By Niyi Fagbuaro
The Ekiti people, like many others within Yorùbáland, possess a rich and vibrant heritage.
But in today’s fast-changing world, one of the greatest confusions we face is the conflation of culture, tradition, and religion.
These three are interconnected, yet they are not the same.
Failing to distinguish them has contributed to the erosion of the very values that once gave Ekiti its distinct identity.
Culture is the broadest layer of identity. For the Ekiti, it is the fabric that defines communal life, seen in clothing, speech, social etiquette, values, and the unspoken rules that guide behavior. It is in the òríkì that preserves ancestry, in the ẹ̀kún ìyàwó that marks marriage rites, and in the expectation of greeting elders properly, communal farming, and the spirit of mutual assistance.
Culture is not optional, it is the everyday language of identity.
Tradition is narrower than culture. It refers to specific practices, institutions, and codes of conduct passed down through generations. The institution of the Ọba and council of chiefs, the respect for age and hierarchy in the family compound, the communal labor exchange during harvest and building, the storytelling of àló àpamọ̀ and àpagbè by moonlight, these are traditions that shaped the Ekiti life. They can evolve or adapt, yet they always reflect a continuity of values.
Importantly, tradition is not the same as religion.
Religion in Ekiti, historically, was never monolithic. Unlike culture and tradition which created cohesion, religion was fragmented, personal, and diverse.
Some families worshipped Òrìṣà such as Ogun, Sàngó, or Òṣun. Others revered ancestral spirits or had shrines tied to local deities.
Still others remained religiously indifferent, focusing on communal ethics rather than deity worship. Even across Yorùbáland, there was never a single unified “traditional religion.” Ìjẹ̀bú leaned heavily on Ifá, Òyó on Sàngó, Ìjẹ̀ṣà on Ògún, and Ekiti towns themselves varied widely.
This proves that religion has never been the cohesive force of Yorùbá identity.
Culture and tradition have.
One of the most striking examples of tradition is the practice of Àjàgbó. This was not a religion but a cultural ethic that united the people in accountability and moral uprightness.
It involved no rituals and no appeasements. Each year the community would gather before the homes of those known for social vices and sing melodiously, not to destroy, but to remind them that the eyes of society were on them, and to caution others not to follow their path. This was a system of communal conscience, a moral compass that protected the values of Ekiti without invoking idols.
It is telling that those who today clamor for a return to “ìṣẹ̀ṣe religion” do not uphold Àjàgbó. Instead, they campaign for unity in worship, a unity that has never been attainable in any society in the world.
The great mistake of our time is to equate cultural practices, such as proverbs, greetings, and communal living, with religious rites, such as sacrifices and oracular consultations.
When this confusion takes hold, we risk discarding our entire heritage simply because we reject idol worship.
This false merger leads many young Christians to believe that to greet elders in the Yoruba way, to wear traditional attire or dance to native drums and songs are “idolatrous.” The result is a rapid erosion of cultural values, language, and identity.
Meanwhile, the very youths who advocate loudly for “traditional religion” often contradict the culture and traditions they claim to defend. They show open disrespect for elders and even for royal stools on social media, speaking rudely to fathers of faith and kings alike. Many indulge in corrupt practices, such as, Yahoo, 419, stealing, and ritual killings, vices utterly condemned in true Yoruba tradition.
Their indecent dressing and flamboyant appearances, such as plaited hair, dreadlocks and earrings for men, do not represent Yoruba heritage but rather foreign borrowings that desecrate it. To confuse this with a revival of our culture is a grave error.
At the heart of Yoruba culture is not idol worship but ethics: respect, honor, communal responsibility, and integrity.
The true Ekiti identity does not need to borrow power from Òrìṣà shrines.
Even the Hebrews, once immersed in idolatry, departed from it to worship the one true God. Every society that has matured has moved beyond idols to the recognition of a Supreme Creator.
To continue to exalt Òrìṣà is to enthrone substitutes that block reverence for Olódùmarè Himself.
These idols, demon-invested, irreverently take the place of the Almighty and pretend to be channels to Him, yet He has never required worship through them. No religion has a record of the Supreme deity asking that He be worshipped through lesser, more vicious and far very wicked things or beings.
The God who made heaven and earth has declared that He will not share His glory with another.
I am a traditionalist, a culturalist, but I will never be an idol worshipper.
I am truly born again and I serve Jehovah God, the Creator of heaven and earth.
To respect this stance is to uphold the true Ekiti ethic: to live honorably, and to let others live.
*Niyi Fagbuaro writes to clarify issues._
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