Set to host Eyo festival December 27
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has reiterated the state’s commitment to the protection of its cultural heritage. The governor said this when he hosted representatives of families of Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson, Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande, Sir Michael Agbolade Otedola and Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, the families that this year’s Adimu Orisa Play is dedicated to. The festival holds December 27.
The Adimu Orisa Play, widely known as the Eyo Festival, is a prominent, historic Yoruba cultural event in Lagos, Nigeria, featuring masquerades clad in white robes and hats (Agbada and Akete). It serves as a funeral rite for a departed Oba, chief, or very important Lagosian. The event is a vibrant, one-day celebration involving dances, chants, and a procession through Lagos Island.
Speaking at the Ijade Opa Eyo, which signifies the official flag off of the festival at the State House
Marina, Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu commended the Oba of Lagos who has facilitated the celebration,, which last held six years ago.
He said, “it will be a day of pride and joy in Lagos, it will be a ceremony that will be colourful that will show the rich deepness of our rich cultural heritage. It will be a ceremony that both our local and international friends will know that there is a strong tradition and culture in
Lagos.
This is because people without a culture will be facing extinction and will not be relevant.”
He added, “it will be a cultural event to demonstrate to all of our friends that Lagos is not only a centre of excellence, a centre of commerce, but it is also a melting point of culture and tourism.”
The Oba of Lagos, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, had at a media briefing earlier in the month, revealed that the festival would be held at the Tafawa Balewa Square. He added that the celebration this time around would be limited to Lagos Island while any form of rascality will not be tolerated.
Oba Akiolu had described the forthcoming festival as a celebration of Lagos’ rich cultural identity and communal spirit, disclosing that the Eyo festivation has no link to deity worship but just a symbolic expression of heritage and unity among the people of Lagos.
“The Eyo Festival remains the largest mass cultural gathering in Nigeria today,” the monarch said, adding that
“It draws people from all parts of the country and beyond, and it showcases the peaceful coexistence, inclusiveness, and collective aspirations of Lagosians.”
Akiolu added that hosting this year’s edition in honour of the distinguished personalities would promote renewed economic activities through tourism, commerce, and hospitality, while also boosting social cohesion and contributing to a reduction in crime and violence.
The Ijade Opa Eyo is a ceremonial procession. Through the Ijade Opa Eyo, Lagos honours its ancestral order. The opambata borne in procession signifies guidance, protection and the passage of heritage from one generation to the next. In this ritual movement, the city remembers its foundation and proceeds with dignity.
