Following a memo issued by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr. Itti Orugbani, and approved by the State Executive Council at its 46th meeting presided over by His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, in August 2021, it became mandatory for all members of the Bayelsa State Executive Council to adorn Ijaw traditional attire to their weekly meetings.
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The policy, which mandates the wearing of Ijaw traditional attire every Friday, applies to civil servants and political appointees across the state. It forms part of efforts to preserve and transmit cultural norms to younger generations. The initiative is anchored on the need to further promote the Ijaw identity and reduce the incursion of Western culture among the people of Nigeria’s fourth-largest ethnic group.
However, over the years, it has been observed that not all civil servants and political appointees are fully complying with this service dress code, which is unique to Bayelsa State. One department that has remained consistent in its adherence, however, is the Office of the Auditor-General in Yenagoa.
Speaking with EMTV News on the visible compliance of audit staff with the Friday Ijaw attire policy, the Bayelsa State Auditor-General, Comrade Tari Dounana, said the practice is a culture established by law in the state.
“Every Friday, especially we public servants, should be in our native wear. It is something we have been doing, and till today we are still doing it. Obedient public servants are still doing it,” he said.
According to him, the Head of Service had also directed that offices should take group photographs and upload them to the appropriate platform as evidence of compliance.
“The Head of Service instructed that every office should snap a picture and send it to our platform, and we are doing that. The instruction is still being obeyed,” he added.
On whether he was aware that some offices no longer comply with the policy because it has become less popular in recent times, Dounana, a former Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Bayelsa State Chapter, acknowledged partial compliance across ministries.
“Yes, some are doing it and some are not. I can count many areas that are still doing it. Go to the Ministry of Education—they are doing it. Go to the Office of the Head of Service—they are doing it. This is to call on other offices to emulate what we are doing,” he stated.
He further explained that the consistent wearing of traditional attire has helped reintroduce cultural practices that were gradually being lost.
“We have injected the culture again. Our people were beginning not to understand our attire, especially women who no longer knew how to tie headgear properly. But with this constant wearing every Friday, they imbibe the culture. They begin to do these things on their own, and it becomes part of them,” he said.
According to him, the policy is a legacy worth sustaining.
“It is something we welcome and something we will leave for the next generation,” he noted.
His message to civil servants:
“They should not wait until queries are issued before obeying the law. Ignorance is not an excuse. Every Friday, ordinarily, whether you are a civil servant or not, you should be in your native attire. It is what the state is known for, and we should project this culture beyond Bayelsa, at least across the South-South region of Nigeria.”
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