•as he unveils 2024 edition of Eledumare Festival
Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has decried last week’s killing of Nigerian military officers in Okuoma community in Delta State, saying that the security situation in the country was becoming very unbearable, even as he reiterated his call to restructure the country along regional line in fulfillment of the dreams of the nation’s founding fathers.
Iba Adams expressed this concern on Wednesday in Lagos, while unveiling the programmes for the 2024 edition of Eledumare Festival, organised by the Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF), saying that the current security challenges facing the country was very alarming, besides other challenges, including economic, political and structural.
According to Adams, who is also the Chief Promoter of OFF, there is need for the country to go back to Parliamentary System of government, where the regions will be allowed to function and prosper accordingly, positing that the present Presidential System in operation cannot help in fulfilling the dreams of the country, being very expensive as it breeds corruption across all sectors of the government.
“As we celebrate the Eledumare festival, I also make case for a complete overhauling of the structure of this country.
“I make case for a Parliamentary System of government, where the regions will be allowed to function and prosper accordingly.
“Today in Nigeria, the country is faced with various challenges, including economic, political and structural. The security challenges are also very alarming.
“Just last week about 16 soldiers of Nigerian Army were murdered in Delta State. Bandits and kidnappers are daily on prowl. The situation is becoming very unbearable.
“As far as I am concerned, I know for a fact that the present structure cannot help us in fulfilling the dreams of the country.
“The current system is very expensive; and it breeds corruption across all sectors of the government.
“So, it is my hope that if Nigeria is restructured along regional lines, we will be able to secure the future of our country and set a new path for a prosperous nation,” the Yoruba generalissimo stated.
Adams, represented by the Asoju Aareonakakanfo of Yoruba land, Barr. Yinka Oguntimehin, said this year’s festival, being the 12th edition was OFF’s way of celebrating the most high God, adding that the festival, which would hold for 21 days, with different activities, promises to be exciting.
Adams said the festival is special because it is about God the creator of heaven and earth, noting that Eledumare festival is one of the 30 different festivals celebrated annually by OFF.
“Eledumare Festival is our own way of showing gratitude to God for keeping us alive and for sustaining the ideals of the organization in the last 23 years.
“We also celebrate the Eledumare festival in order to strengthen our beliefs and faith in the most high God, as we spread the gospel of unity, peace, and dedication to the Yoruba cause.
“We celebrate the Festival in order to change the narratives about the activities of our organization,” he stated.
According to him, the programmes scheduled for each of the 21-day include: Taekwando competition, Fashion show, Table Tennis competition, Ayo Olopon, Beach soccer, a special football game, and Harvest of Praise to be held across various districts in the state, saying that OFF would also be visiting the motherless babies home, the blind Peoples home, old peoples home, the Widows, Arts Gallery, and other notable places.
“As usual, there will be photo exhibition, Yoruba Quiz competition, cultural display and festival float, which heralds the grand finale.
“The Grand Finale of this year’s festival will hold on Thursday 9th of April, in Ogba, Lagos,” he said.
Speaking further, Iba Adams said OFF had, in the last two decades, used Eledumare festival to impact positively on the society, submitting that it had transformed the tourism sector by injecting several millions into the economies of various host communities where these festivals had held.
Besides, he said the body had equally impacted the immediate environment by bridging the gap between Nigeria and the global community, noting that a nitche in cultural promotion activities had been created by celebrating these festivals.
Meanwhile, the Yoruba generalissimo has called on the governors of the Southwest states to dedicate a day or two as public holiday for the celebration of Eledumare festival, as he noted that this year’s festival coincided with the Ramadan period and the lenth where both the Muslims and the Christians fast to seek the face of the most high God.
According to him, this rare development is ordained and has a lot of spiritual meaning, saying that “God the creator of heaven and earth deserves even more than what we offer Him in life.”
He, however, urged for unity in Yoruba land as all the activities heralding the celebration of this year’s Eledumare Festival commenced, saying that there was need to seek the best for the race by being united.
“So, as we begin all the activities heralding the celebration of this year’s Eledumare Festival, I humbly make a case for unity in Yoruba land.
“We have lost a lot to disunity. We need to retrace our steps and seek the best for our race by being united,” he counseled.
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