Lagos: President Bola Tinubu on Saturday described the Eyo Festival of Lagos State as a powerful expression of Nigeria’s rich culture and identity.
Speaking at the 2025 edition of the festival held at Tafawa Balewa Square, Tinubu said the event underscored the nation’s heritage and celebrated the lives and legacies of distinguished Lagosians whose contributions helped shape the state and the country.
This year’s festival honoured several eminent figures, including Tinubu’s late mother, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, a revered market leader and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria.
Others remembered were former Lagos governor Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Brig.-Gen. Mobolaji Johnson, the state’s first military administrator, and Sir Michael Otedola, a former governor.
Tinubu praised the Lagos State Government, traditional institutions, and Oba Rilwan Akiolu for sustaining the cultural tradition, noting that the glamour of white-robed masquerades parading the streets sent “a resounding message about our identity as a people and as a country.”
He added that the festival’s timing, coinciding with the festive “Detty December” season, highlighted Nigeria’s immense tourism potential and Lagos’s growing appeal to Nigerians in the diaspora and international visitors.
