By Segun Ajayi
Not many Nigerians appreciate the fact the country’s constitution recognizes three major religions Islam, Christianity and traditional religion. The reasons are not far-fetched. There’s no gainsaying the fact Christianity and Islam gained wider ground in Nigeria thanks to the activities of European missionaries and Fulani jihadists. At the same time, the third leg of our religious tripod got the beating. Traditional religious practices were suppressed and in several cases denigrated by other faiths which up till now lay claim to some degrees of orthodoxy. Amid all that, Nigerians, albeit pretentiously, looked away from Chapter one, Section 10 of Nigeria’s constitution which states ” The government of the Federation or state shall not adopt any religion as state’s religion”. Thus, the constitution validates the presupposition that Nigeria recognizes three major religions; Christianity, Islam and African Traditional Religion.
As a respecter of the rule of law and upholder of Yoruba heritage and religious sensibilities, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu quickly aligned with the recent efforts at Yoruba culture renaissance. A practicing Christian notwithstanding, Sanwo-Olu understood Lagos was home to ethnic varieties and hosts a divergence of beliefs. It was against this background the governor acceded to the request of the state’s Council of Obas last year that August 20 be set aside as Isese Day. Sanwo-Olu knew to act otherwise would reduce his administration to a level of bigotry and intolerance in the estimation of the royal fathers.
The question then arose, who would bell the cat in the South West? So, when Lagos State announced August 20, 2023 as public holiday to commemorate Isese Day, not many people believed the pronouncement would become sacrosanct so soon. No wonder this year declaration of Isese Day in Lagos didn’t resonate early. It is believed the decision will become entrenched even as more sub-nationals of the Yoruba stock embrace the initiative. It is heartwarming that more states joined the league this year. Lagos was joined by Osun, Ogun, Kwara, Edo, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, and Kogi states to devote August 20 in their bid to foster a sense of identity among adherents and custodians of our indigenous religion and culture.
As chairman, South West Governors Forum, Sanwo-Olu in his congratulatory message on the day praised the people of South West, particularly traditional rulers and religious worshippers for sustaining and preserving the cultural heritage of the Yoruba. According to a statement issued by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, Sanwo-Olu stated; “although the world has become a global village, with an attendant result in multiculturalism, the Yoruba people have unique culture and traditions that must be preserved for the future generations.”
He commended all the traditional rulers and people of the South-West for upholding these cultural and traditional values of the Yoruba race. He also charged them to use the occasion of Isese Day to remind themselves of the importance of the Yoruba “Omoluabi” ethos, which include tolerance, hospitality, peaceful coexistence among ourselves, different religious groups and our neighbours, noting that these must continue to be the hallmark of the Yoruba people. Governor Sanwo-Olu also praised his colleagues who declared public holidays in their respective states.
Beyond fostering religious equality, this reawakening is coming at an auspicious time.nThis is a religion that have has suffered centuries of disdain and despoliation by practitioners of other faiths. To make things worse are the supposed custodians of our beliefs and practices who also joined in the rape of our indigenous faiths.
Isese practitioners also recognise the existence of the god-head and that belief is universal. If not so, our people and nationals across our continental borders could have lost faith in it. Is it not ironic that the traditional faith we trample on back home still stretches into the Americas and the Caribbean! There you will still encounter ISESE and its allied spiritualities. In these countries, ISESE still exerts its hold on the human spirit. For instance, an exploration Brazil, Columbia, Cuba will be amazed at the tenacity of this spirituality among the descendants of the black race.
