Culture

ICIR Urges Tinubu to Declare Isese Day Public Holiday

Published

1 year ago

August 21, 2025

The International Council for Ifa Religion has urged Tinubu to declare August 20–21 as national Isese Day public holidays to promote cultural equality

The International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR) has called on President Bola Tinubu to officially recognise Isese adherents by declaring August 20 and 21 as national public holidays.

Also read: Isese Day: Ogun govt commits to fostering inclusiveness of all religions

ICIR President, Fayemi Fakayode, made the appeal in a statement on Wednesday in Ibadan, Oyo State, ahead of the **2025 Isese Day** celebrations.

“We call for national recognition from President Tinubu through the declaration of August 20 and 21 as public holidays for Isese across Nigeria,” Fakayode said.

He noted that some South-West states, including Oyo, Lagos, Ogun, and Osun, had already declared Wednesday a holiday in honour of this year’s Isese Day.

He urged governors in Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi, Edo, and Delta states to follow suit and adopt August 20 as a state holiday.

Beyond the issue of holidays, Fakayode appealed to the federal government to fund traditional festivals, protect shrines and sacred lands, and integrate practitioners into cultural councils alongside Christians and Muslims.

“Isese represents the foundation of Yoruba and African identity; it embodies morality, unity, reverence for nature, and communal living.

Celebrating Isese safeguards our heritage, promotes pride in our culture, and strengthens enduring values such as honesty, respect, and hard work,” he stated.

Also read: Lagos State, Others celebrate Isese Day

The ICIR president commended South-West governors for supporting Isese Day and urged the federal government to invest in cultural and heritage sites nationwide to boost tourism, generate revenue, and drive community development.

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Culture

WAKE UP! Art Exhibition Returns for a Second Act

Published

2 weeks ago

August 27, 2026

Mariam Balogun

The contemporary art and photography exhibition “Wake Up!” is back again for a second edition.

Curated by Awele Onwordi, Wake Up! 2 exhibition pays homage to the Nigerian youth and burgeoning street culture which many of its contributing artists reference in their works.

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Titled “Young, Wild, Free”, the exhibition celebrates the creativity, resilience, freedom and cultural influence found in Nigerian youth.

Taking aim at societal issues and economic concerns, the exhibit reflects the youth and their refusal to compromise or bow despite all the challenges stacked against them while charting youth culture through art, music, fashion, skateboarding, photography and community.

The exhibition will be held, once again, at the Angel and Muse Gallery at 25 Sumbo Jibowu street off Ribadu Road off Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.

It will open on Saturday 5 September 2026 and will run until 11 September 2026
This second edition which focuses on celebrating, nurturing and exploring artistic practices rooted in youth and street culture will feature works from DENCITY and SUPERGLIDER HOUSE.

Exhibiting artists include Ajilore Kehinde – their work is deeply influenced by Nigerian street culture and works of other artists like Slawn, Peters Ejiro, etc, Chuka Onwordi – graphic designer who embodies themes of death, melancholy and beauty in his works, ZIDYEP – Abuja based creative whose works move between digital and physical spaces through art, graphic design and air brushing , Franklyn Okoye – graphic designer and artist whose works explore themes of identity and hyper-reality, Awele Onwordi – founder & curator of WAKE UP and multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans character art, creative logo design, album covers and more , Oluchi Kogolo – digital illustrator whose work explores street culture, personality and storytelling through a raw and playful visual style and Kozetuo Apeji – multidisciplinary artists who work explores experimental approaches to problem solving through both digital and traditional art forms.

Commenting on the exhibition in her curatorial statement, Awele noted that “despite economic instability, limited opportunities and socio-political challenges, Nigerian youth continue to shape culture through music, fashion, art, skateboarding, raves, photography and community.”

Also read: Five rising stars battle for 2026 Headies Next Rated

Continuing and harping on the raison d’etre of the exhibition she said, “Young, Wild and Free exists to celebrate Nigerian youth while also creating a platform that supports and amplifies them.”