Traditional worshippers in Oyo State, Iseyin Local Government area of Oyo State, yesterday directed the Oro deity worshippers to go ahead with their planned 17-day festivities.
The Traditional Religions Worshippers’ Association of Nigeria, in a statement signed on its behalf by one of its leaders, Chief Oloyede Orogbensola, said there was no legal pronouncement stopping the festival.
The traditionalists accused the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Iseyin chapter, of being intolerant of other religions.
The NSCIA, had through its Publicity Secretary, Maruf Mustapha, warned against the 17-day movement restriction for this year’s festival.
The NSCIA said such a celebration impugned on the rights of the people in the area to go about their lawful duties without hindrance and also had the tendency for adherents to resort to violence and maim its members, as witnessed in the preceding years.
But Orogbensola called on the Oyo State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, and members of the public to ignore “the tissue of lies and misinformation being spread by the NSCIA” that Oro worshippers were violent and had been disturbing the peace of the town over the years.
He added that the Islamic group also misrepresented facts when it claimed that Oro was started in Iseyin in 1930, noting that the historic town was founded by an Ife prince, Ogbolu, with the help of Oro and Ifa deities, adding that Oro had been synonymous with Iseyin for hundreds of years.
He pointed out the significance of the Oro festival, saying “it is being conducted annually for the spiritual cleansing of Iseyin land.”
He said that despite the “unprovoked attacks on Oro worshippers by the Muslim groups,” the festival would go ahead as planned on September 22, 2019 “because there was no legal restraint against the annual festival.”
The traditionalists added that the claim by the Muslim group that the Oro festival would last for 17 days was “another attempt at exaggeration and blackmail”, noting that it would only be on two of those days, the seventh day and the 17th day, that women would be banned from seeing the masquerade, while other days were mainly for festivities.
