The Lagos State Government has declared Thursday as a work-free day for public servants, political appointees and others in celebration of this year’s Yoruba Traditional Worshippers Day, which is expected to be the largest single gathering of traditional worshippers anywhere in the world, with over three million residents joining the celebration.
In a
statement personally signed on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the Governor
on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Idris Aregbe, described the day as “bigger
than a holiday on a calendar.”
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“Yoruba Traditional Worshippers Day is not a relic. 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,” he said.
He
said the Yorubas are one of Africa’s largest ethnic nations, with more than 55
million people globally, and noted that they have continued to preserve and
pass on Yoruba culture to their children.
According
to him, the strength of that tradition has helped sustain Yoruba Traditional Worshippers Day festivals in Cuba, Brazil, and the Caribbean,
where many Yorubas live outside Africa to this day.
“When
the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador,
in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not
observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global
heritage,” Aregbe said.
The day
marks the culmination of a full week of traditional activities, and has been
observed as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023, following a request from the
Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Governor
Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has upheld the observance every year, in line with
the administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious
inclusiveness under the THEMES+ Agenda.
Aregbe
expressed appreciation to Sanwo-Olu for his support, while also paying tribute
to the traditional institution.
“We
thank His Excellency, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. It takes real conviction
for a leader to stand publicly with heritage, and he has done so without
hesitation and without apology. We also bow to Kábíyèsí, the Oba of Lagos, Oba
Rilwan Akiolu I, foremost custodian of Lagos culture, to all our royal fathers,
our revered White Cap Chiefs, our Babaláwo and Ìyánífá, our Olóòrìṣà and every
custodian and promoter who kept these rites alive when it was neither
fashionable nor convenient. Governments come and go. Custodians carry the
culture,” he said.
This
year’s celebrations will feature prayers, rituals, processions, drumming and
cultural displays dedicated to the Òrìṣà, coordinated by the Association of
African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas (AATREN).
Aregbe
urged all participants to celebrate peacefully and respectfully.
“Three
million voices rising in honour of tradition is not noise. It is history, faith
and cultural pride in harmony. Whether you worship in a mosque, a church or a
grove, Yoruba Traditional
Worshippers Day belongs to you,
because heritage has no denomination. Lagos remains the city where every
heritage finds its
place
.”
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