There was a blend of culture, tradition
and dance as Lagos State recently concluded this year’s Eyo festival at
the Tafawa Balewa Square, held in memory of Chief Yesufu Oniru. The Eyo
Festival is also known as Adamu Orisha Play. Being a unique festival
among the people of Lagos, there is a widespread belief that Eyo was the
forerunner of the modern day carnival in Brazil.
The white-clad Eyo masquerades represent
the spirits of the dead, and are called “agogoro Eyo (tall Eyo). It is a
one week event that usually ends with the parade and display of
colours. The show is restricted to the Island area of Lagos and it is
forbidden to be staged outside the approved boundaries in the Island.
The fiesta is regarded as the highest
post-humous honour that any community can bestow on a deceased person in
appreciation of his contributions to the society. It is primarily held
to celebrate and commemorate the passage of an Oba or an illustrious son
who contributed immensely to the development of the state. Although it
does not have a specific date for the celebration, the Oba of Lagos, on
who’s land the celebration takes place, grants an approval for the
hosting of the event after holding due consultations with the Akinsilu
of Lagos and the custodians at Awe-Adimu, the base of the senior Eyo
group. After consultations, the Akinsilu announces the date but not
without him communicating first with the deity after the family of the
deceased must have offered gifts to him which would be distributed among
the deity families.
The Eyo groups that participated in the
procession are Bashua, Erelu Kuti, Egbe, Eletu Iwashe, Eletu Ijebu,
Ologun Agbeje, Opeluwa, Aromire, Obanikoro, Oshodi- Bukku, Bajulu,
Onitana, Oloto, Akogun Olofin among others.
Speaking at the event, the Governor of
Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola said that the festival was designed
differently to accommodate a larger audience without diluting the core
values of the play.
According to him: “We have chosen again
to use the Tafawa Balewa Square which was befittingly the spot where our
nation gained independence and where our national colours were hoisted
for the first time 51 years ago. My administration is mindful of the
economic effects and benefits of festivals and tourist destinations in
our State and this edition of the Eyo has not been an exemption as it
has stimulated economic and other entrepreneurship opportunities for our
people”.
He recalled that the late Chief Yesufu
Oniru in whose honour the Eyo was being staged, was a leader who through
the instruments of law, sought to ensure that his people were not
deprived of their inheritance.
Fashola continued: “The late Chief who
was also the father of the present Oniru of Iruland, Oba Idowu Abiodun
won many legal battles against the acquisition of his ancestral property
by the then emerging colonial authorities. Whilst the Eyo festival
provides an occasion for us to celebrate, it is also important for us to
be introspective. We should remember this festival’s significance which
is largely within the context of preparations and performance of formal
acts by the Oba of Lagos and the elders of the craft.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP SUNDAY, a native
of Lagos State, Mr. Akeem Olorundare said that the Eyo was a unique
festival that differentiated the Yoruba’s among other ethnic groups in
the country. He called on the government at all levels to continually
support the fiesta saying that the late Chief Yesufu Oniru was one man
that exhibited good leadership qualities during his reign.
