Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi Ogunlade, the Deji of Akure kingdom, has ordered the closure of all shops and markets in the town for the annual celebrations of the Aheregbe and Omojao festivals.
This is contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the monarch, Mr Michael Adeyeye and made available to newsmen on Monday in Akure.
“The palace wishes to bring to the attention of the general public that the annual celebration of the Aheregbe (Dududu) and Omojao festivals will be observed in the month of August.
Akure is the capital city of Ondo State in the Southwest region of Nigeria.
“Aheregbe festival will hold on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 while the Omojao festival will hold on Thursday, August 29, 2019.
“In line with tradition, all markets, shops and stalls in Akure will be closed on August 14 and August 29 for the observance of the festivals.
“All owners of shops, stalls and markets places in Akure are therefore enjoined to comply with the directives by locking their shops, market places and stalls during these periods,” he said.
This has however attracted criticism from Nigerians, considering the fact that Akure is a seat of government accommodating different tribes.
Some Nigerians took to the social media platforms to express disagreement with the order, saying such archaic tradition shouldn’t be used to deter economic activities of a state capital in this 21st Century dispensation.
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