Being a text of speech delivered by the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland and the Chief Promoter of Olokun Festival Foundation,(OFF) Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, at the 2024 edition of Olokun Festival, held Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at the Suntan Beach, Badagry,Lagos.
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the grand finale of this year’s edition of Olokun Festival.
I am delighted also that today’s event marks the end of the week- long of activities that climaxed with the grand finale.
I express my sincere appreciation to our royal fathers for finding time to be part of this historic gathering.
My sincere appreciation to our royal host, the Akran of Badagry, His Royal Majesty De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi 1, OFR, LL.D, D.LITT, JP, as well as the royal father of the day, the Olowu of kuta Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Oba oyelude makama and all the royal fathers that are here present.
My special appreciation also goes to all members of our organisation for their dedication and tireless efforts in promoting the cultural identity of our race (Ko ni re yin l’agbara Olorun).
I will not fail to appreciate the efforts of all members of the planning committee of this year’s edition of Olokun festival.
They have all done very well. I want to say it here today that all the successes we are celebrating today are the results of their sleepless nights.
I give all glory to Almighty God who has given us the grace and the strength to sustain this festival for the past 22 years.
HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR CULTURAL PROMOTION JOURNEY AND THE TESTIMONIES.
Our cultural evangelism journey with Olokun Festival was a story of discovery that began exactly 22 years ago, when we held the first edition of the Olokun Festival at the Alpha Beach in Lagos.
Today, Tuesday October 22, 2024, is also a special day. It is a day that has a significant spiritual meaning in our cultural promotion activities.
The journey that started 22 years ago has evolved with tremendous success with Olokun festival metamorphosing into a global cultural brand and a fiesta that has global attraction.
Though our journey into cultural promotion began in the year 2000 in partnership with Osun Osogbo Festival, the breakthrough gradually came with the celebration of the first edition of Olokun Festival at the Alpha beach in 2002.
The increase in the awareness, as well as the popularity of the Olokun festival within the first two years of its celebration opened several windows of opportunities for us.
It was the successes recorded within the first two years that brought about the transformations that we are celebrating today as our testimonies.
Before 2002, the few prominent festivals in Yoruba land were Olojo festival, (Ile- Ife) Osun Osogbo festival, (Osogbo) Eyo festival ( Lagos)Agemo in Imodi- Mosan (Ogun state) Ogun festival (Ondo), Ojude-Oba (Ijebu Ode) and a few others.
But since 2002 when we hosted the first Olokun festivals, there has been increased awareness about cultural and traditional festivals across Yorubaland.Today,OFF celebrates 30 traditional festivals spreading across major towns in Yorubaland.
The reason for choosing Badagry as venue for Olokun Festival is to feel the import of the town as a tourism destination.
The attraction for us is also to explore the tourism potentials of the ancient town.
It may also interest you to know that since 2004 that we moved to the Suntan Beach in Badagry, we have organised Olokun Festival non stop every year.
Every year, we play host to more than 30,000 dignitaries from all over the world.
The presence of prominent Yoruba traditional rulers from the South West, Republic of Benin and culture enthusiasts from Brazil, Cuba and other African countries have been a major milestone of the Olokun Festival Foundation.
And I am particularly happy to tell you also that as we celebrate the festival, the ancient town has continued to witness tremendous developments through the spiritual blessings of Olokun and Olosa deities.
Interestingly, Olokun Festival has brought more spiritual gains to the host communities.
Every year,we learn our voices by appealing to Federal Government to complete the Lagos Badagry Express road.
The road is almost completed now and we can feel the luxury as we ply the road to Badagry.
However,it is very important for us to appreciate this gesture and also appeal to the government to do the needful by completing the Lagos Badagry Express road as soon as it is possible.
Today, Badagry has turned out to be an oil-producing area,with the discovery of crude oil in five locations across the ancient town.
It was the Jonathan administration that had the vision to locate the largest Sea Port in Africa here in Badagry.The sea port where Ships would be repaired.But the project is yet to be executed.
Untill recently,the number of Obas and traditional rulers in Badagry was six or seven. But the number has increased tremendously since we started celebrating Olokun Festival here in Badagry.
Now,we have no fewer than 25 prominent traditional rulers in Badagry.
It is a big record of success and complete transformation of the traditional institution in Badagry.
Also,the economic transformation of Badagry is noteworthy.
The Lagos state government now concentrates more in developing Badagry as one of the best location that attracts both local and foreign investments.
Untill now,Badagry celebrated only its indigenous festival annually,but with the celebration of Olokun Festival,the story has changed.
The ancient town is now a better location for the celebration of major festivals like the Black Heritage festival and several others.
As we lead, other organizations are now following us to celebrate different festivals here in Badagry.
As we acknowledge the spiritual gains and importance of promoting Yoruba culture and tradition, it is also a thing of joy to tell the world that Olokun Festival Foundation ( OFF) under my leadership is now the biggest brand that promotes 30 cultural festivals across Yoruba land.
OFF has also been increasing its presence in all the universities in Yoruba land.
Through constant lectures and seminars, we have succeeded in improving the understanding about the core values of our race.
We have been able to attract high quality professors like professor Oyeweso and other renowned professors in many of our educational programmes and events.
Our Foundation has also helped in advancing the cause of Yoruba race by giving scholarships to indigent and brilliant students in universities across the southwest.
In the last couple of years, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has also transited greatly spreading its organizational tentacles with the establishment of Oodua Progressive Union(OPU) in 2011.
Today,the diaspora organization is now in 102 countries across the six continents of the world.
We also have the Yoruba One Voice (YOV), which is the coalition of various diaspora organizations.The Southwest Security Stakeholders Group ( SSSG) is also prominent across Nigeria.
It is interesting to note that OPC’s efforts in promoting the cultural identity of Yoruba race have not gone unnoticed.
We have an organization today that has worked tirelessly to change the narratives of our poor past and now proud of its general acceptability.
It is this positive image and great transition that earned me the prestigious position of the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland.
Today, OPC has been recognized across Nigeria and beyond as a responsible organisation that is dedicated to promoting and sustaining Yoruba heritage and exporting it beyond the borders of our land.
Part of our landmark achievements are the Oodua House in Ikeja; the Hall in Olusoga Street, Mushin, and the 48-room apartment in Abeokuta as well as other landed properties across Yoruba land.
More importantly, the future is here with us and it begins today.
Going forward, we are breaking a new ground today in our cultural promotion agenda.
Today,this festival will be unveiled as OLOKUN WORLD FESTIVAL and I will make the declaration shortly after this address.
Let me also restate it here again that today, Tuesday,22nd of October is an important date in the calendar of Olokun Festival.
It was on 22nd of October 2004 that we hosted the festival for the first time in Badagry after we left Alpha Beach on the Lagos Island.
It is, therefore, no coincidence that today, 22nd October, 2024, this festival will be unveiled as OLOKUN WORLD FESTIVAL.
And for us as an organization,this is going to be a big step in our desire to drive our cultural promotion programmes beyond the shores of Nigeria.
It will also earn the foundation the global respect as it opens a window of opportunities for Badagry to attract tourists and investors from all over the world.
OLOKUN FESTIVAL AND THE PROSPECTS
It is our determination to continue to look into everything that will help our cultural promotion activities.
Now is the time for cultural revolution.Many advanced nations of the world today are proud of their national identity, cultural heritage and civilization.
We cannot continue to ignore the reality of our existence as a race.
We must begin the advocacy for cultural rejuvenation and that is the reason for this new initiative.
Today,it is our projection to explore the tourism potentials of Badagry.
We intend to build a mini-stadium here in Badagry.It is our plan also to have our permanent site here in Badagry,where we build a world standard hotel near the Olokun-An hotel of global standard with over 300 rooms for accommodations and luxuries as well as three different halls for conferences and even.It will certainly be a replica of Papaya tourism site (Beach) in Thailand.
All these are our projections and future plans in Badagry.
With all these,I believe strongly that our future is guaranteed. I have a strong conviction that the future of our organization is also bright.
We will continue to leverage on our records of successes and we will never relent in our various advocacy programmes.
Finally,as we start a new journey today, I want to tell all our members that as we step up our cultural promotion activities to the global community, they should remain faithful to the ideal of the organization, as that is the best we can give the next generation of our race.
Thanks for listening and God bless you.
Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams
Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland
Chief Promoter, Olokun Festival Foundation
