Gbenro Adesina
Lagos State Government has assured the Association of African Traditional Religion practitioners that it has not jettisoned the request to declare August 20 as a public holiday in their favour.
Speaking on behalf of the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Solomon Bonu, stated this when members of the Association visited his office in Alausa, Ikeja.
Describing the association as promoters of the indigenous cultural heritage of the State, the commissioner pleaded with the members to allow the state government to follow due process before acceding to their request, considering the legal implications of making such a declaration without due diligence.
The Special Adviser acknowledged that the state government has been advocating for very low key celebrations of all festivities in view of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic globally.
He added that the government would also look at the possibility of lending a hand to support the practitioners during this year’s ‘Isese Day’, the same way it has always assisted the practitioners of modern-day religions.
Bonu urged the leadership of AATREN to prevail on their members across the state to observe all protocols of COVID-19 and ensure that they did not exceed 6pm in any of their activities while commemorating this year’s “Isese Day”.
Disclosing that plans are already being perfected by the Ministry to make the annual celebration more elaborate next year, the Special Adviser gave an assurance that the traditionalists would be fully carried along and involved in the programme.
