The Araba of Osogbo, Ifáyemí Elébuibón, has defended the tradition of selecting a young girl as the Arugba of the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival, insisting that the position is a spiritual honour and not an act of child abuse.
Elébuibón spoke in a video interview shared on Sunday by Yoruba cultural content creator Wàá Ṣeré, amid growing discussions over the age and responsibilities of this year’s Arugba, 10-year-old Princess Alimot Osunbunmi.
The Arugba is traditionally chosen to carry the sacred calabash during the procession to the Osun Sacred Grove. Alimot, who is from the royal family of the Ataoja of Osogbo, was selected through Ifa divination in March 2025.
She participated in the annual procession for the first time on Friday after she was unable to perform the role at the 2025 festival because of her age.
Elébuibón explained that the Arugba is regarded as a spiritual intermediary between the Osun deity and the people, stressing that the role is not determined by the girl’s biological age.
“You see those people saying all that? They lack understanding. They don’t know. Whoever says the Arugba is too young—this one is ten years old, but some started at five!
“The role the Arugba plays is a role of spiritual maturity, not about physical age. What the Arugba does for the town and the community is what the white man calls a ‘medium’—an intermediary between the Orisa and the people,” he said.
He further stated that the maiden’s spiritual significance allows her to communicate what devotees believe are the wishes of the Osun deity.
“As young as she is, provided she remains pure and undefiled by any man, she can wake up one morning and say, ‘Mother Osun said this and that, do this, do that, don’t do this.’”
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Elébuibón added that spiritual maturity was considered separate from physical development.
“Very soon, she will mature spiritually far beyond her biological age because the Orisa themselves nourish and care for them. Her role is not about age; what she does is not about age.”
A female priestess and custodian of Osun-Osogbo tradition also defended the practice in a separate video shared by cultural content creator Olamide Oseyifunmii.
She explained that the Arugba is selected from the royal lineage through Ifa divination and must meet traditional requirements, including maintaining virginity and observing prescribed taboos.
“Whomever Ifa chooses becomes the Arugba. The Arugba must be a girl who remains untouched, pure, and a virgin. That is strictly what the Arugba must be,” she said.
The priestess rejected descriptions of the tradition as child abuse, arguing that the girls selected for the role are traditionally protected and honoured.
“Being selected as the Arugba carries taboos and honours; it is not what Westerners label as ‘child abuse’.”
She also said the Arugba is not required to carry heavy objects during the procession apart from the sacred calabash.
Explaining why worshippers bow before the Arugba, she said the gesture was directed at the Osun deity rather than the child herself.
“They were bowing to the divine spirit of Osun Ewuji inside her and upon her head,” she said.
The 2026 Osun-Osogbo Festival began on August 7 at the Osun Sacred Grove in Osogbo, Osun State, and is scheduled to run until August 19.
The annual festival celebrates the Osun deity and remains one of Nigeria’s prominent traditional festivals, attracting worshippers, tourists and cultural enthusiasts from within and outside the country.