By Abiodun Lawal
Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun on Tuesday declared Aug. 20 of every year as ‘Isese Day’, (Traditional Worshippers Day) in the state.
Abiodun, who made this known in Abeokuta during an engagement with members of the Alternate Medicine Board in the state said that by the pronouncement, traditional worshippers would also have a sense of belonging.
The governor who noted that he would officially sign an executive order before the end of the week, added that he would further back the order up with a bill that would be sent to the Ogun State House of Assembly.
Abiodun commended the board and members for organising workshops for their continued development.
The governor acknowledged the contribution of members of the board to the victory recorded by the President-elect Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
”I urge you to do the same on Saturday to vote me and other 26 House of Assembly candidates for a second term,” he said.
Earlier , the Chairman of the board, Alhaji Nurudeen Olaleye while noting that they were solidly behind the second term ambition of Abiodun, commended him for recognising the board.
Olaleye noted that the alternate medicine members in the state were over 20,000.
The chairman called for legal empowerment for the board to persecute quacks who are giving the board a bad name.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Isese (the Yorùbá word for Tradition) Day celebrates the Yorùbá traditions and religion in a display of culture and spirituality with parties, festivals, parades, lectures and display of other traditional apparels to attract tourists from other parts of the world.
NAN reports that Isese day is celebrated by Yorùbá diaspora communities around the world.
A former governor of Osun, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, in 2013, approved Aug. 20 as a public holiday in the state for Traditional Worshipers, under Section 2 (2) of the Public Holidays Act CAP P40 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2010.
Isese Day was first declared as a public holiday by the Osun government in 2014.
Banks, government offices and other establishments in Osun remain closed on this day.
Although the actual day is a state holiday, week-long festivities leading up to Aug. 20 are celebrated in Osogbo, the capital of Osun. (NAN)
