Why we cancelled Isese festival – Emir of Ilorin

Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu Gambari has said the planned Isese festival was cancelled to prevent a crisis in Ilorin, Kwara State.

This is in response to the criticism by Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka who took a swipe at the monarch for his role in preventing an Osun priestess, Yeye Ajesikemi Omolara, from holding an Isese festival in the state.

In a statement on Friday signed by his spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Arowona, the emir said the decision to cancel the festival was the only way of preventing situations that might lead to a crisis in parts of the country.

The statement read, โ€œTo set records straight, Professor Wole Soyinka tends to be economical with facts, forgetting that war is what nobody wants,โ€ the statement said.

The spokesperson noted that the emir decided to cancel the festival because it was capable of causing chaos in the society, if not quickly addressed.

โ€œThis is to prevent crisis and not wait until it erupts because the cost of managing crises cannot be equated to the wisdom or courage required to prevent it.

โ€œSuch proactiveness is necessary in order to sustain peaceful co-existence in the society.

โ€œIt is therefore surprising to hear that the position of Professor Soyinka is identical to someone who does not consider what might transpire if the programme was hosted,โ€ the statement said.

It added that the priestess had lived โ€œharmoniouslyโ€ in the town for years โ€œuntil she decided to go beyond her boundariesโ€.

โ€œIt may result in issues which could also lead to reprisal attacks by sympathisers or promoters of such belief (Isese festival) in other parts of the country.

โ€œThere are many non-indigenes in Kwara who are serving and retired, including business owners who have vowed to move their families to the state due to the peace and harmony enjoyed therein.

โ€œYeye Ajesikemi also confirmed that she has been living harmoniously in Ilorin for many years, not until she decided to go beyond her boundaries.โ€

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *