Dr Okhue Iboi is the spokesperson of the White Witches and Wizards, Association of Nigeria (WITZAN) and one of the notable trado-medical practitioners in the country. In this interview, Iboi, who has come to anchor his faith in God, reveals that his lure to herbal practice was dictated more by overriding factors and zeal to assist humanity. According to him, his belief in the efficacy of herbs and roots was a result of the events surrounding his birth. He also speaks on the 2023 elections. Excerpts:.
How are orthodox medicine, herbal practice and Ifa divination contributing to our healthcare delivery?
Orthodox means what you do that you standardized in your country. Our Orthodox here is what they standardized in other people’s countries. Like the UK, France and USA. We consider our herbs and roots as alternatives because we are trying to subjugate what belongs to us. In Tanzania, orthodox doctors and herbal practitioners work together. Before anything can manifest in your body physically, that thing must have been completed in the spiritual realm. Ifa will warn you about it in advance and you will put stop to it. That is why western medicine always bows to our medicine. For instance, if a woman is having difficulty having a child, you will do Ifa consultation and Ifa will tell you that the elders of the night (witches & wizards) are responsible. The first step you will take is to remove their hands from it. It is after this that the symptoms will now show before you use a physiological remedy for it. Without this, you will not be able to get a solution to the problem.
Aside from White Witches, are there any other witches’ groups/associations?
When we talk about ‘white witches’ we are not talking about white men or white women, but we are talking about a division of witches. There are white witches, black witches and red witches. White witches defend their families; they bring progress and development to them. The black witches attack people, if you beg them, they will leave you, but red witches attack people even if you beg them, they will never listen.
Can you tell us what transpired in your last meeting held in, Abuja and all the 36 states of Nigeria?
On the issue of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo contesting for the presidency which was published in Vanguard newspaper on March 13, 2022, we warned him to quit politics and face his pastoral job, so that he could accomplish the message God sent him to do, otherwise, he would be disgraced in the primary because that is not his area of calling. We advised him to bow out honourably when the ovation was high, what later happened in the APC primary election can better be imagined, he finished in the third position.
Do you know who will be the next President of Nigeria?
I cannot tell you who the next President of Nigeria would be because we are still screening all the presidential aspirants to know the one God has chosen to be the next president. The reason why we are careful to select the best candidate for the job is that we want leaders who would hold the sanctity of lives. We do not want a president who would watch his citizen going hungry and dying without being able to salvage the situation.
We want a president who would listen to the voice of his people and a president who would move the country forward, and stop fraudulent practices and poverty. In 2019, I predicted that Atiku Abubaker would win the presidency but he would be edged out and that he was going to come back to re-contest in 2023. What actually happened was that the Association of White Witches and Wizards held meeting in all the 36 states of Nigeria but when we got to Yola, Adamawa State, all of us supported Atiku Abubakar to be the next President of Nigeria. We found that there is an obstacle on his way to the presidential seat and that obstacle needs to be cleaned first before he can become President. We resolved to send a message to Abubakar’s wife to that effect. This message needs to be delivered to Atiku’s wife before her husband starts the campaign so that the road can be smooth for him to walk because this is the last chance for him to contest the country’s presidency. If he comes to us, we would be able to show him the way to avoid the big obstacle on his way to the seat of power.
What is your advice for Nigerian politicians?
My advice is for politicians that shed blood to achieve their aims and aspirations. Like the Bible says: “Those who kill by the sword must surely die by the sword”. Politicians whose hands are stained with innocent blood would lose someone dear to them at the peak of their glory, and their beloved ones would be full of sorrow, unhappiness and regrets.