Isiaka Ogundare, the Apena of Lagos, has called on the federal government to extend support to African traditional religions, akin to the assistance provided to Islam and Christianity.
Speaking on Tuesday in commemoration of World Culture Day, Mr Ogundare lamented the government’s historical neglect of traditional African religions.
During his address to journalists in Lagos, Mr Ogundare expressed his dissatisfaction with the government’s bias in supporting Muslims and Christians during their spiritual exercises in Mecca and Jerusalem while traditional worshippers remain overlooked.
We, the traditional worshippers, are not happy; the government has sidelined us for too long; we are not taken seriously at all, and we are not happy with this, said Mr Ogundare.
He pointed out the substantial financial support provided to Muslims for their hajj exercises and to Christians for pilgrimages to Jerusalem, emphasising that traditional worshippers deserve similar attention and resources.
Mr. Ogundare specifically called for government support to promote traditional festivals and deities, such as Agemo and Igunuko.
He highlighted the cultural and protective significance of these deities, noting that the Agemo deity is celebrated for protecting children and the Igunuko deity for warding off evil from the land.
“We also crave such support to develop our local festivals and promote our deities,” he urged.
“The Agemo deity is supposed to be celebrated during Agemo festivals; it is the deity responsible for protecting children. We don’t have the resources to celebrate the festivals as we should.
Also, the Igunuko deity, responsible for warding off evil from the land, is not well celebrated. Many more of our deities and festivals need to be celebrated and promoted.”
Mr Ogundare appealed for a portion of the resources allocated for religious pilgrimages to be redirected to support traditional worshippers. He stressed the importance of recognising and preserving African culture and warned against the dangers of neglecting it in favour of Western influences. According to him, such neglect could lead to a loss of cultural identity for future generations.
In concluding remarks, Mr Ogundare urged Nigerians to practice their religion through charity, compassion, and good morals, emphasising that these qualities would contribute to a safer and more harmonious society.
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is celebrated annually on May 21. The event, declared by the United Nations General Assembly and adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in 2001, aims to promote cultural diversity and dialogue globally.
(NAN)
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