Oladipupo Awojobi As preparations for the 2025 ‘Isese Day,’ celebrated annually on August 20, gather momentum, Oba Ogboni Alaje Worldwide, HRM (Dr) Olaogun Adegboye Ifatunde, has again, called on President Bola Tinubu to sponsor a bill in the National Assembly to declare the date a national public holiday in honour of ‘Isese’ across the country.
Speaking in an interview with Saturday Telegraph at his palace in Sango Ota, Atan Road, Ogun State, Oba Ifatunde emphasised the significance of Isese, stating that it predates the arrival of both Islam and Christianity in Nigeria.
“Isese deserves to be recognised because it was the first religion, long before the other two arrived.
“It is only fair that it has a national holiday, just like Muslims and Christians have for their festivities,” he said.
He also urged the three tiers of government to involve traditionalists in daily governance, saying that their inclusion could enrich administrative processes with cultural and spiritual values.
Oba Ifatunde called on governors in the South West and their respective state Assemblies to officially recognise and approve August 20 as Isese Day in their regions.
He further invited all members of Ogboni Alaje Worldwide and traditionalists to attend the 2025 Isese Festival, which will be held on August 20, in Sango Atan, Ota Road, Ogun State.
This year’s theme is: “Isese in Democracy and the Support from Our Communities.”
In closing, the monarch appealed to all Nigerians, especially traditionalists, to continue supporting President Tinubu’s administration in its efforts to transform the nation.
