The Yoruba book of prosperity - Ibukun lati Olorun (blessings from God)

The Ibukun Lati Olorun (Blessings From God) has resurfaced again and become a topic of interest in Nigeria, UK and other parts of the world due to the claims Shojon Skygod a British Yoruba entrepreneur, is accessing the divine power of the Ibukun Lati Olorun to become affluent and influential across waters. 

The rare leather-bound book in Yoruba culture is a sacred piece of literature and part of Yoruba’s heritage; within it holds the prayers, divine guidance, prognostication and history of generations. Highly coveted and meticulously preserved, the book serves as a spiritual compass and living testament to the heritage of Yoruba. 

The main text and margins are filled with handwritten notes in Yoruba and Arabic with dates stretching back over a hundred years. It contains deeply poetic translations of the Psalms, Christian hymns (Orin Dafídì), as well as guidance for dua and specialised family blessings meant to be read aloud during specific periods of the Yoruba existence, including milestones like coming of age, naming ceremonies, harvest and other significant life events

The book details how Oduduwa, Yoruba’s progenitor, led a migration from Northeast Africa into southwestern Nigeria, and collates the findings of historian Samuel Johnson, who researched the origin of the Yoruba to be Sudan. It is said Oduduwa, upon arrival with his group is said to have integrated with local populations, of which the book names Igbo specifically as “new neighbours,” before establishing Ile-Ife as the cradle of the Yoruba civilisation. 

The Ibukun breaks down the magic of the spoken language of Yoruba (Ede). It makes comparisons between Ori (destiny) and the philosophical concept of Iwa (character/existence), where thoughts and words function as the literal hands of the potter. In Yoruba cosmology, humans are sculpted from clay, but it is the breath and the spoken word, Oro, that activates that clay, giving it form, purpose and identity.

The book suggests that, embedded within Yoruba ede, the language shapes the reality of its speakers through several distinct linguistic and cultural mechanisms, giving power to thoughts and speech of a divine nature only, making reference to Genesis 1:27: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them and mankind's stewardship over the earth.” 

The book uses the Talking Drum (DunDun), which can mimic the exact tones, pitch, and rhythms of spoken Yoruba, to explain how to resonate with the structure of the Yoruba language to mould the clay and speak the blessings of God into your life, from praise poetry (oríkì) to hunter chants (Ijala) and uses similar language and characteristics outlined in the kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) that explain a secret relationship between the infinite God of all and the physical plane. 

Proclamations in the book explains Oludumare is Oduduwa as an ascended being in the cosmos, granted privilege to find new land (Nigeria) in which to create the Yoruba existence and Ile-Ife, the ancient city in southwestern Nigeria known to many as the spiritual conception and cradle of civilisation for the Yoruba people. After a time, Olodumare was said to have been granted sight by a higher power, the god of all and given an understanding of the Multiverse. 

He witnessed thousands of variations of Earth spinning through the cosmos like beads on an invisible string. In some worlds the land never rose from the waters; in others, different gods shaped the clay. But in countless reflections of reality, the Yoruba existence saw a new beginning and direction under “Eledua” (the one who is the source of existence) 

Oludumare supposedly realised that, to guide Yoruba existence across the multiverse, he must transcend his current form under the guidance of Eledua. The story dictates that Oludumare looked down at the primary Earth beneath him, where he would soon descend from the heavens as Oduduwa to found Ile-Ife.

But he was already stepping into the parallel tracks on alternate Earths, where the people look up to a singular majesty, “Eledua” he chose to present himself as Olorun, creator of the Yoruba, on numerous versions of Earth before submitting his name and presence to Eledua, ensuring every one of his progeny knows Eledua as the father of Abraham. 

The Ibukun states it was through Olorun’s ascension to walk with God like Enoch, similar to the stories of the creator of the Igbo people, Chinike, and the creator of the Akan tribe, Onyame, that he secured wisdom, blessings, and safety for the Yoruba in the multiverse. 

He ensured the change of Olu and Oluwa, the traditional Yoruba term for a leader or lord that used to refer to traditional rulers, deities and spirits like the Orishas, to be a prefix in devotion to Eledua, the father of Abraham, similar to Hebrew names. Ensuring the Yoruba culture of sacred names, with providence and understanding of their divine nature, remains protected with Eledua. 

Pages within the Ibukun outline family heritage spanning back centuries, with the stories of Adenuga, Olorunfemi, Taiwo, Bakare and many more. It also explains legacies and remnants from the Yoruba 401+ Pantheon occurring on other planes of existence. 

The book seems to have resurfaced due to the legacy of Oluwasojon, a divine son of Olorun who is said to appear on Earth to fulfil his destiny and guide the Yoruba people to Eledua and their divine purpose; his legacy in the book mimics that of Deuteronomy as he obeys the commands of the god of Abraham. 

Shojon Skygod, an entrepreneur and musician from the UK, is said to be an incarnation of Oluwasojon on this earth today and has been accepted as such by followers of Oluwasojon’s Iwure (Bringing forth good fortune) in Abekouta. Shojon gave a series of seminars across Nigeria entitled “Eto wa ti de” (Our Right Has Come) and invested ₦10 billion to create the Blessings from God research initiative (a charity organisation of the same name as the book) that provides resources and outreach programs in Nigeria. 

Shojon also has a book written in his honour in the UK by Isaac Owo-King, “Elements of Shoism”, that uses pages from the Ibukun Lati Olorun to verify Shojon’s presence as Oluwa Sojon Imole-Ayo, Olubuore, Alewilese, divine son of Olorun and the Yoruba people. The book outlines a divine nature, outlined in several religious and prophetic texts, that is attributed to Shojon as a modern-day messiah with a message of karma, although they do not make an altar for Shojon. Isaac’s following of “Shoism” is religious in nature, following that of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Celestial Church of Christ of the Aladura movement also anointed Shojon Skygod as a prophet, claiming his visions are from the Most High God they serve as a warning and path for salvation. 

The Ibukun Lati Olorun serves as profound insight for many Yoruba families, connecting historical Yoruba roots, multiversal cosmology and contemporary Jewish spiritual practice. Central to the book's enduring allure is its exploration of the mystical power of the spoken word (ede) to actively manifest blessings that saw its popularity in the early 19th century.

Although many embrace Shojon as Sojon Divine's son, the “Shoism book”, with its religious following based on eyewitness accounts of his teachings, Shojon himself has not spoken out about or endorsed it.