Character is a person’s religion, not what he professes, by Owei Lakemfa

This has been one of the most widespread celebration of traditional religion, customs, ethos and culture of the Nigerian people in contemporary times. Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, speaking at the Isese Festival on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, stated that the essence was the peoples’ reconnection with their roots. Indeed, a people cut off from their roots, for any reason, are lost.

This Isese Festival observed amongst the Yorubas reminds me of three fundamental beliefs of the people I learnt while growing up in Lagos. The first is that character is the essence of a human being as it portrays his true self no matter what he professes. To them, a person’s character is like smoke, no matter how you try to cover it up, it will rise for all to see the person’s true self.

Secondly, that a person is an adherent of other faith, does not mean he should abandon or denigrate his ancestral origins. The gospel truth is that every religion carries in its DNA the ancestral origins, traditions and cultures of its progenitors. The third belief of the Yorubas is that whoever is alive during festivals should rejoice and celebrate with others. This incredible tolerance of other religions saw us in Lagos participate in all festivals, be it Islamic, Christian or traditional religion such as the Egungun, Eyo and Igunnu of the Nupe people whom the Yorubas call Tapa. It is partly this advanced cultural spirit, before the current degeneracy, that put the Western Region ahead of other regions.

It is the reason the Governor and Deputy Governor of each of what was called the LOBOO states: Lagos, Ogun, Bendel, Ondo and Oyo, were adherents of the same religion without anybody raising an eyebrow. This rubbed off on the aborted Third Republic when the fact that Chief Moshood Abiola and his running mate, Ambassador  Babagana Kingibe, were Muslims, was not an issue or any basis for debate.

What was quite unique this year was that at least three other states: Lagos, Ogun and Oyo, joined Osun State in declaring August 20 a public holiday to mark traditional religion. This is a practical demonstration that Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Seyi Makinde, Dapo Abiodun and Jackson Ademola Adeleke believe in the equality of all religions irrespective of their origins. This does not only cause a rethink about traditional religion amongst our young people, but also confers renewed respect on adherents of our traditional religion.

In commending these governors, commendation should also go to Ogbeni Rauf  Adesoji Aregbesola, Osun State Governor(2010-2018) whose administration had declared Isese Day a public holiday. Also, the tradition in the country is that when prayers are offered at official meetings or occasions, they are only rendered in the Islamic and Christian religions. But Aregbesola ensured that if prayers are to be offered on such occasions, they must be in the three main religions, including the traditional. For this, some attacked him as not being a true Muslim, but he stuck by his principles that all religions must be respected.

Many adherents of Islam and Christianity have consistently discriminated against and denigrated traditional religion. Even as many of the adherents of these religions behave like jealous co-wives, they give the impression that they alone should exist in Nigeria. In fact, some of them are so intolerant that they believe only they would receive salvation. They carry such beliefs to the extent that they try to prevent others from practising their religion. In other words, they try to deny other people their fundamental human right to belief. This is to the ridiculous extent that in some parts of the country, especially Ilorin, some clerics try to prevent traditional religion believers from practising their faith. They strive to restrict the movement of traditional worshippers, including erecting signposts barring them from certain areas and using the mass media to attack them. Such clerics even use the police to stop traditional festivals or run their organisers out of town.

Clerics in July 2023, invaded the home of Yeye Ajesikemi Olatunji in Ilorin to prevent her from holding the traditional festival. They have also paid visits to a religious centre in the Alalubosa area of Ilorin, disrupting services because the centre allows adherents of the three main religions to worship on its grounds. The leader of the clerics who invaded the centre in 2024, Alhaji Olojatuntun, had told the worshippers: “We are here because of the report that the mosque in Alubosa, Ilorin, where Christians, Muslims, and even traditionalists worship…We won’t allow anyone to destroy this town… So tell them (the owners of the mosque) that we must not come back. Though they could claim they own the land, this is the town of Emir.”

Another victim is Mrs Osunfunmilayo Ajile Sulaiman who is being compelled to abandon her beliefs, but insists on her fundamental and constitutional rights, saying: “Everybody is expected to know that when you practise your religion, you do not disturb others. Once there is no disturbance from one side, there is supposed not to be one from others too. When Muslims make calls to prayers, we show understanding that it is their own way of worshipping, same thing to Christians, who also engage in many church services. Therefore, we expect that nobody should disturb us too in the course of our religious rite. There is a proverb that one business does not forestall another.”

In comparison, adherents of traditional religion have traditionally been accommodating. It is only in recent times a handful have started responding to such attacks. How I wish they will keep to their honoured traditions of tolerance which showed a high cultural standing.

The minds of many Nigerians have been so conditioned that there is an assumption that the cultures of Europeans and Arabs are part of their faith. This is why the continued upholding of traditional marriage in contrast to marriage in the church and mosque, is quite uplifting. So also is the legal recognition of this marriage.

As Nigerians, we must uphold the constitutional rights of every citizen to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the right to manifest and propagate his religion in worship, teaching, practice and observance.

Given the tendency of some to deny others the same rights they enjoy, violators of this right need to be tried and sent to correctional centres.

Equally, the use of public funds to establish religious boards and subsidise or fund pilgrimages, should be discontinued. Let every citizen practise and fund his beliefs.

Conclusively, there should be equality of the Islamic, Christian and Traditional Religions. In this wise, the national public holidays declared for the first two with associated privileges, should also be extended to the traditional religion.

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