‘Olokun festival boosts development of culture, tradition in Yorubaland’

Chairman of the Planning Committee of the 2024 edition of Olokun Festival, Yinka Oguntimehin, has said that the gains of the festival cannot be overlooked, as it will continue to contribute to the development of culture and tradition in Yorubaland.

He said that apart from the fact that quiz competition in secondary schools has hugely contributed to the growth of the Yoruba language among the young ones, the Olokun festival has records of all-round success.

Oguntimehin disclosed this, yesterday, in Ikeja, Lagos, during a media briefing on the activities lined up for this year’s Olokun Festival organised by the Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF). He said the week-long activities of the yearly fiesta are loaded with both spiritual and cultural activities.

“This year’s festival, as usual, will begin with prayers to the Almighty, on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at the Oodua House. The prayers will be conducted in the three main religions, namely Traditional, Islam and Christianity.

“For this year, the deity has mandated its devotees to gather for a vigil between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. on the eve of the grand finale. There will also be special prayers for Yorubaland.

“This year, the OFF has decided to get more of the indigenous communities in and around Badagry more involved as participants.

“In doing this, plans are in place to organise the logistics of bringing them to the grand finale. This year’s festival shall become a major tourist attraction for international tourists in the near future. It will be a major boost to the sustainable development of tourism in Nigeria,” he said.