Lagos State Govt Declares Public Holiday
The Lagos State Government has declared Thursday, August 20, 2026, a work-free day for workers and public servants in the state.
This was just as the state prepares to host what it described as the world’s largest single gathering of traditional worshippers.
Politics Nigeria understands that the declaration is to enable residents and visitors participate in the 2026 Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day celebration, expected to attract more than three million people across Lagos.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, announced this in a statement issued on Wednesday.
According to him, the celebration represents a living expression of Yoruba tradition and spirituality and underscores the significance of indigenous culture within Nigeria’s religious and cultural landscape.
“Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” Aregbe said.
He said the Yoruba people, numbering more than 55 million globally, had continued to preserve their culture by passing it from one generation to another.
Aregbe added that the continuity of Yoruba traditions had also sustained Ìṣẹ̀ṣe festivals in countries such as Cuba, Brazil and across the Caribbean, where people of Yoruba descent continue to observe the practices.
“When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” he said.
Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day marks the culmination of a week-long programme of traditional activities and has been observed as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023 following a request by the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has maintained the tradition annually as part of his administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious inclusiveness under the THEMES+ Agenda.
Aregbe commended Sanwo-Olu for supporting the celebration, while also recognising traditional rulers and custodians of Yoruba culture for preserving the heritage over the years.
He specifically acknowledged the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, royal fathers, White Cap Chiefs, Babaláwo, Ìyánífá, Olóòrìṣà and other custodians of traditional worship.
“We also bow to Kábíyèsí, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, foremost custodian of Lagos culture, to all our royal fathers, our revered White Cap Chiefs, our Babaláwo and Ìyánífá, our Olóòrìṣà and every custodian and promoter who kept these rites alive when it was neither fashionable nor convenient. Governments come and go. Custodians carry the culture,” he said.
The 2026 celebration will feature prayers, traditional rituals, processions, drumming and cultural displays dedicated to various Òrìṣà. The activities are being coordinated by the Association of African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas (AATREN).
Aregbe urged participants to conduct themselves peacefully and respectfully throughout the celebrations.
“Three million voices rising in honour of tradition is not noise. It is history, faith and cultural pride in harmony,” he said.
He added that the celebration was intended to accommodate Lagosians across religious lines, stressing that the state remained committed to providing space for diverse cultural and religious expressions.
“Whether you worship in a mosque, a church or a grove, Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day belongs to you, because heritage has no denomination. Lagos remains the city where every heritage finds its place,” Aregbe said.
