Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has urged Nigerians to embrace traditional medicine and stop seeing it as barbaric.
Soyinka made the call at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, during the 2025 Isese Day celebration in Ogun State.
According to him, while the Western world continues to promote scientific medicine, many countries have also returned to natural and traditional medicine, which they now consider as one of the best forms of healthcare.
He said, “Some of those promoting scientific medicine in the world have returned to the use of traditional and natural medicine as the best form of medicine. Unfortunately, here, we are being misled to abandon what is truly ours. The time has come for us to promote and project our heritage, which is even better than what they brought to us.”
The Nobel Laureate accused the West of deceiving Africans for years, noting that foreign religions and imported practices were imposed to undermine indigenous knowledge and belief systems.
“The whole world is celebrating with us. We are gathered here to celebrate Isese Day in Ogun State because this land is the root of traditional religion and our way of life. Many people in foreign lands are now tracing their roots back to Nigeria, especially Yorubaland. It’s time for us all to start defending our traditional heritage,” Soyinka added.
Representing Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun at the event, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Sesan Fagbayi, assured traditional worshippers of more government support.
He said Isese Day has come to stay in Ogun State and promised that next year’s celebration would be more colourful and inclusive.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Ogun State Alternate Medicine Board, Balogun Nurudeen Olaleye, commended the governor for fulfilling his campaign promise to declare August 20 a public holiday for Isese Day.
He appealed to the state government to further strengthen policies that would promote traditional and alternative medicine as an emerging global sector.
