When campaigns for Lagos State governor start, Lagosians should only vote for candidates who can make Eyo as big a money spinner as the Notting Hill or Rio carnivals

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Do you know that the first ever Eyo Festival in Lagos was held on the 20th of February, 1854, to commemorate the passing of Oba Akintoye. Yet in 168 years we have not been able to make it a money spinner like other global festivals

[2] Since 1854, Eyo has been used to pay homage to the reigning Oba of Lagos. However, now, the festival takes place whenever occasion and tradition demands it, as Eyos are regularly held as part of the final burial rites of any highly regarded Lagos chief

[3] On Eyo Day, the main highway in the heart of the city from the end of Carter Bridge to Tinubu Square is closed to traffic, allowing for procession from Idumota to the Iga Idunganran palace. The white-clad Eyo masquerades represent the spirits of the dead. It is one of the most beautiful displays of Nigerian culture and should be marketed internationally

[4] During the colonial era, Eyo was regularly used to protest exorbitant British taxes, hence the song: “Awa o le san wo ibode odile.”

[5] What we still do not know is how Oba Akintoye died. This should be a key marketing point when selling the festival to an international audience. Akintoye’s son Dosunmu believes he was killed by chiefs loyal to his rival Kosoko including Oshodi Tapa, Ajenia and Ipossu

[6] Another version of events is that Oba Akintoye may have committed ritual suicide, fitting the traditional pattern of rulers taking their own lives after failing to meet expectations. Some historians believe that Oba Akitoye may have realised that his bargain with the British significantly reduced his influence in Lagos

[7] Bear in mind how Akintoye became the Oba of Lagos. On December 26, 1851, in what is now known as the Bombardment of Lagos or Reduction of Lagos, HMS Bloodhound, HMS Teazer, and a flotilla of boats mounted an attack on the Oba’s palace. Oba Kosoko put up a spirited defence but by December 28, 1851, the battle known locally as Ogun Ahoyaya or Ogun Agidingbi (after boiling cannons) was over with Kosoko and his followers fleeing to Ijebu. Consequently, Akitoye was installed Oba of Lagos

[8] On January 1, 1852, Akitoye signed the Treaty between Great Britain and Lagos abolishing the slave trade. Basically, he was a British stooge

[9] Do you know that London’s Notting Hill Carnival generates $300m annually?

[10] Do you know that the Rio Carnival contributes $1.5bn to the Brazilian economy?