Traditionists need 5 public holidays like Christians and Muslims too

The allegations and counter allegations by the two dominant religious body – Muslims and Christians is a worrisome issue that every Nigerian should be concerned about. In this opinion, Aanu Adegun, writes on the need to allow traditionalists have their own holidays if the two religious truly want fairness, equity and justice as they claimed. 

Nigerian Christians claimed they are being persecuted in the country and in response, the Muslims alleged that this is a lie and cheap propaganda. According to the Muslims, Christians in Nigeria enjoy more holidays than them. For me, I laughed at the two dominant religious body in our beloved country. They are both selfish. 

Their bickering reminds me of the song of a popular Oodua (Yoruba) musician, Ebenezar Obe, who sang about a man who was lucky to find something on the road . In the evergreen folk-song, the man was so much fixated on what he saw freely. He turned what he saw freely on the road into a tin god. Guiding it jealously with unsurpassed passion.

The musician asked, if you could do this about something that was not your own to start with, what will the real owner do? This is how I view the two religious body. They are fighting themselves but never gave a thought about the traditionalists who practised the first religion in this side of the world. Both met traditionalists on the shores of these lands. To me, if the two bodies continue in this path, then traditionalists should be given equal number of holidays. 

There should be Ogun holiday, Amadioha holiday, Ayelala holiday, Obatala holiday and ancestors holiday (a day dedicated to the worship of our dead ancestors). Make no mistake of saying where are they: Traditionalists are still around, they are everywhere and they deserve their own holidays too. I am one. I consider myself a traditionalist by virtue of the religion of my forefathers. So let us have our own holidays too.

Remember the maxim – what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. After all, traditionalists are the custodians of our cultures and traditions. Other religions are foreign to us.

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