The administrations of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States have declared today, Thursday, August 20, work-free day to mark this year’s Isese Day. The three states described the yearly event as a vital display of Yoruba culture, traditional religion and indigenous heritage.
The pronouncements indicate public personnel and other people in the three Southwest states would spend the day as a public or work-free holiday as traditional worshippers congregate for prayers, rituals, processions and other cultural activities, reports The Punch.
The authorities reported that more than three million people were expected to participate in the festival in Lagos, describing it as probably the greatest single assembly of faithfuls of the African Traditional Religion in the world.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, announced the work-free day in a statement yesterday, adding the celebration should not be seen as just another holiday.
Isese is not an antiquity. “It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” Aregbe remarked.
He said the Yoruba people, believed to number more than 55 million internationally, have persisted to retain their culture across generations and outside Nigeria.
Aregbe said the survival of Yoruba traditional customs in nations like Cuba, Brazil and the Caribbean countries showed the spread of the culture throughout the globe.
In Lagos, as the drummers beat on Thursday, they answer to drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million and counting. Lagos is not on a local holiday. And Lagos is at the center of world heritage,” he said.
Isese Day, which is the climax of a week-long schedule of traditional celebrations, has been commemorated as a work-free day in the state since 2023, per the request of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs, the Lagos administration stated.
It stated Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had continued the annual observance as part of his administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious inclusiveness under the THEMES program.
Aregbe commended Sanwo-Olu for his support for the observance and also lauded the traditional rulers and caretakers of Yoruba religious rituals.
We appreciate His Excellency, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. “It takes real conviction for a leader to publicly stand with heritage, and he has done so without hesitation and without apology,” he added.
He also paid tribute to the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the traditional rulers, the White Cap Chiefs, Babalawo, Iyanifa, Olooriṣa and other custodians of the culture.
“Governments rise and fall. “Custodians hold the culture,” Aregbe stated.
The state stated this year’s program will include prayers, rituals, processions, drumming and cultural exhibits devoted to the Orisa and coordinated by the Association of African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas. GeographicReference
Aregbe asked the participants to mark the occasion calmly and respect other faiths.
“Three million voices rising in honour of tradition are not noise. It’s faith and history and cultural pride in balance. Whether you worship in a mosque, a church or a grove, Isese Day is yours, because heritage has no denomination. “Lagos is still the city where all heritage has its place,” he remarked.
The Ogun State administration stated the decision was taken to preserve and promote Yoruba culture, heritage and traditional values.
The declaration, in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, was made accessible to journalists yesterday.
The administration has reminded that in 2023, August 20 was proclaimed a public holiday in Ogun after a resolution by the state House of Assembly and the agreement of Abiodun.
The government says Isese Day allows traditional worshippers an opportunity to pay homage to their ancestors, conduct traditional ceremonies and uphold the ideals ingrained in their spiritual and cultural practices.
“Isese Day provides an opportunity for followers of the Yoruba traditional religion to honour their ancestors, observe traditional rites and promote the values and teachings embedded in their spiritual and cultural practices,” the statement stated.
It said the commemoration also afforded the larger society the opportunity to recognise Yoruba history.
“The celebration also helps in creating a sense of community among practitioners and an opportunity for the wider society to appreciate and respect the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people,” the ministry added.
The commemoration also highlighted the government’s acknowledgement of the role of culture and traditional institutions in sustaining the identity of the state and promoting social cohesion, the government stated.
It called on locals to celebrate peacefully and responsibly, respecting the beliefs, rights and customs of others.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, congratulated traditional worshippers across the state and beyond.
In a statement in Ibadan by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Makinde congratulated followers of African Traditional Religion and wished them a successful and spiritually enriching celebration in a memo signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Musibau Babatunde.
The governor also reiterated his administration’s commitment to fairness among the believers of different religions and thanked traditional worshippers for their support to his government over the past seven years.
The email said the day off would allow workers and citizens to fully participate in the celebration and pray for the state and country.
The work-free day would allow workers and citizens to fully engage in the celebration of the state’s cultural history and pray for the peace, unity and stability of the state in particular and the country in general, it stated.
The Oyo State administration has said the Isese Day celebration was created by Makinde as part of attempts to recognise adherents of traditional religion and utilise the state’s cultural legacy for economic development.
It said cultural tourism was one of Oyo’s assets and tied the event to the state’s broader endeavour to harness its traditional legacy to achieve economic progress.
The simultaneous declarations by Lagos, Ogun and Oyo continue a trend in the Southwest of formally recognising Isese Day, with the three states presenting the observance not just as a religious occasion for traditional worshippers, but also as an expression of Yoruba cultural identity and heritage.
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