To some people, turning cultural activities into tourism products was nothing but pure entertainment stuff which added little or nothing to the growth of the town and of no developmental consequences to the community.
And this is the kind of myopic view which usually colours the sense of those who find themselves at the helms of governmental affairs in their policy formulation on tourism.
They are oblivion of the fact that tourism is a potent instrument of economic development, empowerment, wealth stimulation, rural development, revenue mobilisation, cultural rejuvenation, social interaction and pathfinder of social amenities.
One may not totally blame these people because what we normally read on the newspaper or usually published is the razzmatazz of tourism and cultural celebration without a corresponding feedback of what and what that particular celebration being fulfilled each year have been able to facilitate for the community.
Also, because of the government inertia towards tourism, it has not been able to divert its attention in setting up proper monitoring, research and statistics units to gather and compile verifiable accomplishments of tourism activities, like festivals, fashion shows, conventions and conference, marriages, rallies, road shows, funerals, carnivals, motor rally, musical jams, day celebrations, arts exhibition and others.
The realty of development potency of tourism poignantly played itself out in Arigidi Akoko during the celebration of Okota festival held at the palace arena.
Oba Yisa Olanipekun, the Zaki of Arigidi, disclosed “I wish to disclose to you all that by tomorrow, all of us will, by the grace of God, see what the Arigidi has gained from the yearly celebration of Okota festival, apart from praying for the indigenes and inhabitants and apart from communal get-together”
Oba Olanipekun said “It gladdens my heart and that of the founder of Arigidi kingdom to tell you all that tomorrow will be a special day in the history of this town. A town that has lost its royal palace to the vagaries of political turmoil and had stayed without a befitting palace for 50 years. Tomorrow, that story will be a thing of the past as a new palace built by an illustrious, son of the land, an Oluomo, and the Otunba of Arigidi Akoko, Otunba Gani Abiodun Adams, will be opened and dedicated for use”.
The road to having a new palace could be traced to 2008, Oba Yisa Olanipekun, a businessman, became the new Zaki. He promised to bring Zaki back to its old glorious state and ensure that the town gets a befitting palace.
Early in the year, during the annual Okota Festival, Otunba Gani Adams had pledged to build a new palace for the town. And a few months after the pledge, the new edifice was unveiled.
Zaki of Arigidi, Oba Yisa Abu Olanipekun informed journalists at the venue that since the palace was destroyed in 1967, concerted efforts to rebuild the place had always been fruitless. He commended Gani Adams, a notable leader in the community, for coming to his people’s aid at the most appropriate time.
He told the people that the gesture by Gani Adams had already added considerable value to his reign, as it would always be remembered that the new palace was constructed during his reign as the monarch of the kingdom. He also asserted that the unveiling of the new palace had signalled the commencement of new developments in the town.
Oba Olanipekun said: “I have many houses in this town and in other places, but for a monarch, there is no place like the palace. And with this palace, which is an offshoot of Okota festival, Arigidi as a town, has assumed a new status and we are happy.”
In his speech, Chairman Arigidi Development Union, Chief Abiodun Ilesanmi, affirmed that what Gani Adams had done was a patriotic move. He said the community would record more achievements if other prominent indigenes and residents would emulate the Convener of Oodua Progressive Union (OPU) and contribute their own quota to the development of Arigidi-Akoko.
His words: “Fifty years ago, Arigidi was burning. People were in a pool of their own blood. There was no peace, no harmony, and no development. But today, we are happy that normalcy has returned to the town. I thank God for giving us a man the like Otunba Gani Adams who has in the spirit of rejuvenation of our festival through cultural tourism has also resuscitated and planted a luxurious palace.”
A community leader Edibo of Arigidi, Chief Francis Rotimi, also lauded Gani Adams for the construction of the new palace. “We are all happy that a lot of development is coming alongside Okota festival, this is coming at this time and we will forever be grateful to God and to Otunba Gani Adams,”
A socio – political pressure group in the town, Arigidi Leaders of Thought presented a message of appreciation to Otunba Gani Adams at the event. The message partly reads: “Otunba Gani Adams has played a significant role in making a new palace spring out from where the old palace was destroyed. No wonder, they say, ‘Ile Oba to jo, Ewa lo bukun.’ You said it, and it happened. The ancestral fathers who left Arigidi since the unfortunate burning of the palace have returned, Joy, peace, fortune, progress, harmony and lost glories are back in Arigidi. Today, you are the Nehemiah of Arigidi: the great builder.”
Speaking at the event, the OPC leader, Otunba Gani Adams challenged his kinsmen and women to desist from trading blames, urging them to instead collaborate to lift the town.
Noting that the construction of the palace was part of his own contributions to the advancement of Arigidi, and that, there were other projects waiting to be done in town. In his words, everybody should come together to work for the greatness of Arigidi-Akoko.
“Let us stop the blame game,” he noted. “Stop blaming Gani Adams and stop blaming Kabiyesi, the Zaki of Arigidi, for anything. You too should do your own. I have started with the Okota festival rejuvenation lacing it with the building of a befitting palace. There are many other projects to be done which are crying for upliftment like the civic centre, town hall and other amenities that will make our community to be one of the prominent communities in the world.”
There were Christian, Islamic and traditional prayers as the palace was commissioned, even as members of Arigidi cultural troupe thrilled the guests.
and then