Olojo Festival: Ooni tasks government on promotion of indigenous culture

The Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has urged government at all levels to promote indigenous languages and culture, adding that they play major roles in national development.

Ogunwusi made the call during this year’s edition of the Olojo Festival in Ife.

The monarch also charged Nigerians, especially Yorubas, to promote the Yoruba language and custom.

“It’s very important for us that our culture, tradition and heritage should be maintained as the key to every sociocultural development of our nation,” he said.

He also prayed for peace for the nation and the ability to overcome the present hurdles and challenges.

It should be noted that this was the first time the King addressed the press after his exit from seclusion.

For seven days, the Oni was confined in an ancient room located at the heart of the palace where he was praying for ile-ife and Nigeria.

One of the most popular Yoruba festivals in Ile-Ife, the Olojo Festival, has reached new heights following support from various organisations such as MTN Nigeria.

The festival celebrates the god of thunder ‘ogun’ who is popularly believed to be the fist son of the progenitor of Yoruba land, Oduduwa.

The Festival was filled energetic performances from various cultural groups from around and outside of Ile-Ife.

After seven (7) days in seclusion, the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi exited the Iledi House and spoke to the people – asking that the government and Nigerians find ways to promote Yoruba culture.

The telecommunication company has continued to find numerous ways of upholding the Nigerian culture through the Kulture Fest initiative, where the company supports over 37 festivals in Nigeria.

Sales and Distribution Executive of MTN Nigeria, Adekunle Adebiyi said, “At MTN we are passionate about the Nigerian culture and heritage.

As a result of this, we joined in the Olojo celebration as part of our effort to promote the rich cultural heritage found throughout the Nigerian landscape under a bigger initiative – KultureFest.”

Through the KultureFest initiative, the outfit has evolved into a strong pillar behind major festivals such as Osun Osogbo, Ofala Nnewi, and many more across the country, committing to uplifting these festivals to an international tourist standard.

The ICT company has also given arts and culture in Nigeria a rather elaborate platform on which to ride on, sponsoring initiatives like Saro the musical, Wakaa the musical, Fela and The Kalakuta Queens stage play, the Eko Theatre Carnival and many more.