The governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Gbedebo Rhodes-Vivour, has condemned the announcement of two weeks observation of Oro Festival in various communities in Lagos ahead of the planned nationwide protests by some Nigerians, particularly the youth.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Lagospedia, a pro government account on Wednesday said the festival will be observed from August 1 – 15, calling the attention of residents and visitors to the upcoming festival.
Reacting via the microblogging platform, X formerly Twitter, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of assaulting Yoruba traditional institutions.
He said the Yoruba are known for justice and fairness through upholding their traditions.
He further accused the Lagos State government of sponsoring the Oro event to shun the planned “EndbadgovernanceinNigeria” protest slated on August 1.
Gbadebo said, “The campaign by APC propaganda handles to use ORO – a sacred ritual in Yoruba land – to threaten protesters is an assault on our traditional institution. Casualizing centuries of a hallowed ritual with such juvenile intent debases our culture and corrupts our revered institution.
“The Yoruba are obsessed with Justice and fairness, not only as a guiding principle but also as a defining feature. It explains why, although the subjects recognize their king as an authority second only to the gods, the community does not tolerate high-handedness on the part of the king. Whenever they perceive such, there is bound to be a protest.”
He said while he supports peace and patience from the youths, the right to peaceful assembly must be respected by traditional leaders.
“I urge patience and restraint from our youth but defend their right to peaceful assembly. More importantly, I call on our respected traditional leaders to condemn our tradition’s desecration and guard our revered institutions jealously,” he added.