₦airaland Forum

Happy Isese Day, Lagos!

Today we celebrate our roots, our traditions, our values, and the beauty of Yoruba heritage that makes Lagos who we are.
From our language to our festivals, from respect to community. Isese ni wa. Our heritage, our pride.

Today, we honour our… pic.twitter.com/H78REtpwV2

— The Lagos State Govt (@followlasg) August 20, 2026

Today, we celebrate Isese Day, honouring our heritage, traditions and the rich cultural identity passed down through generations.

Our culture is an important part of who we are, and we must never lose sight of the values and traditions that connect us to our heritage. We have a responsibility to preserve them and pass them on to future generations.

I wish everyone celebrating a peaceful and meaningful Isese Day. Thank you for keeping our traditions alive and contributing to the vibrant spirit of Lagos.

Wishing you and your family a wonderful Isese Day celebration. May your prayers be answered.

On this occasion of Isese Day 2026, we felicitate with traditional religion practitioners across Ogun State and celebrate with them as they commemorate a day dedicated to our rich cultural heritage and traditions.

Ogun State is blessed with a proud history, diverse cultural expressions and a people who have continued to demonstrate that our differences in faith and belief can coexist within a society founded on mutual respect, understanding and peace.

Our administration remains committed to protecting the rights of every citizen and fostering an environment where people of different faiths and traditions can live together in harmony. We therefore urge our traditional religion practitioners and indeed all residents of our dear State to continue to promote tolerance, unity and peaceful coexistence.

May this year’s celebration further strengthen the bonds that unite us and contribute to the continued peace, progress and prosperity of Ogun State.

We wish our traditional religion practitioners a peaceful and joyous celebration.

Happy Isese Day 2026!

On this special occasion of Iṣẹ̀ṣe Day, I extend warm greetings and best wishes to all Lagosians across the five IBILE divisions — Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe.

Iṣẹ̀ṣe Day is an opportunity to celebrate our rich Yoruba heritage, culture and traditions, as well as the values that have shaped us as a people. It is also a reminder of the importance of preserving our heritage and passing it on to the generations coming after us.

As Lagos continues to grow as a global city, we must continue to hold on to the history, culture and traditions that make our state unique. Our diversity and heritage remain an important part of what makes Lagos the vibrant city that it is today.

May this Iṣẹ̀ṣe Day bring peace, unity and prosperity to our communities. May Lagos continue to witness progress, while our rich cultural heritage remains a source of pride for generations to come.

Happy Iṣẹ̀ṣe Day to all Lagosians!

Ẹ kú ọjọ́ Iṣẹ̀ṣe! Àṣà wa ni ìdílé wa, ilẹ̀ wa ni ìṣògo wa.

johntolu:
Mohammed Maina was not sacked by IBB.
Maina's case actually happened during PMB's tenure in a case of pension funds
embezzlement and money laundering involving =N=2 billion for which Maina got a 8 year sentence.
The only public officials IBB sacked, while in office, are Ebittu Ukiwe, for insubordination and Etim Inyang, for ineptitude.
I can not remember IBB relieving any senior public official of his duties, for corruption, during his regime.

https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-59201130

Kobojunkie:
Stop spreading lies, abeg! How did you come to conclude that this man was the one that IBB fired for 300,000? Let me guess.. Facebook post told you this? 😒😒

Lagos State will on Thursday, August 20, 2026, host what is expected to be the largest single gathering of traditional worshippers anywhere in the world, with over three million residents joining the celebrations that mark the 2026 Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day.

To ensure Lagosians and tourists get an unforgettable experience during the celebration, the Lagos State Government has declared the day a work-free day for public servants, political appointees and others.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Idris Aregbe, in a statement signed personally on Wednesday, described the day as one that is bigger than a holiday on a calendar.

“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,” he said.

He noted that the Yorubas are one of Africa’s largest ethnic nations with more than 55 million people globally, holding tenaciously to the Yoruba culture and inculcating it in their children.

Adhering to the culture and tradition over the years has sustained the Ìṣẹ̀ṣe festivals in Cuba, Brazil, and the Caribbean, where many Yorubas live aside from Africa to this day.

“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,” Aregbe said.

Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day marks the culmination of a full week of traditional activities, and has been observed as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023, following a request from the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs.

Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has upheld it every year, in line with the administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious inclusiveness under the THEMES+ Agenda.

Aregbe expressed profound appreciation to Sanwo-Olu for his courageous support for a noble cause, and reserved special honour for the traditional institution.

“We thank His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. It takes real conviction for a leader to stand publicly with heritage, and he has done so without hesitation and without apology. 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.

This year’s celebrations will feature prayers, rituals, processions, drumming and cultural displays dedicated to the Òrìṣà, coordinated by the Association of African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas (AATREN).

Aregbe urged all participants to celebrate peacefully and respectfully.

“Three million voices rising in honour of tradition is not noise. It is history, faith and cultural pride in harmony. 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.”