The National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) is set to collaborate with the Brazilian Consulate on the accreditation of Yoruba traditional practitioners (babalawos, ifa priests, and traditional kings) as a requisite requirement before visas to visit Brazil are issued.
A statement made available to LEADERSHIP by Caleb Nor, media assistant to executive secretary, NICO, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye, said he made this known at a press conference on World Orisha Congress (WOOCON), organised by the Institute at the Brazilian Consulate in Lagos on Monday. The NICO boss said the need to partner with the Brazilian government was informed by the continued reports of unethical practices by individuals masquerading as babalawos, Ifa priests, and traditional practitioners, which he said have tarnished the integrity of Yoruba Orisha tradition.
NICO will also create a structured platform to assist traditional worshipers across the globe who wish to visit Nigeria for cultural exploration and convergence to ensure that they experience the best hospitality and authentic connection to their heritage when visiting Nigeria.
Speaking earlier, the Consular General of Brazil in Lagos, His Excellency, Ambassador Manuel Inocencio de Lacerda Santos Junior, expressed his appreciation to the Nigerian government for the bold step it has taken to uphold the enduring legacy of Yoruba and Orisha culture in Brazil.
“I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about a vital and vibrant cultural heritage that lives at the heart of Brazilian identity: the enduring presence of Yoruba and Orisha culture in Brazil.
“When hundreds of thousands of Africans were forcibly brought to Brazil during the transatlantic slave trade, they carried with them not only their labour but also their languages, beliefs, and traditions. Among the most influential of these African cultures was that of the Orisha and of the Yoruba people, originally from what is now Nigeria and parts of Benin and Togo”.
In a brief remark, the president of Oduduwa Heritage Home in Brazil and International Consultant to WOOCON, Ajoyemi Olabisi Osunleye, decried the extent to which our sacred traditions have been relegated to the back and called for the need to reconnect to our roots, our ancestors, and our purpose while refusing to be torn between religions, ideologies, and foreign expectations.
“The Orisha tradition is not about demons or fear. It is about divine order, cosmic intelligence, and harmony with nature. The Orisha tradition is not evil. It is not demonic. It is sacred knowledge—wisdom passed down across millennia. What we must do is present it not as fearsome, but as beautiful, intelligent and divine.
“This is why the congress matters. It is a re-education. It is a platform to shift global perceptions. It is a place where priests will sit beside professors, where ritual meets reason and heritage meets innovation. Our goal is to showcase the sophistication and spirituality of African traditions”, he said.
