Gani Adams is a blessing to Yoruba cultural–tourism —Akran

The Akran of Badagry, Oba De- Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi, has described the Are Ona Kankanfo designate, Otunba Gani Adams as a great asset and blessing to the cultural- tourism potentialities of Yoruba race.

The Akran pointed this out last Wednesday, 25 October, 2017 in his palace when Otunba Adams led visitors and tourists who had participated in the Olosa Festival to visit him.

The Akran said “Otunba Adams who is a high chief of Badagry is not only a culturally enigma, but a special creation moulded by Olodumare and sent to Yoruba race for the resuscitation and revamping of the pristine heritage and cultural values which Yoruba race is blessed with”.

He pointed out “Otunba Adams is a gift and worthy asset to Yoruba race. He came at the right time doing the right thing. He has been faithfully directing and managing the affairs of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress with divine inspiration and guidance. And this is the result of his vision. I am proud of the feats accomplished by the OPC and what the organisation stands for”.

The Akran revealed “My kingdom has been a benefactor of the Gani Adams led OPC cultural- tourism resurgence, revivalism and revolution. He through the Olokun Festival Foundation has been able to stoke the economic aura of Badagry by celebrating and enhancing Olosa and Olokun festival”, which have led to immeasurable development both in physical and business advancement of my town and people”.

He said that the nomination of Otunba Adams as the Are Ona Kankanfo of Yorubaland by the Alaafin of Oyo was apt, prim, proper and fit because “He from conducts, acts, deeds, psyche, behavioural patterns and the story of his life squarely fit into the charactersation of previous Are Ona Kankanfo.”

The Akran who commended the Olokun Festival foundation for sponsoring 18 festivals in Yoruba land called on corporate bodies operating on the land of Oduduwa to support the promotion of the cultural heritage of the land where they blossom.

Speaking on Thursday at the grand finale of the Olokun Festival which was held at Soltan Beach, Badagry, Otunba Adams said promoting Yoruba culture and tradition is tasking, but there is a great reward for those who diligently serve and make meaningful contributions to its advancement.

Otunba Adams, the chief promoter of Olokun Festival Foundation while addressing the crowd at the grand finale of the 2017 edition of Olokun Festival held in Badagry also maintained that his passionate commitment to the cultural promotion is buoyed by his undying love and determination to see Yorubaland regaining its position in the comity of nations and to make sure that the domineering effects of foreign culture and religion are drastically reduced.

According to him,” after the struggle for liberation from the tyrants who decided to keep the glory of Yorubaland in the cooler, resolved to embark on cultural promotion, an effort which did not only gulp money, but also time consuming, at times use proceeds from sale of properties or sell my own property and borrow money to finance festivals, but I thank God the reward is here, the spirit of our ancestors and gods did not allow our efforts to be in vain”.

“Promoting one’s culture is one service that will not go unnoticed; one of the features that earned me the title according to the appointing palace was my enthusiasm and commitment to the promotion of Yoruba Culture.”

He called on the Federal Government and the government of Lagos State to ensure the making of the road from the historical town to Lagos driving friendly.

“Badagry is symbolic when we talk about, education, civilization, Diaspora tourism, religion and culture in this country. The ancient town has its popularity and peculiarity dated back to the pre and, post-colonial days, I am using this opportunity to call on the Federal Government to site a higher institution of learning in the ancient town of Badagry, and this will increase visibility and expose further its tourism potentials to the world.”

The Director General, Centre for Black African Arts Civilisation, Dr Ferdinand Anikwe in his lecture titled “Rethinking cultural, Pan Africanism for Africa’s reconstruction and Development “; said advocating for cultural rejuvenation in Africa should be prioritised in Africa by its people.

”We are all witnesses to the fact that matters of cultures are more often treated as second fiddle if not the last to other sectors by our national government. Before 1960, our patriots insisted on political independence , then it was decided that emphasis should be placed on economic independence and finally with many decades of independence we have been toying with the idea of cultural independence, our heads of state often consider culture as the additional element that is added to the budget when the latter is more or less balanced, This is a clear demonstration that Africa has not gotten out from the realm of rhetoric to the implementation phase despite many years of independence.

“Even with the sector like Education, that sometimes receives scanty attention from our governments, research by stakeholders in the sector has shown that Education in Africa is too un African and not taking our cultural peculiarities into consideration.”

While commending Otunba Adams for efforts on cultural promotion Anikwe said “what you are doing is beyond promotion of Yoruba culture, it is one of the agenda of pan Africanism movement, it’s another form of liberation struggle and you are not only liberating Yoruba people you are liberating all the black people in the world.

“Your efforts through the Olokun Foundation, Oodua Progressives Union, and others are raising the consciousness of the black people in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and in other parts of the world about their roots, culture and tradition,” he concluded.

The event which attracted over 28 traditional rulers from Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana also had over 30 traditional rulers from Nigeria including the representatives of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Akran of Badagry Oba De-Wheno Aholu,while the Orangun of Ila, Oba Abdulwahab Kayode Oyedotun and many others commended Otunba Adams for his undying love for cultural promotion and promised to always stand by him in his bids to totally liberate the Yoruba race from the domineering status of the foreign culture in the lands.

Apart from iwure (Special Prayer) for Yorubaland, the event also featured official inauguration of six Nollywood actors as Olokun Cultural Ambassadors; Otunba Bolaji Amusan, popularly known as ‘Mr Latin’, Fathia Williams, Lambert Dikeh, Chief Jimoh Aliu, and Chief Toyin Adegbola who is popularly known as Ajoke Asewo to re Mecca.

Summing up the 2017 festival, Angela Beausoleil, a Canadian who said that the Olokun Festival Foundation pull factors lured her to Nigeria pointed out “I am amazed and dazzled by the cultural jamboree and display here today I am impressed by the sheer enthusiasm of the people. I am happy to be a witness and participant of the most wonderful and exciting festival I ever watched. Nigeria has what it takes to rule tourism world.”