Know The Meaning Of Your Name

YORUBA SURNAMES
By Daniel Ayodele Adeniran        
Distributed by Irohinoodua            
Profound Meaning Of Yoruba Surnames

There are many Yoruba names whose meanings are now lost due to the facts that the words forming the roots of those words are no longer in use.
For instance ask the young Master Olopade the meaning of his name and he will probably tell you that his name means " policeman has come". Ask Mr Olopade, his father, and he would probably tell you it means "the owner of the staff has come". The two of them would be wrong as Olopade actually means " the Opa devotee has come". The same goes for all other Opa names like Opatola, Opadotun etc. Those names show that the ancestors of the bearers of the names were worshippers or devotees of the Opa Cult otherwise called Awo Opa, one of the religion cults or secret societies proscribed by the British in colonial days.
Or imagine another scenario: Pastor Obafemi, the pastor of a Pentecostal church, is asking Deacon Ogunyemi to change his name because he believes that the name of the deacon is associated with Ogun, an idol, without realizing that his own name is also idolatrous in its origin.

Even Professor Wole Soyinka in his book "The Man Died" gave the meaning of his surname Soyinka to be "surrounded by wizards". This is far from being the case. Names like Soyinka, Sonekan, Sonuga etc do not derive from "Oso" wizard but rather they derive from Orisaoko, the Yoruba god of Agriculture. The name Soyinka in full is Orisaokoyinka which became shortened by a gradual declension to Sookoyinka, Sooyinka and finally to Soyinka. It is the same for all the other "Soo..." names.

If a whole Professor Soyinka, a master of literature and language can be thus mistaken on the derivation and meaning of his own name, what about we lesser mortals. It is in order to put these various misconceptions right that I am publishing this little work via this medium.

This list is by no means exhaustive and other's inputs are welcome so it can be in writing for generations yet unborn so that the knowledge of the meaning of our names will not die out.

Also if you want to know the meaning of your Yoruba name, you are welcome to ask.

Agba o ni i tan lorile.

The "Oku" names like Okusanya, Okusehinde, Okusaga etc are not derived from "Oku" do-mi, a dead person. They are derived from "Okù" the Ijebu god of wealth which corresponds to " Ajé" the Oyo Yoruba god of wealth. Thus Okusanya means the god of wealth has rewarded me for my sufferings and not dead person has rewarded me for my sufferings.

Ore Names like Oresanya, Oredipe etc. They do not derive from Ore, do-mi (friend) but from Ore, re-do ( a deity).

Ope Names like Opeseyi, Opetola etc do not derive from Ope, do-re, palm tree but rather from Ope, do-do, an Ifa divining chain.

Igbin Names like Onigbinde, Igbintade etc do not derive from Igbin, do-mi, (snail) but rather from Igbin, re-re ( a drum beaten for the Orisaala worship). The ancestors of people bearing these names were drummers for Orisaala worshippers.
Onasanya, Onabajo these names are not derived from ona (road) but they derive from ona (craft). The name bearers of these names would be people who were craftsmen like sculptors etc in their origin

Alalade does not derive from ala do-mi (dream) but derives from Ala do-do (white, the insignia of the Orisala or Obatala deity and it means the owner of ala has come, the Orisala devotee has come and not the dreamer has come as many have supposed it means.
Elegbede does not derive from egbe, re-mi (the supposed magical means of teleporting) and is not supposed to be pronounced as Elegbede re-mi-mi as Sunny Ade sang it in one of the records he made for the Erelu of Lagos when he sang “Aya Dehinde mi kaabo, Elegbede, Abiola Fernandez ku eto”. The name is derived from egbe do-do meaning support. Thus the name is more properly pronounced as Elegbede re-mi-do-mi-mi (the defender, the one who will fight or support my cause) has come
Onipede does not derive from ipe do-mi (fish scales) but derives from ipe do-do (consolation). So it should not be pronounced as Onipede re-mi-vi-mi the owner of scales has come but rather as Onipede re-mi-do-mi-mi (the consoler has come)
Baba re-re and Oba re-re names such as Babasanya, Babafemi, Obadare, Obafemi, Obasanjo do not derive from father or king. They both derive their roots from Sonponna, the god of small-pox, which used to be referred to in reverent tone in olden days as Baba so that he would not kill them. If you will recall, In olden times, the marks left on the faces of anyone who recovered from small-pox attack used to be referred to as Ila-Baba, that is father’s marks.

Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at page Page 45 of his latest book My Watch gave us an insight into the origin of the names starting with Oba when he stated the origin of his name Obasanjo as follows:
“The change of fortune in my father's life was, to me inexplicable. Apart from being hardworking, he was a stickler to everything correct - correct behavior and mannerism; correct attitude in almost all things; respect for all, both younger and older. He was a good family man, wise and confident--most people in the village and many from neighboring villages sought his advice- and he was always sober and caring. My father’s social drink was fresh palmwine, which contains little or no alcohol before it ferments. But suddenly, my father started taking ogogoro, the locally brewed gin. The drink is reputed to be harsh and intoxicating. As my father indulged in this drink, things started going downhill for him. He became alcoholic. People wondered and were concerned.
“My mother took to enquiring from the gods and seeking a solution from diviners. The answer they came up with was that my father was an abiku (children that are regarded as dying and coming back, reborn through the same parents). They said also that when my grand mother came to her wits’ end, desperate to have a surviving child, she sought a child through the deity of smallpox, Obaluaiye. It was assumed that the neglect of Obaluaiye in our family has caused the change in my father’s lifestyle. The deity had to be appeased by my sister, Wola, being made a worshiper and being inducted into all the rituals of Obaluaiye. I was then made to understand that my father’s name, Obasanjo, was given to appreciate the kindness of Obaluaiye in granting my grandmother a surviving child. I later saw all this as superstition, anyway. And, in any case, my father’s gradual but steady downturn of fortune was neither stopped nor reversed until he died early in 1960. My sister married a Muslim and forgot about worshipping Obaluaiye and practising its rituals”
From this one can see that the Oba in Obasanjo, Obafemi, derived from Obaluwaye otherwise called Sonponna, the god of small pox and does not derive from king.

So Pastor Obafemi in the hypothetical case mentioned above would do well to remove the log in his own eyes first by changing his own name first before insisting that Deacon Ogunyemi should change his name.
Oloko re-mi-do does not derive from the word oko re-do lorry or canoe and it does not mean the owner of a lorry or the owner of canoe, but it derives from the word oko do-do (spear) and it means the owner, master or lord of the spear. It is a war title which has become a name. It is the title borne by the group of warriors whose chosen weapons of warfare is the spare.
Adekogbe re-mi-do-mi does not mean the crown rejects excreta as the word igbe do-mi in the name does not mean excreta; rather it means a bush or a light forest. The name means the crown rejects the bush, that is to say a prince shouldn't be involved in manual labour or farming activities. Adekogbe is a name much favoured by the Ijebus, as they are of all Yoruba tribes a tribe that is more averse to farm work or manual labour than any of the other Yoruba tribes. They prefer to trade instead.
Ade re-mi names like Adeboye Adebayo Adebola are not derived from Ade (crown) but rather they are derived from the verb de which means to come. Adeboye means he who came at a time when chieftaincy has just entered into the family. Adebayo means he who comes to meet when a thing of joy has just come into the family and Adebola means he who comes to meet when wealth has just come into the family.
Apart from the misconstrued names, there are other names whose meanings are now recondite as many people no longer knows what the names mean.

Shadare Sadeko, Sadela etc, these names derive from the Orisala otherwise called Obatala deity. Shadare is an hyphenated form of Orishadare. The word Orisha whenever used alone invariably refers to Obatala otherwise called Orisala. So those names are names of people named after the Orishala deity. Shadare or Sadare then would mean Obatala has vindicated (me). Sadeko would mean that an Obatala worshipper has arrived at Eko (Lagos) Sadela would mean Obatala has arrived into wealth
Akeredolu re-mi-mi-re-mi means he who reduces himself in order to become a king. He who humbles himself to become a king like the title of that play She Stoops To Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith.
Adewuyi re-mi-re-do means the crown grows honour, that is the crown produces honour.
Olofa re-mi-do means the owner of arrows or the master or lord of arrows. It is another war title that has become a name and it is the title given to those whose weapons of war in battle is the bow and arrow, that is archers.

Alokolaro re-mi-re-mi-do-mi-mi means he who has a large farm and also has a cooperative society to assist him to do the farm work. Aaro is a cooperative system among the Yorubas whereby the members agree to work jointly in the farm of each member of the group in turn until they have finished the farm-work of all the members.

Olowe re-mi-do means he who has an owe do-do cooperative group. Owe is another type of cooperative society whereby the members assist each other to work in the farm of each other. Olowe is thus somebody who has a large number of people at his beck and call whom he can call upon to assist him anytime in his farm or other work
Apara re-re-re is short for Aparaogunbienipale re-re-re-re-re-mi-re-mi-re-mi. implies he who sets war at naught. It means literally somebody who gets ready for war as easily as other people get ready for home affairs.

Okoya re-mi-re-mi means the hoe has torn into pieces. It is an Abiku name. It implies an imploration to the Abiku not to die again as the hoe for burial has torn into pieces.
Okose means the hoe has broken, same as Okoya
Popoola means the avenue of Honour or nobility. Popo means a broad street or avenue, Ola means honour or nobility
Adesiyan means the crown is good
Adelabu means the crown has passed through the deep (the sea)
Banmeke means hold or sustain the rafter of the house with me. Eke is the underlying structure upon which the leaves used to roof the house was be placed. It served the purpose now served by the rafter as forming the superstructure of the roof. It thus a very important part of the house or family.
Falade means the god of divination has intermingled with royalty, probably a name given to a child who was born of an Ifa priesthood parent and a royal parent, like the mother of the 1st Olowu who being a princess married his father’s priest.

Olaniyan means nobility has swagger, that is to say noble people have a special way in which they carry themselves,
Adedeke or Dedeke re-mi-re-mi means he who comes to become a very important part of the house. Eke (the rafter) being the superstructure of the roof. The Ade there is not crown but is from the verb de meaning to come or arrive.
Oluwusi means kingship has increased
Adebosin means he that came to meet kingship
Osinbajo means the king has returned from a journey. Osin re-do means king. Bo means to come back from ajo do-do which means a journey.

Asaju re-re-mi-mi means the leader of the van. It is the war title of the chief of the unit that fights at the head of the army.
Seriki derived from the Hausa word for king sarkin. He is the head of all the junior war chiefs
Sarumi do-do-mi is another war title given to the head of the Cavalry, that is the unit of the army that fight with horses or on horseback
Alasa re-mi-mi-do is a war title that has now become a name. It does not refer to aasa tobacco, but to asa the shield. Alasa means the owner or lord of the shield, that is the shield bearer, perhaps of the king. Asa means shield.

Oshadipe. Orishadipe. The god (Obatala) has used this one (the newly born baby) to console by using him to replace a loss recently suffered by the family.
Sonibare means be careful in choosing whom you allow to get close to you.
Eesuola means the pool that is the reservoir of honour or nobility
Bamgbegbin mi-re-mi-do means assist me to carry the Igbin. It is a name borne by drummers for Orisala worship. (Igbin is the drum beaten in the worship of Orisaala/Obatala deity)
Tella do-do is a name borne only by Oyo princes and it means bend or bow to become in order to become wealthy.
Oladoyibo re-mi-do-do-mi means Honour surrounds him
Olasope re-mi-re-mi means honour has emerged completely.

Kotoye do-mi-mi is short for Kotoyesi do-mi-mi-mi-mi, which means not worthy of being honoured, a name given to a child believed to be an Abiku because the Yorubas believe that such a child if shown any love or regard by being given sweet and affectionate names would go back to his group of bad children but if shown he is despised and of scant regard and is expected by his parents to die anytime, he would stay; because Abikus have a perverse tendency to do just the opposite of what you expect them to do. For that reason, they are given derogatory names like Kotoyesi, Aja (dog) etc
Bamgbose mi-re-mi-mi means assist me in carrying the ose, that is Sango’s wand. It is a name given to children born by Sango worshippers.

Sorry I could not write the names in Yoruba character as I don’t have a Yoruba keyboard and all the virtual ones I downloaded and the one sent to me by the Proudly Yoruba Administrator did not seem to work.

BEST WAY TO TRACE YOUR PHONE WITHOUT FEAR

By - Busola Badmus.

HOW TO TRACE  A MISSING OR STOLEN PHONE

If you lose your mobile phone, you can trace it without going to the police.

Most of us always fear that our phones may be stolen at any time.

Each phone carries a unique
IMEI no. i.e. International Mobile Equipment Identity No which can be used to track it anywhere in the world.

This is how it works:

1. Dial *#06# from your mobile.

2. Your mobile phone shows a unique 15 digit.

3. Note down this number at a secure place except in your mobile phone itself as this is the number which will help trace your phone in case of theft.

4. Once stolen, just E-mail this 15 digit IMEI No. to cop@vsnl.net with details as stated below:

Your name:____________________
Address:______________________
Phone model:_________________
Make:_________________________
Last used No.:_________________
E-mail for communication:_____
Missed date:___________________
IMEI No :_______________________

5.Your Mobile will be traced within next 24 hours via a complex system of GPRS and internet, You will find where your hand set is being operated and the new user's No. will be sent to your email.
6. After this, you can inform the Police with the details you now have.

joke Of The Day

Rufus, walked into a restaurant & shouted his order, ”Gimme half a jerk chicken & then give everybody a ox tail, because when I eat, I want everyone to eat too!”

The waiter processed his request & gave him his meal & everyone else their meals.

When they finished enjoying their meal he shouted another order, ”Serve me a drink of Hennesy & give everybody else a "Q" of white rum, because when I drink, I want everybody to drink too!”

Everyone was happy & started singing his praises, saying Rufus is “The Man”.

When Rufus finished his drink he shouted again: “Gimme my bill & give everybody else their own bill, because when I pay, I want everybody to pay too."

Just tell me, where do you  expect  Rufus to be by now.  😂😩😄😇

Child Abuse: Endangering The Life of a Kid Accused of Witchcraft....Parents Should Know Why They Give Birth

By - Busola Badmus.

Sometimes I wonder how a woman will carry nine months pregnancy, go through stress, pains  and evenually, after giving birth to the child, something mysterioius happens either to her (the parent) or the child, and she just draw a conclusion that the child is a witch.

What on earth would make me call my child a witch?  The question that comes to my mind whenever i hear parents call their children witch is, "how do you know your child is a witch?  How do you recognize a witch, please if you know, i need tutorial on this. Even if a prophet had told you this, i believe even before you remember that only prayer can take that evil spirit away, your first action should be rejecting the prophecy.

The case of witchcraft in children, as made many parents to forsake and abandon their heaveny gift, all in the name such child is another human from other place, and not fit to be among human beings. Some are even stoned, killed, and cast away or send into exintiction.  Example of these cases mostly happens in rural areas, and they are often seen as uneducated, but today, its rampant in the urban areas even within educated ones.

To buttress my point, I will speak on a seven year old boy named Biodun (not real name). He was ostracized by his parents and he is called a witch, whenever he makes a mistake.

Biodun and his parents were new tenants in the house they reside, so whenever his parents call him a witch, people will think its just a joke, especially when he make a mistake, but this name calling became rampant to the extent that co-tenants have to show their concern on this development, especially when his parents lock him outside and he sleeps in the cold, till 2am (that's if he's lucky to see someone that comes out at the middle of the night to use the restroom to knock on his parents door and beg on his behalf) and many times, he sleeps outside their room, although in the compound (am talking about a compound with 22rooms),  each parents in its room with their children but because Biodun is a witch, he sleeps outside when he behaves naughty.

He (Biodun) is the first child of family of Five and the only son, though not sure if his parents are done with child bearing anyway. His siblings which are girls, looks extremely beautiful and neat both in skin and in dresses always to the extent, you will almost ask the parents if Biodun is not their biological son.

All my life, I've seen the way male are been cherish in Africa, especially in my country, Nigeria, but not in Biodun's case.  He's the most hated among his siblings, infact, the parents had many times wish him dead but Biodun seems to be serving a living God.

For crying out loud, whose child does not behave naughty, does it mean that when a child behaves naughty, he/she is a witch? Anytime Biodun behaves naughty and being flogged, the only excuse given by the mother to anyone who goes to plead on Biodun's behalf is "since his visits to the village, Biodun behaves like witch " and his sympathizers would now ask, "should you now kill him?".

This child-maltreatment by Biodun's parents often touch me and a pain is felt inside of me whenever he is found sleeping outside, after flimsy excuses by his parents, even to the extent that I will turn such night into a vigil asking God to touch his parents heart, and allow him in, to rescue him from the night.

Biodun's issue have made me to discuss with people many times on how to help him out of this trauma, and also highlighting to them, the consequences of keeping such a child of his age outside in middle of the night, but am restricted from taking an action because Biodun's parents is this kind of people that take offences in people's advice. I really want an advice on the best way to approach them because i feel it will be best for me to first approach them and they fail to heed to correction, i will then take action against them to report to the authorities in charge of children.

The present weather, which is Harmarttan is here even though it came late in Lagos. Biodun's parents will not stop punishing the poor boy of sleeping outside because he's been naughty and his stubborness is attributed to the witch he got from his village.

I feel his pain more during this cold weather. If me as an adult can sleep in my room covered with two wrappers, how would Biodun feels at that tender age, sleeping outside the room.

I know someone can help me here, i need advice on how best to talk to Biodun parents, i need to help this little boy get over this.

My Advice to all parents and parents to be :

First: If you are not ready psychologically to be responsible to a child's care, don't get pregnant.

Second: Every child is special and a gift from God, even if the birth wasn't planned, the child's mission on earth is of great importance to have forced his/her way to earth.

Thirdly : As a parents, let's be prayerful, our children needs our prayers, is not enough for us to provide them with physical things and forget to build them spiritually.

The last: Stop hitting your children, it makes them more violent, they have ears, speak to them, be their examples, let them aim to be like you, be their super heroes.

Home Remedy For Cough

Children tend to have serious cough at night which make the mother of the child restless.

But here are some simple remedy that works like magic.
1.Ginger
2.Honey
3.Flour
4.Olive oil or coconut oil
5.Small white and very clean face towel or napkin
6.Sellotape

PROCEDURES
1.Mix the flour , honey and small of the oil's in a bowl
2 grind the ginger and add to the bowl and turn.
3 take some part put in the Towel or Napkin.
4, fix the towel on ur chest and use sellotape to hold it.

NB. For kids, should be carried for 3hours , but for adult can sleep over night with it.
This remedy cures cough , chest pain and back pain.
It clears the mucus in the chest.

Benefits Of Charcoal

BENEFITS_OF_CHARCOAL!

Charcoal is one of the most disregarded products at home. We only see the need for it when it is time to set fire for Banku.
However, if you really need first aid, charcoal is something you need to have on you all the time. You might not know this but it is one of the most medicinal products you can have at home due to its poison extraction ability.
In case you never gave it much attention, this is the time to do so. Here are *13* benefits of charcoal you never thought about.

1. *#Preventing_Odour*.
Does your shoe smell bad? Just get some charcoal & put it in them. Do you have any bad smell in your room? Drop some charcoal where you suspect the smell could be coming from. Does your fridge or freezer smell? Put a piece of charcoal in it. Do you have strong body odour? Just make a powder out of charcoal & use.
Charcoal is very good at getting rid of bad smell. Ever wondered why your parents always scooped out the ash from the coal pot to pour in the hen coop or toilet before sweeping? That was to get rid of the odour.

2. *#Keeping_Food_Fresh*.
If you want your vegetables to be fresh all the time, just make a solution out of charcoal & leave your vegetables in them. Thank us later.

3. *#Removing_Toxins_From_Food*.
These days, people complain about the use of fertilizers on plants & vegetables, making them unwholesome & poisonous. If you have charcoal, you don’t need to worry about this. All you need to do is leave the vegetables in a charcoal solution overnight & it’ll take care of the toxins. If you suspect any food contains too many chemicals, just drop them in a charcoal solution for some hours & you’re good to go.

4. *#For_Teeth_Whitening*.
If you want to whiten your teeth, pay no attention to all these adverts on whitening chemicals & technology. Just get yourself some charcoal & grab hold of a plantain stalk. Make a powder out of the charcoal, mash the tip of the plantain stalk, dip it into the charcoal powder & brush your teeth with it for a week.

5. *#Restoring_Soup_That_Went_Bad*.
Did your groundnut soup or palm nut soup go bad? No need to worry about pouring it all away. Just put it back on fire & drop a piece of charcoal in it. This will extract all the bad taste & smell & restore the soup to its fresh state.

6. *#Detoxifying*.
Do you have a hangover out of a drink out with friends the previous night? Just have some charcoal with you & chew on it. To make it more effective, make a nice solution out of it & drink. You’re good to go.

7. *#Neutralizing_Alcohol*.
If you mistakenly did some wild mixing & feel it can knock you out, just add some charcoal to the mixture & your problem is solved. Or if you took in too much alcohol, just drink some charcoal solution & you’re good to go.

8. *#Healing_Wounds*.
Do you have a situation where someone’s wound has become so infected to the state doctors are saying they have to cut the affected area? Don’t stress over it, get a large amount of charcoal powder & pour it on the wound. This will extract all the poison from the wound & also help it heal faster. If you have a cut & you want to treat it fast, just get some powdered charcoal & pour on it.

9. *#Water_Filtration*.
Do you feel your water is contaminated? You don’t need all these products on the market. Charcoal can do better, just drop some amount of it in it. Don’t worry about the colour, it is safe, you can even chew on charcoal. It is far safer than eating chicken from KFC.

10. *#Skin_Cleansing*.
Do you have pimples, acne or any skin disease you really want to get rid of or do you want a very smooth face or skin? All you need is charcoal. Make a thick solution out of it & smear it on your body & leave it on for some hours before taking your bath. It will leave your skin smooth & fresh.

11. *#Stain_Removal*.
Do you have some stubborn stain in your kitchen, washroom or on your tiles? You actually need charcoal to get rid of it. I know you’re imagining how this black stainy product can actually remove stains right? Just try it, it works like magic.

12. *#Getting_rid_of_a_Bloated_Stomach*.
If you ate or drank something & feel bloated, charcoal is the best solution to get rid of the bloating.

13. *#Gets_Rid_of_bad_Cholesterol*.
Making a solution out of it & drinking helps eliminate all the bad cholesterol you have stored in you.

14. *#Ulcer_Treatment*.
Charcoal can treat all ulcers. Just make it a habit to always chew some.

RAVE TV boss, Agata Amata premiers her first cinematic movie ‘DISGUISE’

BY ESTHER ODILI

Fred Amata’s ex-wife and CEO of Rave TV, Agatha Amata premiers her first cinematic movie ‘Disguise’, at IMAX studios, Surulere, Lagos, on Thursday, February 15, 2018.

Photo: Agatha Amata (Executive producer), Chiagoziem Nwakanma, IK Ogbonna, Nancy Isime, Stephen Daniel, Victor Okpala (Producer)

Speaking with newsmen during the premier, the mother of two bares her mind on her experience, the inspiration behind the selection of cast as well as the funds from Bank of Industry (BOI).

She said: “Disguise is my first cinematic movie. We got the inspiration from a hot topic, what men really want from their women and vice versa. I became interested in the movie through the funds from Bank of Industry but we exhausted the funds the first week we started production.

“One interesting thing about this project was that my team, every one of them brought life into the production. This makes it a successful project. They worked tirelessly, from the cast, the crew, the writer, the director and the make-up artiste. They took this project and gave their all into it. It was not an easy task, I must confess but I encouraged me to push harder, which was worth it.

“Every scene in the movie was not faked, we shot in London, shot in Nigeria, we used a standard higher institution and even in water, here in Lagos. We spent a lot of money from the pre- production stage till the final day, yesterday. But, I am really interested in movie-making but it cost a lot so I need to be encouraged so as to do more. There will be a part two of the movie if I’m supported.”

Meanwhile, the story revolves around a millionaire, who tasks a group of young adults to answer the old age question 'what do women want', in a bid to win the ultimate prize of N10m, a couple of friends decide to disguise themselves as the opposite sex to find the truth- The big question is what do men want and what do women want?

Lead Actress, Nancy Isime

The movie features top actors and actresses like Wale Ojo, Desmond Elliot, IK Ogbonna, Danile K. Daniel, Toyin Abraham and Nancy Isime, amongst others.

Shot by Wale Adebayo, directed by Desmond Elliot, produced by Victor Okpala, andwritten by Patrick K. Nnamani. The movie is set to be in cinemas from 2^nd of March, 2018.