Please Join us, Traditional Worshipers Appeal To Christians, Muslims

Please join us, traditional religious worshippers in the ancient city of Ibadan have appealed to their Christian and Muslim counterparts.

The appeal followed their protests on the streets of the Oyo State capital, yesterday, which they said was to draw the attention of the state government.  

The worshippers, under the aegis of Traditional Religion Worshippers’ Association, Oyo State chapter, said their major complaint was discrimination by the state government.

This they said has manifested in the state authorities failing to create a holiday for traditional worshipers like it had done for other religions.

 “Stop discrimination against traditional religion,” Oyo is a secular state, stop discrimination,”  were among the placards they displayed, even as they appealed to mainstream religionists like Christians and Muslims, to join in appealing to the state government to attend to their demands..

According to them, they also need religious holidays for traditional worshippers as is the case with the others, grant their request of granting public holidays for them.

Dr Fayemi Fakayode, the General Secretary of the association in the state bemoaned that they were usually remembered at the dawn of elections.

 “We are gathered here today to make our plight known to everybody in Oyo State. This peaceful demonstration is necessitated by the attitude of the Oyo State Government under the leadership of Engineer Seyi Makinde to the practitioners of Yoruba Traditional Religion in this state.”

“The present administration under Engineer Seyi Makinde has refused to give the practitioners of Yoruba Traditional Religion in Oyo State audience.

“Despite seeking the attention of the former by the latter through letters, like his predecessors, the former has exempted the letter in the cabinet and has denied the latter any kind of recognition, hence, our questioning justice and equity as the bedrock of democracy in the case of Oyo State.”

“As if the discrimination we are suffering is not enough, the state government has also been depriving us our constitutional right of having public holidays.”

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“We hereby implore the Muslim community in Oyo State, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other stakeholders in this state, in the spirit of religious equity, to join us in our appeal to Oyo State Government to stop her game of discrimination, neglect, relegation and frustration against practitioners of Yoruba Traditional Religions in Oyo State.”

“The public holidays we are agitating for are five ranging from May 15th for Ela festival, first Saturday of June and Friday that precedes it for a pilgrimage to our land of Otu-Ife and 20th August which Oyo State House of Assembly has already moved the motion for since February 2017 now awaiting executive consent.”

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Also, the President-General, Isese Foundation and President, Oyo State Traditional Religions, Baale Olukanmi Egbelade, said: “We want the government to give us the recognition we deserve.

“ There is freedom of religion. August 20 of every year should be given to us as a public holiday. It will add values to the economy in terms of tourism and the promotion of our cultural heritage. Through this, the Oyo State Government will generate more revenue.”

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The Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, Mr Sunday Odukoya, who responded on behalf of the government, promised to pass their message to Governor Seyi Makinde.

“They are part of the state nobody is looking down on them. I’m going to present their case to the governor and he would do something about it.”