Former presidential aide and public commentator, Reno Omokri, has stirred debate with a provocative statement asserting that Judaism is not superior to Ifa, the Traditional African Religion of the Yoruba people. According to Omokri, the long-standing perception among Africans that Christianity and Judaism are holier than their indigenous spiritual systems is a form of mental colonisation that continues to hinder the continent’s development.
In a post that has since gone viral, Omokri argued that Africans must reclaim and respect their traditional religious heritage to truly attain cultural and economic independence.
“When it comes to ungodliness, I challenge anyone to name a single immoral practice in Ifa,” he wrote.“If you actually study Ifa, you will find it closely resembles what Moses taught the Israelites—because those weren’t originally his ideas. He was taught by his Black African father-in-law, Jethro.”
Judeo-Christian Influence and African Decline
Omokri criticised what he described as Africa’s blind devotion to Christianity and Judaism, claiming it has brought moral confusion and underdevelopment, rather than progress.
He cited modern societal challenges in Africa, such as high divorce rates, increasing cases of sexually transmitted diseases, same-sex marriage, and prostate cancer, as signs of a spiritual disconnect caused by abandoning Traditional African Religions.
“Which Traditional African Religion teaches you to hate? With the exception of a few practices, like the killing of twins among the Efik, which was a custom, not a religion, no Traditional African Religion taught hate. Rather, they taught universal love and wholesome cultural practices.” he said.
Omokri also pointed out that some controversial practices, such as the killing of twins among the Efik people, were cultural customs, not religious doctrines.
Ifa: A Spiritual and Scientific System
Highlighting the intellectual depth of Ifa, Omokri stated that the religion employs binary mathematics for divination, maintains dietary and sexual health standards, and features a periodic table-like understanding of natural elements, making it both spiritually profound and scientifically advanced.
“Is it divination, animal sacrifice as a sin offering, the belief in one God (Eledumare/Olodumare, depending on your tribe in the Lukumi ethnic nationality), respect for elders, a body of laws (Ten Commandments and the Torah for Judaism, Odu Ifa for Ifa Traditional African Religion), etc.? There are even names in Ifa that are found in the Torah. One such name is Lamurudu, who is the same as the individual mentioned in Genesis 10:8, who Scripture told us was Black.” he wrote.
He encouraged Africans to research their own religions with the same energy they dedicate to translating foreign holy books, insisting that no non-Western country ever developed by adopting foreign religions.
Christianity and Ifa Can Coexist
Though a self-described follower of Yeshua (Jesus), Omokri clarified that one can embrace Christianity while acknowledging the wisdom of African traditions. He said there is no conflict in recognising both as paths to the same God, who he believes is the ultimate source of all truth.
“Let me tell you this. I follow Yeshua, the Jewish Rabbi. But if I am asked today to choose between following Yeshua and believing in Ifa Traditional African Religion, I will tell you that, based on my personal beliefs, you cannot divorce one from the other, because all knowledge is from God and there is no knowledge that exists other than from Him.” he said.
A Call for Cultural Reawakening
Reno Omokri’s message challenges the mainstream African view that traditional religions are incompatible with progress. He stressed that until Africans take pride in their own spiritual heritage, they will continue to be vulnerable to political and economic domination by foreign ideologies.
“As long as Africa keeps translating Bibles into African languages and refuses to do research into its own culture and religions, we will stay poor,” he warned.
His remarks have reignited conversations about decolonising African spirituality, with some praising him for his boldness and others accusing him of downplaying the importance of Abrahamic religions in modern society.
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