By Sesan Temitope Olawande Esq
Ado Ekiti
Odó Idẹ is the Yoruba name for a Golden Mortar, a Mortar is a strong receptacle, a vessel commonly in form of an inverted bell in which ingredients are crushed or ground.
It is always of two components, Omo Odo, (Pestle) and Ìyá Odó ( Mortar), mostly used in pounding ingredients for traditional medicine.
The Mortal and Pestle that most people are acquainted of is the one made from wood.
But the Golden mortar is very uncommon and it is always used for sacred purposes, mostly found on the altar of Priests and at the Palace of Kings and for the Priests and the Herbalists, Odó Idẹ is the vessel to grind all ingredients for rituals.
It also serves royalty because of its fineness.
In some traditional settings, “Odó Idẹ” is a god to be consulted, aside from the grinding purpose, It can be used to pray for something or somebody as well used to lay curses, as the case may be.
Odó ide in the Yoruba settings is a god on its own, fine, rugged, durable, unbreakable, calm, cool, appealing, robust, spacious, heavy, receptive but repelling to the objects to at it back.
The Golden Mortal grinds finer and smoother than any other mortars.The worshippers of “Odó Ide” are just like their god. They always wait for the very right time. They do not get angry easily. Kings and Herbalists often forget to celebrate Odo Ide after their concursions and fortifications have been made. The only time they remember it is when they want to show their wealth and when trouble looms.
Not like the princes, princesses and sons of herbalist, worshippers of Odo Ide would neither brag nor struggle when it is not their time. They make their rituals solemnly while the town celebrate them.
Alas! Odo Ide is the most feared of all festivity because the celebration may turn to war, if the worshippers had notice any contempt on the sacredness of their god either at the palace or on the altar of the priest. Unfortunately, Odo Ide always recieve alot of contempt but very unknown to the worshippers since they don’t live with it.
Anyone who does the prohibited is said to have done the abominable and he is refered to have swallowed the mortar. ” O Gbodomi” that is why Yorubas will say, Iduro o sí, ibere osi feni to gbodo mi” The Odo Ide worshippers are fierce fighters, they are unbeatable, untiring and undefeatable .
One very common story of the Golden Mortar is, the case of Afemi, the only Daughter of King Odale in town of Ayelaagbe who fell in love with Muwonsin the son Apatan, an herbalist from a far village who migrated to the town.
The king had only one child and does everything she needs. Even though there are two families who are entitled to the thrown, Afemi had requested her father to expell the other family for her to be enthroned the female king or queen and that her descendants continue to rule.
Muwonsin was very handsome and rich and the king allowed the relationship. But one day, to prove her love to the estranged lover, Afemi invited Muwonsin to the palace and brought the finest stool for him to sit. Alas, it was Odo Ide, not only that Muwonsin sat on Odo Ide, the princess sat on the laps of her estranged lover and they were about to copulate when Omo Olodo Idẹ came to the palace…
Haaaa! Abomination!!
The Princess claimed that she suddenly fell ill and that the son of the estranged herbalist had come on an emergency to rescue the situation and wanted to grind concursions for her, even though the Golden Mortar was facing the ground without a pestle. Knowing that the news was far spread in the town, King Odale ordered his Chiefs to take Odo Ide to away from the palace to the backyard because it could not grind smoothly again.
This was to satisfy the wishes of the Princess and cover the abomination.
From this point, Odo ide, the immovable brought out the god in itself and stood to making himself the king.
The trajectory of the APC Presidential Primaries indeed shows how important Odo Ide could be when it is needed and how it could be neglected for years when the rituals have been made.
The APC Primaries again confirms the characters of Omo Olodo Idẹ. Let me first congratulate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for emerging as the standard bearer of the APC. We all could recall the Mortal of Obafemi Awolowo, the mortar of MKO Abiola, the Golden mortar of Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo and now the Omo Olodo Idẹ himself Bola Tinubu. “Bina Oba Tan laso Eje kiitan leekanna”.
How do we explain the youth protest sponsored against Asiwaju Tinubu and demonization of Omo Olodo Idẹ in Edo State? What do we say to the sidelining of Tinubu and his men from APC government for 7 years and the hunting and hounding of the soldiers of Asiwaju Tinubu by those he personally helped?After their fortifications, they threw Odo ide unwashed into the sun and the rains, but alas the cleaner, finer and shiner it becomes.
The Ekiti Election in which Asiwaju singlehandedly worked for Dr Kayode Fayemi and also stood by him up to the appeal court in Ilorin is still fresh in our mind even though Dr kayode Fayemi had claimed that he sacrificed his ambition for Tinubu emergence. What a narrative?
The same Fayemi that orchestrated the removal of Senator Dayo Adeyeye from the Senate and victimized some others because the they were supporting Tinubu, thesame Fayemi that sponsored anti party activities against Tinubu in Edo State.This is the same person who worked very hard to victimize the South West Agenda For Asiwaju (SWAGA).
He frustrated Tinubu’s supporter to SDP and thank God the party has become the main party in the state while APC under Fayemi is crawling to survive.
What a Smartness? At the very last end after seeing the Mammoth crowd in support of Omo Olodo Idẹ, and to save his head and face from the shame of the impending Waterloo, he declared to surrender after his earlier option to support the North for presidency and the south for deputy through the consensus arrangements which later failed .
Well, the victory of Omo Olodo Idẹ has not ended with the Primaries. The first victory of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is June 18, when SWAGA will deliver the state under the SDP.
SDP is the interest of Bola Tinubu in Ekiti while the APC in the state drown themselves under Dr.Kayode fayemi , in the unrealizable dream of presenting a candidate and worked against Asiwaju.
You cannot reap where you did not sow. SWAGA has sown in Asiwaju, and SWAGA has sown in SDP. The Fayemi led APC should just relax and enjoy the carrot of betrayal they planted.
Segun Oni is a honest, honorable and straightforward person who will not join hands with the strange fellow to sell his own people.
The writer, Sesan Temitope Olawande Esq. is an Ado Ekiti based Lawyer. He is a Social and Political analyst, a writer and advocate of good governance.