Cuisine meets culture at Amala fiesta

“If properly harnessed, owing to the numerous potentials embedded in our various agricultural products, culture and tourism sites, all these can be used to free the country from the economic recession we are currently experiencing.  This 3-day fiesta is not only meant to relish the delicacy of Amala, but also create employment opportunities, empower the economy and also to add values to our agricultural products.”

These were the words of the Oyo state governor, Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi, represented by his wife, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi at the opening of the three days ceremony to celebrate a local cuisine, Amala, ion Oyo state.

The state government through the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism had put the ceremony in place not only to attract tourists but also to encourage stakeholders to harness the use of all God given produce for optimum advantage of the state and the citizenry.

The fiesta tagged ‘From the Farm to the table’ was the state government’s method of opening the eyes of the citizenry to resources that could serve as a source of wealth but is being overlooked by the people.

Mrs Ajimobi who commended the ingenuity of the organizers of the event for looking inward to promote the rich cultural tourism potentials of the amala and creating opportunities for people to explore all revenue opportunities involved in amala production right from the farm, encouraged people to see leverage on the opportunity of the festival to establish small to medium scale enterprise as encouraged by the organizers.

She further encouraged the exhibitors to always see their trade as one that can turn the tide of the economy from a downward trend and move the state forward economically.

Stakeholders at the event also lauded the Ministry of Information for the efforts towards making the fiesta a success, adding that it has helped in promoting what they do and opened the doors of the peoples’ mind to better understand that the things they overlook could be a source of wealth.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the fiesta at the weekend, the Director General of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nteranya Sanginga said that the Oyo State government has helped to showcase what IITA has been researching on, adding that the government should be commended for the opportunity given to the exhibitors and farmers to showcase the output of their researches and efforts.

According to the DG who was represented by the Head, Food and Nutrition Laboratory of the Institute, Mr. Nwaoline Gregory, “In IITA, we want food security for the country. The programme has helped to bring out what we have been researching on in IITA. People were surprised that we can make biscuit, chinchin and other snacks from cassava. If not for the Amala fiesta, we might not have had the opportunity to reach so many people at this particular period.

“IITA is ready for capacity building for women and youth and we will continue to give our support to farmers in the state and the country as a whole. We thank the Oyo State government for organizing this programme”, the IITA DG said.

Also speaking, the President, Canteen Workers Association of Nigeria, Oyo State Chapter, Mrs. Amdalat Iyadunni Lawal said the government should be praised for espousing the benefits of Amala through the event, adding, “when we were approached, we were not keen about the programme but during the unveiling of the logo, we became convinced about the commitment of the state government when we saw people on tie eating Amala with relish and we were more amazed when some of them requested for additional portion.”

The three day – event though entertaining was not just a mere ceremony to bring people together but an opportunity to link every participant in the chain process of food production together and also expose them to empowerment opportunities through networking with people in similar lines and organizations that can aid them.

There were many moments of entertainment – exhibitor’s competition, food competition as well as farmers exhibition and highlights at the grand-finale include the presentation of gifts donated by OVH Energy (O Gas) to the Chairperson, Association of Canteen Owners, Oyo State branch, Mrs. Amdalat Iyadunni Lawal for her contribution to the success of the event and the emergence of winners in the Food Vendors Category and Exhibitors category.

Omolayo Food Canteen clinched the first position in the Food vendors’ category, while Iseyin Local Government Farmers Association walked away with the first prize in the Exhibitors Category to the joy of many of the participants..

The stakeholders also stated that they not only had a nice time but they learnt so much from the programme and will be willing to be a part of the event should another edition be packaged.