The gospel singer had come under heavy criticisms after she
referred to herself as ‘ebo’ literally meaning sacrifice in one of her songs.
She also used words like “Abiye ni mi, Oruko mi ni yen. Mo
de bo, mo ru, mo ye,” (I am a sacrifice, that’s my name. I am a sacrifice
accepted by God, that’s my name).
Defending herself while ministering in a white garment
church, Tope Alabi stated that “Aboru Aboye” is a pure Yoruba language and not
an exclusive preserve of traditionalists.
Alabi who explained with bible reference also clarified that
her deft use of the language remained her peculiar style as a gospel artiste.
She said, “It was recorded that David made a sacrifice of
faithfulness to God. Why was the word sacrifice not written as the same English
word in the Yoruba version of the Bible? It is a Yoruba language. There is no
special language for traditionalists. We are all speaking the Yoruba language.
“If some people say they want to use the language in their
own style, it is not bad. We have also decided to use it in our own style.”
While reiterating that sacrifices were rendered in the
bible, she further queried saying, “Was Abraham’s sacrifice accepted or not?
Was it not the same with Isaac?”
To establish her point, Alabi also referenced a bible
passage which is Romans 12:1, she said, “Brethren, by the mercies of God, that
you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is
your reasonable service. The word ‘acceptable’ is the ‘Aboru’ while ‘living
sacrifice’ is Aboye.”