkering that coerced disparate ethnic nationalities together into a mega nation through the British administrative stance of miserliness, in the spirit of nationalism and optimism it was hoped that someday, they would either forget or understand their differences to the effect that they would accept themselves for what they really are and foster integration among the various heterogeneous groups. However, after a century of forced integration, following the 1914 amalgamation, and decades of experimented federalism, some have argued that Nigeria is still in the process of becoming or worse still, failing to become a nation. With all optimism, Nigeria is perhaps, at its best a tomorrow or futuristic nation. A century following stringent attempts at national integration, one great monster that has proved so impregnable to the problem of national integration in Nigeria is regionalism. What is more, Nigeria has become a terrorism-infested nation, having been enlisted by the U. S. A. as one of the 14 countries to be recognised as terrorist states world-wide. (Afinotan, 2010:302). Meanwhile, this same U.S. and its agencies, notably the CIA, and international banking organisations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, were set up and master-minded by the USA and its Western Allies to perpetrate all manners of malevolence against African and particularly Third World countries. This chapter, therefore, delves into the challenges of de-coloniality and integration in Africa with particular reference to Nigeria in the light of the organised crimes, such as terrorism. The study reveals that this could not be unconnected with the activities of organisations known collectively as the 'corporatocracy' which are behind the new global empire. It is, therefore, necessary to state that until the battle against neo-colonialism in Africa is fought and won, the attainment of a laudable integration and de-coloniality is, at best, a fool’s paradise. The chapter, which adopts the historical, narrative and analytical approach, and which relies extensively on personal observation, published works and the media, attempts the trans-disciplinary approach to modern historical studies.Item CHANGING VALUES AND IDENTITY CRISIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF YORUBA INDIGENOUS NAMES(A Journal Publication of the Faculty of Arts, Nasarawa State University, Keffi-Nigeria, 2020-03) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonThe Yoruba are culturally minded people; hence, the act of naming a child is an inherited and indispensable culture in Yorubaland as children are the soul of Yoruba culture. This study examines the trends/changes in the value system (incidentally more in the negative direction than positive) with special focus to personal names in the 21st century Yoruba society. The researcher is thus interested in finding out the typology of Yoruba Personal names, the premium placed, new dimensions introduced into the Yoruba naming systems and danger signals. In carrying out this study, the researcher complemented primary and secondary sources with the social media, inscriptions on souvenirs and lists of registered students in selected schools. The researcher’s findings reveal that the worrisome state of affairs leading to identity crisis has a lot of historical, cultural and educational implications on the Yoruba nation and African society at large. Many of these modifications have no restriction to language, religion and gender. The study concludes that while every culture borrows, modifies and integrates in a dynamic world; it is pertinent for the Yoruba to avoid hook, line and sinker embrace of alien values or else face historical erosion, loss of identity and cultural bastardization. Therefore, while cultural globalisation is inevitable, some interactions need to be resisted abinitio and where entrenched, reversed.Item Common Grounds in the Religious Practices of the Igbomina People in Eastern Yorubaland(Faculty of Arts, University of Ilorin, 2013) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonReligion has been part of every society. Indigenous religion was also a culture. Centuries later, came Islam and subsequently, Christianity. In the course of propagating the neo-religions, there emerged a proliferation of their organs which have continued to increase in number and wax stronger. They have become a source of disunity among the members of the same faith and inter-faith. However, in this disunity, there is unity which provided common grounds that guarantee continuous peace and harmony among the Igbomina in eastern Yorubaland. While this paper does not deny the differences in the beliefs and practices in the alien religions among the Igbomina which could be explosive time bombs or kegs of gun powder, if not well managed, the focus is to examine one of the common grounds (festivals, the most elaborate), and its strength and capability in sustaining peace in Igbominaland in the face of the increasing crisis engendered by religion. Through exploratory method,1 it is discovered that many nuclear and extended families across Igbominaland are mixed up with both Christian and Muslims. In some cases, the husband is of a religion while the wife is of the other. This development, rather than being a source of discord is a blessing in disguise. This is obvious in their festivals and ceremonies that family bond bring both Christian and Muslim siblings or friends together in the church or mosques, family houses or designated venues irrespective of their differences. Affinity and consanguinity kinship are equally potent connecting rods. Therefore, this paper concludes that the present challenges to separate the co-religionists in Nigeria may be an unrealizable dream among the Igbomina if the common features are stressed and the interest of every group or religion is upheld, none, to the detriment of the other.Item Common Grounds in the Religious Practices of the Igbomina People in Eastern Yorubaland(Faculty of Arts, University of Ilorin, 2013) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonReligion has been part of every society. Indigenous religion was also a culture. Centuries later, came Islam and subsequently, Christianity. In the course of propagating the neo-religions, there emerged a proliferation of their organs which have continued to increase in number and wax stronger. They have become a source of disunity among the members of the same faith and inter-faith. However, in this disunity, there is unity which provided common grounds that guarantee continuous peace and harmony among the Igbomina in eastern Yorubaland. While this paper does not deny the differences in the beliefs and practices in the alien religions among the Igbomina which could be explosive time bombs or kegs of gun powder, if not well managed, the focus is to examine one of the common grounds (festivals, the most elaborate), and its strength and capability in sustaining peace in Igbominaland in the face of the increasing crisis engendered by religion. Through exploratory method,1 it is discovered that many nuclear and extended families across Igbominaland are mixed up with both Christian and Muslims. In some cases, the husband is of a religion while the wife is of the other. This development, rather than being a source of discord is a blessing in disguise. This is obvious in their festivals and ceremonies that family bond bring both Christian and Muslim siblings and friends together in the church or mosques, family houses or designated venues irrespective of their differences. Affinity and consanguinity kinship are equally potent connecting rods. Therefore, this paper concludes that the present challenges to separate the co-religionists in Nigeria may be an unrealizable dream among the Igbomina if the common features are stressed and the interest of every group or religion is upheld, none, to the detriment of the other.Item Constitutional Experimentations and the Military Factor in the 19th Century Yoruba Power Politics(Department of of History and Strategic Studies, Dutsinma, Katsina State, 2019) ABOYEJI, Adeniyi Justus; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonThe thrust of this paper bothers on the inherent constitutional experimentations and the military factor observable in the Yoruba power politics during the revolutionary 19th century. The paper adopts the historical research method, which employs the use of available primary and secondary sources of historical analysis. Findings in this study show that evidences abound on the emergence of new forms of political organisations throughout Yorubaland in the 19th century. Ijaiye under Kurunmi, Ibadan under Basorun Oniyole, Oyo under Alaafin Atiba, Ekiti (-parapo) under Prince Fabunmi and Ogedengbe, Egba, Abeokuta under Sodeke, Oke-Odan and Iwo under Balogun Ali, among others, provide us with clear examples of such experiments in political engineering. This was in the general spirit of the constitutional experimentations that pervaded the political space during the turbulent century. The paper concludes that although the 19th century was indeed an epoch of cataclysmic changes not only in the area around the Niger that came to be known as Nigeria but the West African sub-region in general. By and large, Yorubaland during the 19th century was particularly bedevilled by three distinct upheavals from three distinct quarters. The militarization of politics in the 19th century as against the politicization of the military in the 20th century speaks of the political dynamism within the same political space.Item “Constitutional Experimentations and the Military Factor in the 19th Century Yoruba Power Politics”(Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State, 2019) ABOYEJI, Adeniyi Justus; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonThis thrust of this paper bothers on the inherent constitutional experimentations and the military factor observable in the Yoruba power politics during the revolutionary 19th century. The paper adopts the historical research method, which employs the use of available primary and secondary sources of historical analysis. Findings in this study show that evidences abound on the emergence of new forms of political organisations throughout Yorubaland in the 19th century. Ijaye under Kurunmi, Ibadan under Basorun Oluyole, Oyo under Alaafin Atiba, Ekiti (-parapo) under Prince Fabunmi and Ogedengbe, Egba, Abeokuta under Sodeke, Oke-Odan and Iwo under Balogun Ali, among others, provide us with clear examples of such experiments in political engineering. This was in the general spirit of the constitutional experimentations that pervaded the political space during that turbulent century. The paper concludes that although the 19th century was indeed an epoch of cataclysmic changes not only in the area around the Niger that came to be known as Nigeria but the West African sub-region in general, by and large, Yorubaland during the 19th century was particularly bedevilled by three distinct upheavals from three distinct quarters. The militarisation of politics in the 19th century as against the politicisation of the military in the 20th century speaks of the political dynamism within the same political space.Item “Constitutional Experimentations and the Military Factor in the 19th Century Yoruba Power Politics”(Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State, 2019) ABOYEJI, Adeniyi Justus; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonThis thrust of this paper bothers on the inherent constitutional experimentations and the military factor observable in the Yoruba power politics during the revolutionary 19th century. The paper adopts the historical research method, which employs the use of available primary and secondary sources of historical analysis. Findings in this study show that evidences abound on the emergence of new forms of political organisations throughout Yorubaland in the 19th century. Ijaye under Kurunmi, Ibadan under Basorun Oluyole, Oyo under Alaafin Atiba, Ekiti (-parapo) under Prince Fabunmi and Ogedengbe, Egba, Abeokuta under Sodeke, Oke-Odan and Iwo under Balogun Ali, among others, provide us with clear examples of such experiments in political engineering. This was in the general spirit of the constitutional experimentations that pervaded the political space during that turbulent century. The paper concludes that although the 19th century was indeed an epoch of cataclysmic changes not only in the area around the Niger that came to be known as Nigeria but the West African sub-region in general, by and large, Yorubaland during the 19th century was particularly bedevilled by three distinct upheavals from three distinct quarters. The militarisation of politics in the 19th century as against the politicisation of the military in the 20th century speaks of the political dynamism within the same political space.Item THE CRISIS OF CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT: A CASE OF NIGERIA(Department of History, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, 2020) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonUndeniably, the task of nation building and development generally in the Third World Countries has been so challenging in spite of the evident human and material resources in time past till present. The asymmetric impacts brought by imperialism, colonialism, Western civilization made possible by weapons such as foreign religions, Western education, economic policies, Multi-National Corporations, globalization and neo-colonialism have far reaching effects on Africans till today. With more references drawn from the Yoruba ethnic group in Nigeria, this paper emphasizes the aspects of African legacies threatened by extinction or ‘civilization gone with the wind’. It identifies the nagging challenges and cautions that mental slavery, acute culture importation and blind acceptance of Western education and ‘civilization’ hook, line and sinker, without bringing it in line with the indigenous way of life cause the undoing of Africa’s cultural inadequacies and moral shipwreck. The paper recommends and concludes that the chaff needs to be sieved from the corn as Africans need to, on the one hand, seek first mental decolonization and cultural pride to enable them preserve their pristine nature ad infinitum and on the other hand, see what can be retained, rejected or modified to blend with parts of Arabic and Western cultures to which they have been exposed. The methodology for this research is based on the revision of copious literature and reliance on archaeological sources, archival materials and oral interviews, hoping that the study will contribute to the growing literature of the African Cultural Studies.Item INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM: A SURVEY OF TRADITIONAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IN PRE-COLONIAL YORUBALAND(Faculty of Arts, Management and Social Sciences, Edo State University Uzairue, Edo State, Nigeria, 2021-12) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi Solomon; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonThe same principles apparently underline science and technology, be it modern or indigenous. What perhaps differs is the nature, forms and stage of development. In spite of the increasing advancements in science and technology today, there is still much to be found and cherished within the Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS). This study validates the fact that science and technology are inherently enmeshed in the existence of every society. Nigerians in general and the Yoruba in particular have a long history of science and technology which dates back to a very early period. Much of African cultural tradition, science, religion and other forms were plagiarized, stolen and adopted without due credit to the African inventors and originators. Hence, this paper surveys the traditional communication system and its functions in pre-colonial Yorubaland in order to retrieve waning and irresistible valuables and deeply reflect on the implications. Findings reveal that trends in modern science and technology owes its origin to the IKS due to the fact that the full knowledge of man in the present can only be approached through a scrutiny of the records of his past achievements and failures. The paper concludes/suggests a continuous and productive synergy between the IKS and modern innovations as the past is accordingly, the father of the present; and the past and present together provide the only basis for a prognosis of the future. The paper adopts a historical and phenomenological approach with a combination of primary and secondary sources of data gathering.Item THE NIGER DELTA AND NIGERIAN ECONOMY: TRANSITION FROM AGRARIAN TO OIL ECONOMY: SOME MATTERS ARISING(NIGERIAN DEFENCE ACADEMY PUBLISHERS, KADUNA, 2020) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonThe poor performance of many African economies has become a matter of great concern to scholars and analysts. Agriculture was the mainstay of the Nigerian economy prior the discovery of crude oil in the Niger Delta region. This paper x-rays the trends of economic growth and development as well as discusses/assesses the implications of matters arising from the pains and gains of the developments. The Niger Delta is the centrepoint, being the great centre of trade with Europe during the slave trade era as from the 15th century; also the second largest palm oil producer in the world next to Malaysia when the palm [‘legitimate’] trade became dominant in the 19th century as well as became the storehouse of petroleum resources since the 20th century. With the oil boom, commerce developed and Nigeria became a dumping ground for all sorts of western products. Like a mixture of both blessing and curse, success in commerce meant increasing set-back for agriculture and the rural economy generally. Findings reveal that it is a different ball game if a country is abundantly endowed as Nigeria is, and it fails to turn this abundance into both boom and boon to the citizens as well as the oil bearing communities. It argues that Nigeria is plagued by perennial economic, political and social crises where growth remains unsustainable and development elusive. The data used were mainly from primary and secondary sources. The study concludes that as Nigeria presently faces two intimidating enemies; the coronavirus pandemic and unprecedented crashing oil prices, both are beyond the country’s control and have the potential to do priceless harm to the biggest economy in Africa. It is better late than never to re-echo the warning that “Wealth has wings. With its wings, it can do one of two things: it can just fly away, leaving nothing behind or it can fly about bringing in more wealth in the process.’’The paper calls for a more proactive and beyond lip-service approach by policymakers towards the plight of the Niger Delta region and the non-negotiable diversification of the country’s economy as oil is worthless in a society without consumption.Item “Religion and the Economic Ethics of the Pre-colonial Igbomina, Eastern Yorubaland: A Lesson for the Present”(A Publication of the Faculty of Arts, Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State, 2019) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi Solomon; ABOYEJI, Adeniyi JustusEconomic activities and religious beliefs were, to a large extent intertwined. From ages, religion has been part of every society and the life of an average man revolves around his religion which dictates his code of conduct to cultural, socio-political and economic matters. Hence, since man inhabited the planet, it has been one long struggle for survival between him and nature. The reality of the basic needs of life-food, cloth and shelter indeed made him to inevitably see necessity as the mother of invention, as well as the need to set up some guiding principles in his day to day transactions in all his cultural institutions. This is the case of the Igbomina who had evolved from very primitive origins and has made a staggering leap to the present. This paper does not only examine the central place of religion or the influence of the Supreme Deity in determining success and failure of Man in all human endeavours but also surveys the correlation between religious doctrines and the practical ethics of the economic activities of the Igbomina. The paper adopts a historical and analytical approach with a combination of primary and secondary sources of data collection. The study concludes that in every aspect of an Igbomina, religion dominates and dictates his actions, reactions and inactions. Again, even though he/she is exposed to western education and culture vis-à-vis his economic and socio-political impetus, religion still often provides ethics, implying that traditional thought is still the source of his basic world view. On this note, the past lies like a nightmare upon the present (Karl Marx).Item Religion and the Economic Ethics of the Pre-Colonial Igbomina, Eastern Yorubaland: A Lesson for the Present(Faculty of Arts, Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State, 2019) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi Solomon; ABOYEJI, Adeniyi JustusAbstract Economic activities and religious beliefs were, to a large extent intertwined. From ages, religion has been part of every society and the life of an average man revolves around his religion which dictates his code of conduct to cultural, socio-political and economic matters. Hence, since man inhabited the planet, it has been one long struggle for survival between him and nature. The reality of the basic needs of life-food, cloth and shelter indeed made him to inevitably see necessity as the mother of invention, as well as the need to set up some guiding principles in his day to day transactions in all his cultural institutions. This is the case of the Igbomina who had evolved from very primitive origins and has made a staggering leap to the present. This paper does not only examine the central place of religion or the influence of the Supreme Deity in determining success and failure of Man in all human endeavours but also surveys the correlation between religious doctrines and the practical ethics of the economic activities of the Igbomina. The methodology was based on revision of relevant literature, reliance on archaeological sources, archival materials and oral interviews. The study concludes that in every aspect of an Igbomina, religion dominates and dictates his actions, reactions and inactions. Again, even though he/she is exposed to western education and culture vis-à-vis his economic and socio-political impetus, religion still often provides ethics, implying that traditional thought is still the source of his basic world view. On this note, the past lies like a nightmare upon the present (Karl Marx).Item THE ROLE OF RELIGIOUS INTERACTION IN MAINTAINING WORLD ORDER IN A MULTI-RELIGIOUS YORUBALAND(Al-Hikmah Journal of History and International Relations (AJHIR), 2020-12) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonReligion is a dynamic institution and an integral part of every society in Africa. This study does not in any way deny the conflict theory, it rather seeks to place premium on the positive understanding of religion and lay conscious emphasis on the adoption of religion as a cohesive tool in the hands of religious leaders. Findings reveal that in spite of the proliferations of mosques and churches in Nigeria with the major aim to teach the law of God via copious quotations and stories; the country seems sinking under unending incubation of shocking vices and decadence. Hence, as religion performs a cohesive function, it can equally be an offensive tool in the hands of religious leaders where there is no understanding and tolerance by the adherents of African Traditional Religion, Islam and Christianity. The study concludes that if religions are considered to be functional to nation building and individual wellbeing, it becomes expedient for all agents of socialization to give the crusade on the need to use religion as a vehicle to engender peaceful co-existence the seriousness it deserves. This research fuses the investigative approaches of a range of disciplines including both the primary and secondary sources.Item SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY IN IGBOMINALAND: STRATEGIES, CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES, 1895-1960(Ilorin Journal of History and International Studies (IJOHIS), 2020) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonNo matter how economic scholars seem to over-justify the economic motive as the basis of colonialism in Africa, other factors are also tenable as multi-causal theories allow for multiple factors to underpin any historical event. One of the motives of the Portuguese explorations of the coasts of West Africa in the 15th century was the spread of the Christian faith. Hitherto, in most published works on the history of Christianity in Nigeria, enough light has been shed on the abortive attempts in Benin and Warri in the 15th century and the successful establishment of Christianity in Nigeria in the 19th century when it in most cases met on ground, (African) Traditional Religion and Islam. However, the challenges to Christian mission activities via the adopted strategies and consequent indigenous responses often remain neglected. This study examined the advent of Christianity through the agents of its spread, the Christian Missions/missionaries and their adopted strategies. The data used in this historical research were mainly from primary and secondary sources. Findings reveal that there were pockets of the Igbomina in Diaspora who were already Christian converts before Christianity found its way to Igbominaland, noticeable as from 1895. The efforts of liberated indigenes or early converts cannot also be swept under the carpet. Challenges however, became inevitable but not insurmountable. To the first generation of missionaries, expansion was hindered by innumerable forces, as well as, the Islamization of many traditional Igbomina. Consequently, responses to Christian Mission activities took different patterns. It is concluded that though the enduring nature of Christianity in the face of challenges and hostilities made modifications and syncretism inevitable, it has played a distinctively civilizing and transformative role in Igbominaland.Item TRADITIONAL RULERS AND THE CRISIS OF RELEVANCE IN A DEMOCRATIC CULTURE: A CASE OF THE IGBOMINA IN KWARA STATER(Ilorin Journal of History and International Studies (IJOHIS), 2017) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonOrder in society is grounded in power and so it is a natural phenomenon that in every society, there is bound to be some people to lead and others to be led. Again, in every society and its institutions, there are always the elements of continuities and change. This paper examines the changing roles of traditional rulers in Igbominaland, Eastern Yorubaland. It is ironically and lamentably worrisome to note that the once absolute and multi-tasking monarchies who were indispensable reference points in their domains, have in contemporary times been clamourers for recognition and relevance in the governance of the country. So, the problems and prospects of the traditional rulers’ roles were examined. The papers concludes that since the citizens who are central to democratic sustainability are greatly influenced by the traditional institutions; the Federal government should as a matter of seriousness, delegate a formidable constitutional role to the royal fathers rather than relegate them to the background. This research fuses the investigative approaches of a range of disciplines including revision of copious literatures on metaphysics, religion, culture; reliance on archaeological sources, archival materials and oral interviews. It is hoped that the study would contribute to the growing literature of the African Cultural Studies.Item TRENDS IN THE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF THE IGBOMINA SINCE THE TWENTIETH CENTURY(Ilorin Journal of Religious Studies (IJOURELS), 2018-12) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonReligion has always been an integral part of every human society. However, one of two things has happened to man’s religion in any given situation: modification with adaptation or extinction. The first may be said to have been the fate of religion throughout the world, of any religion. Again, there is no living religion that has not taken into itself elements from the other religious cultures. This study examines trends in the religious experience among the Igbomina people over the years. Acknowledging the indispensability of religion like any other human society as well as the God-factor phenomenon in all their multifarious activities, their traditional religious beliefs include: the existence of Supreme Deity associated with incomparable attributes; intermediaries; spirit world comprising of innumerable forces of both goodness and evil; moral order and the transient nature of the mundane world. Much later came Islam and Christianity, respectively, with ‘new’ beliefs and teachings. However, findings reveal that the identified traditional religious beliefs (though with noticeable differences especially in the mode of worship) can still be centrally established in the tenets of the alien religions. Furthermore, even though religious tenets are dogmatic and social institutions such as family, religious associations, etc are divine institutions in accordance with the natural order, change is forcing itself on societies and religious bodies as congregation after congregation today struggles with the problems caused by new world with trending patterns of life. Hence, human institutions –social, religious and cultural have changed over time and their future forms are not known with any certainty. The paper adopts a historical and phenomenological approach with a combination of primary and secondary sources of data collection. The study concludes that critical examination of trends in the religious beliefs among the Igbomina generally reveal liberalism, syncretism and consequently, the degree of change as each Igbomina community tends to depend on the kind of external pressure(s) to which it has been subjected as well as on the extent to which it is prepared to accommodate or embrace new ways.Item VALUES OF CRAFT WORKS AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM IN PRE-COLONIAL IGBOMINALAND(Department of History & International Studies, University of Ilorin and Prince Abubakar Audu University, Kogi State, 2022) ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi Solomon; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi Solomon; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonThis paper argues that science and technology are intrinsically enmeshed in the existence of every society. For the Western man, ‘Africa was, and remains a museum of barbarism, a zone of immemorial stagnation, whose inhabitants are congenitally lazy, inferior, unfulfilled and tormented victims of a savage society, by-passed by the laws of human growth due to some natural or ordained failing.’1 It is against this prejudice that this study supports with sufficient evidence that it is erroneous to presuppose that with the Modern High Technology (MHT), science and technology begin and end in the developed nations. With the careful use of both primary and secondary sources, findings reveal that science and technology, be it modern or indigenous, have not only served their environmental needs but also have universal application varying only in nature, content and level of development. Using the Igbomina- a sub group of the Yoruba in Nigeria as a case study, it suffices to say that at no time was there any society with no form of science and technology at one time or the other. Again, even though the global picture of African ‘underdevelopment’ is no doubt, a worrisome and disturbing phenomenon to the discerning eyes; the paper argues further that Africa’s inability to develop and modernize has its root in an aggravating historical circumstance. It concludes that in spite of the cravings for MHT which appears to be an elusive catch-up game, the desire to develop traditional skills and techniques has continued to receive attention. It is suggested that the search for indigenous alternatives should be promoted as there is the need for a close identity between technology and cultural environment in which it exists.Item Veneration of Mountain-spirits in Yoruba Traditional Religion: The Igbomina Example(Langaa Research and Publishing CIG, Mankon, Bamenda, 2018) ABOYEJI, Adeniyi Justus; ABOYEJI, Oyeniyi SolomonThe mountaineering spree that is rife in Christian religious worship today is probably an African heritage of spirituality in religiosity. The height of this belief in most African churches today suggests firmly or tacitly that there is a strong connection between answerable prayers and mountaineering experiences. While some believe in ascending the physical mountains like Jesus did, some believe that one can make a mountain even of a valley like Daniel in the Lion's den or Jonah in the Whale's belly. In other words, wherever a Christian prays becomes his mountain, which could be anywhere, anytime; thus introducing a psychological dimension to the Ori-Oke phenomena. This paper does not attempt to research into the proliferation of Prayer Mountains all over, these days. Rather, it traces this to a general belief rooted in African worldview that every inanimate object, including hills and mountains, possesses spirits that could be beneficial or inimical to humanity. The paper adopts a historic-structural, systematic and analytical approach, with a combination of primary and secondary sources of data collection. Our findings reveal the tolerance of pluralism as one remarkable element of Yoruba religion. As such, one area of common ground between the indigenous and foreign religions, which is also one of the areas of continuity in African traditional beliefs, rooted in Afrel, is the veneration of mountain spirits. Our conclusion is that Christian religious worship has today, been greatly influenced by certain elements of the Yorùbá culture. One of such is the Ori-Oke phenomena in Christianity, which shares similar sacred creed with the Yoruba veneration of mountain-spirits. Examples would be largely drawn from among the Igbomina sub-group of the Yorùbás.