Lagos govt, Oba Akran, others endorse Olokun World Festival

Lagos State Government, Akran of Badagry, Oba De-Wheno Aholu Toyi 1, and prominent diaspora organisations have endorsed the Olokun World Festival as a major cultural fiesta in the state.

They gave these endorsements at the grand finale of the 2024 edition of the Olokun Festival held in Badagry, in recognition of the Oodua Festival Foundation’s efforts at sustaining the festival in the last 22 years.

This year’s event, according to the organisers, attracted over 50,000 participants, with 50 monarchs in attendance from Badagry, other parts of the Southwest, and the Republic of Benin.

Speaking at the event, Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson, said it was interesting to note that the Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF) had been sustaining the celebration of the annual festival now for 22 years, adding that the best way to support the Foundation is by making it a world festival with global appeal.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. Idowu Johnson, said the endorsement was part of the efforts of the Lagos State Government to promote culture and tradition in the state.

“Though the Osun Osogbo Festival is celebrated in Osun State, it is very much recognised by UNESCO.

“We are part of the success story of Osun Osogbo, but today, we are celebrating Olokun Festival’s consistent efforts in promoting the cultural fiesta for 22 years. And that is why we are endorsing the fiesta as Olokun World Festival, as part of the efforts of the Lagos State Government to promote culture and tradition in the state,” the commissioner said.

In his own remark, the Akran of Badagry, Oba Aholu Toyi, hailed the Yoruba generalissimo, Iba Adams, for transforming the annual fiesta into a global event, assuring that Badagry and Yoruba obas would continue to support any idea or initiative tailored towards ensuring the progress of Yoruba land.

Meanwhile, the Royal Father of the Day, who is also the Olowu of Owu Kuta, Osun State, Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama, has urged all the six governors in the Southwest to support the cultural evangelism crusade embarked upon by the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Adams.

The monarch, while making the call, noted that many of the festivals and cultural events celebrated in the developed countries were not even bigger and better than what Iba Adams was doing in Yoruba land and Nigeria as a whole.

“It is interesting to tell you all that what we are doing today can be done in a more advanced way and that is why I am appealing to all the Southwest governors and even the Federal Government to support Iba Gani Adams in driving this initiative.

“Yoruba land and Nigeria will be the greatest beneficiaries if we support Adams in pushing Olokun World
Festival and other festivals to the global stage,” the monarch said.

Adams, in his speech, went down memory lane, highlighting the spiritual and economic gains of celebrating the Olokun Festival in the last 22 years in Badagry, noting that the projection of the organisers of the Olokun World Festival was to locate a permanent site in Badagry that would be close to the beach, as it was done with the Papaya tourist in Thailand.

This was just as he further noted that the Olokun Festival had brought more spiritual gains to Badagry, reiterating his call on the Federal Government to complete the Lagos Badagry Express road, which he said was almost at completion stage now.

“Olokun Festival has brought more spiritual gains to Badagry. Every year, we lent our voices, appealing to the 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.

“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 seaport in Africa here in Badagry. The seaport where ships would be repaired. However, the project is yet to be executed.

“Until recently, the number of Obas and traditional rulers in Badagry was six or seven. But the number has increased tremendously since we started celebrating the 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,” Iba Adams stated.

“As we celebrate these milestones, we will be unveiling the Olokun World Festival that will catapult us to the global community.

“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-a hotel of global standard with over 300 rooms for accommodations and luxuries, as well as three different halls for conferences—and it will certainly be a replica of the Papaya tourism site (Beach) in Thailand. All these are our projections and future plans in Badagry,” he added.

Other prominent Obas that were present at the festival include the
Oniladaba of Ladaba Kingdom Oba Nureni Ebudola Odedina Alugbin; the Onirokun of Irokun Kingdom, Oba Buhari Ola Balogun; the Onimapara of Mapara Kingdom, Oba Lateef Amodemaja, among others.

Also present were members of the Aareonakakanfo Chiefs-in-Council, the National Executive Council (NEC), the National Coordinating Council (NCC) of OPC, and members of the group from across the country.

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