These five Shrines in Nigeria top the charts amongst other shrines, so much that tourists from around the world, visit them to confirm the tales surrounding them.
Nigeria has a lot of cultural heritage. In the 80s they had the belief that its source came from one ancestral deity or the other.
It was believed that these deities helped increase harvest in the land, helped the women have fruitful childbirth and also ensured there was no encroachment on the lands they were set to protect. However, there were also some deities who were noted for their devilish and wicked traits. These deities were worshipped in shrines. They had custodians to translate the mind of the gods to the people. Examples of deities that were prevalent in those times, are Amadioha, orisabunmi and many others.
Times are changing and the belief in these deities is becoming minimal. However, there are still some worshippers of these deities.
In this article, we will list a few of those Shrines that have come into the limelight.
1. Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove:
Osun-Osogbo or Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is a sacred grove along the banks of the Osun river just outside the city of Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
The Osun-Osogbo Grove is several centuries old. It is among the last of the sacred forests that once adjoined the edges of most Yoruba cities before extensive urbanization. In recognition of its global significance and its cultural value, the Sacred Grove was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
The 1950s saw the desecration of the Osun-Osogbo Grove: shrines were neglected and priests abandoned the grove as customary responsibilities and sanctions weakened. Prohibited actions like fishing, hunting and felling of trees in the Grove took place until an Austrian, Susanne Wenger (1915-2009) helped to reinstate traditional protections afforded to it.
2. The New Afrika Shrine:
The New Afrika Shrine is an open-air entertainment centre located in Ikeja, Lagos State. Unlike the other shrines in Nigeria which are mainly for deities, it serves as the host location of the annual Felabration music festival. Currently managed by Femi Kuti (eldest son of Fela Kuti) and Yemi Anikulapo-Kuti, it is the replacement of the old Afrika Shrine created in 1970 by Fela Kuti until it was burnt down in 1977. The New Afrika Shrine showcases photo galleries of Fela and music performances by Femi Kuti and Seun Kuti thus making it a tourist attraction.
On July 3, 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Shrine and pre-launched the Season of African Cultures 2020 in France. Macron said he had visited the Shrine as a student in 2002.
3. The Long Juju Shrine of Arochukwu:
After the cities of Aba and Umuahia, Arochukwu, which is sometimes referred to as Arochukwu, or Aro-Okigbo is the third largest city in Abia State, Southeastern Nigeria. It is composed of 19 villages with an overall leader called Obong Aro.
Interestingly, there are several historic tourist sites that exist in the city of Arochukwu. And among them are the mystic Ibini Ukpabi shrine, the slave routes and other relics of the slave. Prominent for its sacred sense of mystic beauty is the Ibinu Ukabi or the long juju Shrine that was used to judge the perpetrators of crimes.
Tales have it that back then in the kingdom of Arochukwu, Ibini Ukpabi at the height of its powers was the most powerful deity in Igboland.
And this was during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade era. Being a kind of supreme court whose judgment was final, there was no appeal. Those at trial would enter the temple complex and wander through it, ready to face the judgment of Chukwu (God). It is here that you will find the throne of judgment– the dark presence (“the Holy of Holies”).
4. Sungbo Shrine:
The burial place of the legendary and biblical Queen of Sheba, locally known among Yoruba people as Bilikisu Sungbo, has turned into a place of worship and tourism in Nigeria.
Millions of people visit annually from different parts of the world to share the mystery surrounding Bilikisu Sungbo’s grave-turned-shrine located in Oke-Eri, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria. The historical queen, Bilikisu Sungbo, was said to have travelled all the way from Ethiopia down to Ijebu-Ode where she died and was buried. The natives of Ijebu-Ode hold strong and popular claims about the identity of the controversial Bilikisu Sungbo. They claimed that she was the Queen of Sheba mentioned in the bible to have visited the wise king Solomon at the height of his powers. They also claimed that Bilikisu Sungbo was the Quranic Queen Baliqs of Ethiopia (from which the name Bilikisu was derived) who visited king Sulaiman. Another source has it that Bilikisu Sungbo was a wealthy woman and the leader of a group of women potters who travelled to far away places. Also, she was believed to possess supernatural powers with which she dug ditches around villages in Ijebu-Ode.
5. Oya Shrine:
The Oya shrine which is one of the top shrines in Nigeria, is located in Kwara state. The Oya Akanbi as it is called is believed to be a goddess of wind and storm as she was believed to have power to control the weather. This goddess was said to come from Ira in Kwara state. It is narrated that the goddess is of dual personality and could be malevolent or benevolent depending on the circumstance and thus could not be predicted thereby making her be feared. She was also attributed to fighting with thunderbolts.
