How can you describe the council since your assumption of duty?
I should better not describe the council I met. So, permit me to save the public of that past.
The same public will want to know to give your tenure fair assessment.
What I met on ground vindicated those of us who were expressing our worry about how the state was being run back then. There was nothing to call activities when activities are what the council is created to generate and coordinate. But we thank God and Governor Kayode Fayemi for his faith in us to come down and repackage the council to show the world that here in Ekiti State resides a variety of Yoruba cultural products that he is genuinely committed to rejuvenate, promote and develop. And to show this and Governor Fayemi’s appreciation of that treasure, he brought back the long abandoned Ikogosi Warm Spring Resort. Gossy water is also back. These are efforts by the governor to bring tourists back to Ekiti State. I wish you had visited the resort site to see the level of damage which the immediate past administration did to it, despite the huge amount which Governor Fayemi invested in it in his first term. As the president of the Guild of Tourism Journalists then, I led members of the guild to the site in 2014 and saw the transformation which Governor Fayemi brought there. Unfortunately, his successor committed that investment to waste.
It is learnt that your office is collaborating with other parastatals, agencies and associations to reposition Ekiti cultural directions. Can you expatiate on this development?
I am a proponent of doing whatever assignment given to me with all my energy, an attribute which some friends call my restlessness. How can I rest when I have an assignment at hand? So, whenever a friend, or whoever, calls me a restless person, being at different places almost the same time, I take it as a compliment. If you connect this with your question you would understand the background of the collaboration. To a large extent, this confidence is a test, which I must not fail. These groups and individuals have come and held meetings with me during which we were able to identify areas where we could collaborate for the interest of Ekiti State.
Can you be specific on the type of collaboration you have established or about to establish?
There is a collaboration between the council and Bureau of Labour, Employment and Productivity to train young indigenes of the state in indigenous art and craft, with a view to enhancing creativity, empowerment and reducing unemployment. To know that it is of public knowledge, Mr Lanre Ogunjobi, the DG of the bureau even disclosed the collaboration during our visit to the Onisan of Isan-Ekiti, Oba Adejuwon Gabriel Ayodele. Apart from being the hometown of Governor Fayemi, Isan is one of the towns with the highest number of skillful potters in the country. The governor and Her Excellency are not joking with anything that will uplift the lot of women and young people, not only in the state, but in any part of the world.
What can you say is the selling point of Ekiti in terms of culture?
Talking of the selling point of our culture is talking about what Ekiti symbolises among Yoruba towns and communities. Have you bothered to understand the name ‘Ekiti’ beyond the surface level? I should ask you to go and research and return with your finding. On your way here from Ibadan, didn’t you observe geographical changes, in terms of mountains, hills? We are naturally blessed with geographical features, which confer on us a state of tourists’ attraction. You must have heard about Erin-Ijesa Waterfall in Osun State. We also have here Erinta Waterfall. There is also River Eri, a mysterious healing river in Erijiyan. Besides, in Ogotun-Ekiti, there is mat weaving industry. In a nutshell, Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture is so much blessed by God such that if these resources are fully developed, they are going to be equivalent to crude oil in terms of economic value. These are what Governor Fayemi, being a researcher, has seen. I am assuring you that in a few years, Ekiti is going to take a lead among states which promote and develop culture.
I also learnt about Ekiti Festival (EKIFEST) and certain partnership with a consultant. Can you shed more light on this?
EKIFEST is our own indigenous festival organised to showcase our beautiful culture to enhance creativity and for economic benefits of the people of the state. We have hosted an international artist, Mr Caleb Osasona, who has again shown interest through a proposal to stage another big EKIFEST. But beyond that, we are going to rebrand our festivals to attract more foreign tourists.
and then