By NEWSADMIN May 20, 2020



Ayodele Joseph Oritsegbubemi Oritsejafor, fondly called Papa Ayo Oritsejafor by many of his numerous admirers is the founding and Senior Pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, located in Warri, Nigeria.

He became the national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on the 7 February 2005, a position he held for five years. He was elected President of CAN, Christian Association of Nigeria.

As a result of this, he became the first Pentecostal leader to hold the two positions simultaneously. He is married to Hellen Oritsejafor and they are blessed with many children in the Lord. In this interview, he speaks about the history of Itsekiri people and other topics:

what would you say is unique about the Itsekiri people of Warri kingdom?

First of all, it is very important to establish the fact that Christianity started in Nigeria in Warri kingdom. It is what the average Itsekiri man or woman knows but they don’t talk about it. One of the reasons they don’t talk about it is a lack of spirituality. The first church that was built in Nigeria was not in Abeokuta, Badagry or anywhere. It was built here in the 16th century. The ruins of it are still here.

The first Christian missionary that came here was the Roman Catholic. In fact, the first contact with a white man was here. The Itsekiri people are the first contact with the white man in Nigeria.

By the way, the second thing that many people in Itsekiri may not elaborate on is that Itsekiri is Yoruba. The Itsekiri language is a dialect of the Yoruba language. Itsekiri people migrated from Yorubaland. Some of them migrated directly from Ife.

Some migrated from the riverine areas of Ijebu, and some migrated from Ondo. Some of them especially the ones that migrated from Ife, they migrated with the Ilaje. The Ilaje stopped at a point but the Itsekiri continued and they ended up here in Warri.

Now, a few of them came from Benin Kingdom. The Benin connection came from the palace. The palace connection is still Yoruba at the end of the day because the first Oba of Benin was a son of Oduduwa.

The first Olu of Warri was a first son of the Oba of Benin. That’s the Benin connection. The Itsekiri, when they moved here, they came with their Ife.

The upland Yoruba called it Ifa. We are the waterside Yoruba. Our people will call the other Yoruba, Iroke. They called the Oyo people Iroke and other Yoruba Iroke but the Yoruba called them Ara Oke. This history is very important because they are dying away. In those days, the Ife which the mainstream Yoruba will call Ifa was the god of divination.

The Ife had told the Itsekiri people that a prince would come and become their king. Therefore, they stayed without a king for a very long time, in fact for many years.

They were waiting for that prince, eventually this prince who was the first son of the Oba of Benin was a grandson of Oduduwa. He was very proud so he had a lot of problems with Benin chiefs.

They were going to kill him. His father who was the Oba of Benin, you know he was supposed to be the Oba of Benin after his father, but for his own protection, his father had to get him out of Benin Kingdom. He gave him about 70 chiefs.

They smuggled him out, put him in a boat and they performed all kinds of rituals. They put him in a boat then sailed to Warri. When he ended up here, remember our own people were waiting for a prince, they have been waiting for years.

When he arrived, they consulted their Ife again and the Ife says, “This is the prince”. So, that was how he became the first Olu of Warri. That was how the first Olu of Warri came about.

In those days, in the palace, in Warri kingdom, they used to speak Yoruba. The palace was 100% Yoruba. Don’t forget the Itsekiri language is a dialect of Yoruba land and therefore a Yoruba language as it is to this day.

The Benin are not Yoruba; they are descendants of Oduduwa but the palace is Yoruba

Anybody can claim to be whatever. I have nothing against that. But the guy is an idiot to say Benin are Oduduwa descendants. Epic lie.

So much is at least clear: the first Olu was son of Oba Olua of Benin. The senior chiefs of Warri followed Prince Ginuwa from Benin to Ode Itsekhiri in 1480. Just like about 75 years later, Obanikoro, Eletu Odibo ancestors and other high ranking nobles followed Prince Ado to Lagos to take possession of it.

So between 1170 and 1480 (around 310 years) Itsekhiri were waiting for a phantom prince to come and rule them? Because Oduduwa asked them to wait?
Everyone knows that Itsekhiri are a melange of different people. Probably Yoruba origin in majority with Edo people largely making up the monarchy and aristocratic upper class. Urhobo and and others are considerable too.

The cleric does not even know Itsekhiri history.

People should be man enough to admit if they do not know something. Nobody knows everything.

What do African adults and European toddlers have in common:
1) they both believe in fairytales
2) they have the same intellect

There was no oduduwa !
The existences of Spiderman, superman, Hercules, Zeus, Chronos, Hera... are more likely than that of oduduwa.
You can't have history if no eye-witness wrote it down !
The way you guys go on and on with stories not backed by any iota of proof is an embarrassment !

Every tribe is big and civilized now, many would like to twist the truth, what can you do to the reality.
The said tribe was strong but could not extend her territory then why. Apart from WAZOBIA, other tribes are hybrids, cut out from here and there.

mofayode:
Every tribe is big and civilized now, many would like to twist the truth, what can you do to the reality.
The said tribe was strong but could not extend her territory then why. Apart from WAZOBIA, other tribes are hybrids, cut out from here and there.

Your ooni of ife wears a manhood on his forehead and calls it his crown:

This is what bitters the average Benin man, anyways, they don't know what they are doing

Your ooni of ife wears a manhood on his forehead and calls it his crown:

Is the ooni not wearing a waist bead on his neck so,

Merciful71:
This is what bitters the average Benin man, anyways, they don't know what they are doing

So u know what u are doing?

Or u lived for 1000 years to know the true history of Benin more than Benin themselves

Some (not all) Itshekiris I know easily admit this - to them is not a big deal. Even yungmillionaire the most popular Itshekiri on NL, will tell you that his people came from Ijebu. This is not news.

Emilokoiyawon:
Some (not all) Itshekiris I know easily admit this - to them is not a big deal. Even yungmillionaire the most popular Itshekiri on NL, will tell you that his people came from Ijebu. This is not news.

which ones are from. Yorùbá, which ones are not from Yoruba.

babyfaceafrica:
which ones are from. Yorùbá, which ones are not from Yoruba.

The vast majority are descendants of Yoruba. A very few originate from Bini.

Emilokoiyawon:


The vast majority are descendants of Yoruba. A very few originate from Bini.

Even many from Bini are originally from Yoruba.
Even the Olu of Warri, descended from Ginuwa a Bini Prince had Yoruba ancestry as all within the Bini Royal family

The Itsekiri are somehow like the Ikas.
More Yoruba like people of Ilaje descent mixed with Urhobos and the Edos.

The Oba of Benin saw the Olu as a appendage of the Benin Monarchy. Although the former always felt like the big brother and father at the same time, the latter just wanted to carve a niche for itself.

The Oba was Lord of the Land
The Olu was Lord of the seas

Emilokoiyawon:
Some (not all) Itshekiris I know easily admit this - to them is not a big deal. Even yungmillionaire the most popular Itshekiri on NL, will tell you that his people came from Ijebu. This is not news.

macof:
Even many from Bini are originally from Yoruba. Even the Olu of Warri, descended from Ginuwa a Bini Prince had Yoruba ancestry as all within the Bini Royal family

I approve these messages

Daum:
The Itsekiri are somehow like the Ikas.
More Yoruba like people of Ilaje descent mixed with Urhobos and the Edos.

The Oba of Benin saw the Olu as a appendage of the Benin Monarchy. Although the former always felt like the big brother and father at the same time, the latter just wanted to carve a niche for itself.

The Oba was Lord of the Land
The Olu was Lord of the seas

Ika? Are you okay? Wetin concern us with Ika? or even Urhobo?

YungMillionaire:


Ika? Are you okay? Wetin concern us with Ika? or even Urhobo?

Yes I am Okay
I was making a comparison base on the fact that the ikas are a mixture of Edo and Igbo groups. The itsekiris are also a mixture.

Daum:
Yes I am Okay I was making a comparison base on the fact that the ikas are a mixture of Edo and Igbo groups. The itsekiris are also a mixture.

A mixture of what? I want you to tell me about my own people

YungMillionaire:


A mixture of what? I want you to tell me about my own people

I don't know much
But at least I know that the Olu came from Benin with the sons of 70 chiefs. That's bringing a new gene into the original stock. Isn't that a mixture already.

Antonio Domingo had a Portuguese wife we were told. That's a new twist and mixture already.

Daum:
I don't know much But at least I know that the Olu came from Benin with the sons of 70 chiefs. That's bringing a new gene into the original stock. Isn't that a mixture already.Antonio Domingo had a Portuguese wife we were told. That's a new twist and mixture already.

We are Yorubas by lineage - simple and straight forward. Mostly Ijebu. Our connection with Bini is entirely due to the connection between Yoruba and Bini. And this Bini connection is mostly cultural not genetic. Less than 50 years ago, there were still old Itshekiri people who talk about visiting grandparents in Lagos and Ogun state.

Now, does an average Itshekiri have more in common with Urhobos than Yorubas in the SW? Yes. Cultural, inter-marriage rates etc. But that is not the issue at hand. The question is where did we originate from? We originate 100% from Yoruba people.

The talk of mixture is silly. The key is the original Itshekiri stock that gave birth to who we are today today - is a Yoruba stock. Even the name ITSHEKIRI is 100% Yoruba. We are from Ijebu land - a wa ni awon to wa ise kiri.

The reason why some Itshekiris don't speak up (soro soke) is because of the politics of Delta. They think the Ijaws/Urhobos will use it against us and our rightful claim in Niger Delta. Same thing happening to the Olukumis in Anioma - hiding their 100% Yoruba lineage to avoid been marginalization by the majority Igbo.

YungMillionaire:


We are Yorubas by lineage - simple and straight forward. Mostly Ijebu. Our connection with Bini is entirely due to the connection between Yoruba and Bini. And this Bini connection is mostly cultural not genetic. Less than 50 years ago, there were still old Itshekiri people who talk about visiting grandparents in Lagos and Ogun state.

The talk of mixture is silly. The key is the original Itshekiri stalk that gave birth to who we are today today - is a Yoruba stock. Even the name ITSHEKIRI is 100% Yoruba. We are from Ijebu land - a wa ni awon to wa ise kiri.

The reason why some Itshekiris don't speak up (soro soke) is because of the politics of Delta. They think the Ijaws/Urhobos will use it against us and our rightful claim in Niger Delta. Same thing happening to the Olukumis in Anioma - hiding their 100% Yoruba lineage to avoid been marginalization by the majority Igbo.

So the 70 sons of the chiefs became celebate. Your historians say that the itsekiris are not purely homogeneous

Daum:
So the 70 sons of the chiefs became celebate. Your historians say that the itsekiris are not purely homogeneous

I am not a historian. I have very little interest in some 70 sons fable. What I am making clear to you is that in terms of where we originate from the answer is unequivocally Yoruba people. Now, if one chief came from Bini and mingle with us in the past, I won't argue with that because it is irrelevant to the question at hand.

YungMillionaire:


I am not a historian. I have very little interest in some 70 sons fable. What I am making clear to you is that in terms of where we originate from the answer is unequivocally Yoruba people. Now, if one chief came from Bini and mingle with us in the past, I won't argue with that because it is irrelevant to the question at hand.

OK

What does Edema mean in itsekiri?

Daum:
OK What does Edema mean in itsekiri?

Why? Do you want to give your baby boy an Itshekiri name? Werey

Daum:
OK. What does Edema mean in itsekiri?

Its a name for a boy. What's your point?

FisifunKododada:


Why? Do you want to give your baby boy an Itshekiri name? Werey

I have two friends answering that name.

One is Benin
One is itsekiri

YungMillionaire:
Its a name for a boy. What's your point?

Daum:
I have two friends answering that name. One is Benin one is itsekiri

My good friend from Jos name be dat. Very smart Itshekiri guy.

Daum:
I have two friends answering that name. One is Benin One is tsekiri

What has similar names got to do with origin? I don't know what you are driving at.

YungMillionaire:


What has similar names got to do with origin? I don't know what you are driving at.

I am not talking about origins here.
You guys are 100% ijebu stock.

I just want to know the meaning of Edema in itsekiri

FisifunKododada:
My good friend from Jos name be dat. Very smart Itshekiri guy.

Its a common name for boys. It is usually an abbreviation for example Edematie is shortened to Edema. Edema is like a pre-fix to suffices like tie, dudun, diden etc.

Still am not sure how this relates to the topic. He is playing games.

Daum:
I am not talking about origins here.You guys are 100% ijebu stock.
I just want to know the meaning of Edema in itsekiri

Okay. I will tell you the meaning if you tell me the meanings of Tokunbo and Ayo in Bini or Edo language.

YungMillionaire:


Okay. I will tell you the meaning if you tell me the meanings of Tokunbo and Ayo in Bini or Edo language.

No worry rest.
I give up
You just dy find talk.