The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has called for a rekindled hope in Yorubaland and its deities.
Adams said appreciating Yoruba culture and traditions and bringing to life its long-abandoned cultural heritages and festivals is in the interest of all concerned.
He made the call at the 3rd edition of the annual Odo-Erelu Festival on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to Adams, who is also the chief promoter of the Olokun Festival Foundation, the festival has opened up the entire town to various economic activities.
He added, “It is very important for us to go back to our roots and honour our deities by celebrating them as we are doing today with the Odo-Erelu festival.
“The mistake many people are making is that they cannot isolate culture from religion whereas the two are different.
“We need to rekindle our hope in Yoruba land by appreciating our culture and tradition. It is in our interest to bring to life all our cultural heritages and festivals that had been abandoned for years.
“Festivals like the Odo Erelu can actually become a festival of international standard. It all depends on how we are able to rejuvenate these festivals.
“Our experience in the last three years of celebrating this festival here in Imeiran, Alimosho Local Government and its environs has been very amazing.
“We have used this festival to improve the economic activities of this town. Odo Erele festival has also opened up the entire town to various business activities. And many of the residents of this area will agree with me that the Odo Erelu festival has been of blessing to the people of this community.”
While also speaking on the problems of food insecurity confronting Nigerians, he said, the only way out of hunger and food insecurity is for improved security for farmers to have access to and be safe on their farms.
He said, “In Nigeria today, there is no denying the fact that there is hunger in the land. Prices of food items and other consumable products are out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians. What this means is that there is no food security in Nigeria.
“Unfortunately, there is a big lacuna between the availability of food and individuals’ ability to access it in Nigerian markets. Prices of items in Nigerian markets are not stable. The majority of Nigerians groan at the rate at which prices of food and other items go up.
“This is a big issue that needs urgent intervention because our lives as human beings depend largely on the food we eat and consume. There is a need for the Federal Government to introduce a lasting policy programme that will boost and enhance food production and also check its attendant effect.
“Cases of bandits killing and kidnapping farmers in their farms should be curtailed. Our price control mechanism must be stable, so as to give both the producers and the consumers the needed leeway to work and operate together without much trouble.
“Finally, there should be reforms in the agriculture sector. Farmers across the country should also feel safe and secure both in their farms and also in getting credit facilities. This is the only way out of this austerity and hardship that has been ravaging the country.”
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