….Launches N250m development fund

The Igede-Ekiti community in Irepodun Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to confer a national honour on its 93-year-old monarch, Oba James Aladesuru, who has spent more than 66 years on the throne.

This was just as the community is launching a N250 million endorsement fund for the upgrade of the palace, infrastructure work on River Elemi as a tourism site, among others

The Chairman of the festival’s Planning Committee, Dr. Oludotun Adetuberu, appealed yesterday, during a press conference in Igede to herald activities for the week-long celebration.

Adetuberu described the monarch as Africa’s longest-reigning traditional ruler and said his remarkable length of service to humanity deserved national recognition.

He explained that the palace expansion had become necessary to provide adequate space for social and community functions, particularly as government policy no longer permitted the use of secondary school premises for such events.

The planning committee chairman said the proposed development of the Elemi River would help preserve an important part of Igede’s cultural heritage while positioning the community as a tourism destination.

He appealed to both the Federal and State Government to invest in the development of many world-class tourism sites located in Igede Ekiti.

Highlighting parts of the week-long festival, Adetuberu said it would also feature the conferment of honorary chieftaincy titles on deserving indigenes, while royal fathers from different parts of the country had been invited to participate in the celebration.

The Onigede of Igede-Ekiti, Oba James Aladesuru, described Àkè as the founding father of the community, whose history and legacy remained central to the people’s cultural identity.

According to the town’s oral tradition, Àkè was a hunter and herbalist who migrated from Ile-Ife with his wife, Erindo, and servant, Awota, before settling at Oke-Esu, regarded as the earliest settlement associated with Igede-Ekiti.

The monarch called on sons and daughters of Igede-Ekiti, both at home and in the diaspora, to participate in the maiden Ojude Àkè Festival to celebrate their ancestral heritage, promote unity and preserve the community’s history for future generations.

The Chairman of Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area and chief host of the festival, Mr. Gbenga Oluwatuyi, described the Onigede as a tourism asset, saying his status as Africa’s longest-reigning traditional ruler could attract visitors to Igede-Ekiti.

Oluwatuyi said the community should capitalise on the monarch’s remarkable reign and other cultural attractions to promote tourism, adding that the Elemi River could also be developed into a tourist destination through collaboration between the community and government.

He recalled that officials of the Ekiti State Ministry of Tourism had previously visited the river following discussions about its proposed development, expressing hope that the project would eventually be realised.

The President-General of the Igede Progressive Forum, Dr. Austin Ibikunle, said the maiden edition of Ojude Àkè offered an opportunity to celebrate the community’s history, honour its traditional institution and bring indigenes together to pursue common development goals.

Ibikunle emphasised the importance of preserving Igede-Ekiti’s cultural heritage and developing its tourism potential, noting that sustained cooperation among community leaders, indigenes in the diaspora and government would be essential to achieving the town’s development aspirations.