Prof Oyeweso Congratulates Ooni Ogunwusi On occasion Of Olojo Festival

Professor Siyan Oyeweso,Chairman, Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has congratulated Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi on the occasion of this year Olojo festival.

Oba Ogunwusi, had on Sunday began seven days of seclusion preceding the annual ‘Olojo’ Festival in the ancient city.

CityMirrorNews reports that Olojo in Yoruba means ‘the day of the first dawn’, but in the lore of Ile-Ife, the Olojo Festival is an annual cultural festival created to celebrate the day the Almighty created the earth.

In a congratulatory message, he personally signed and made available to journalists in Osogbo on Friday, the Professor of History described Olojo festival as a festival of great historical, spiritual, and cultural significance for the Yoruba race.

Prof Oyeweso lauded the revered traditional monarch’s dedication to the promotion of tourism in Yorubaland, adding that the monarch has explored every avenue to open people’s eyes to the tourism potential of Yorubaland.

He said: “It is with immense joy and a deep sense of responsibility that I congratulate our father, Kaabiesi Olofin Adimula, Ọọ̀ni’rìsà of Ilé-Ifẹ, Co-Chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), and the spiritual leader of the Yoruba nation, His Imperial Majesty (HIM), Ọba Adéyeyè Enitan Ògúnwùsì (Òjájá II), on the auspicious occasion of the Olojo Festival.

“The Olojo Festival is not just a cultural event celebrated with pomp and pageantry, but a festival of great historical, spiritual, and cultural significance for the Yoruba race.

“Dedicated to Ogun, the god of iron and one of the most venerated orisas in Yorubaland, the Olojo Festival offers the cherished opportunity for the Yoruba people to propagate their culture, offer prayers and sacrifices to their ancestral spirits, and fellowship with one another as they bask in the euphoria of the celebration.

“It is also a sacred moment when the Ọọ̀ni performs one of his most important functions as the traditional and spiritual leader of the Yoruba people. As a historian of note, I do not take for granted the invaluable prayers, appeasements, and sacrifices of His Imperial Majesty, especially while in seclusion during this festival. It is indeed a great responsibility that the Ọọ̀ni carries over his people.

“The personality of our esteemed Imperial Majesty has further embellished the Ọọ̀ni’s stool and the Yoruba traditional institution. Since His Imperial Majesty’s historic ascension to the highly exalted throne of Oduduwa and the Yoruba race, he has displayed unwavering commitment to the promotion, preservation, and propagation of Yoruba culture across the globe.

“This has manifested in the unprecedented global visibility of Yoruba culture and traditional institutions in recent years. Remarkably, Baba idealizes and symbolizes the essence of Yoruba customs and tradition. Also, His Imperial Majesty is highly commended for championing the crusade for economic development, youth empowerment, peace, security, and stability in Yorubaland.

“His Imperial Majesty’s dedication to the promotion of tourism in Yorubaland is beyond doubt, as he has explored every avenue to open people’s eyes to the tourism potential of Yorubaland.

“Significantly, the theme for this year’s celebration, “Evolving Transformational Domestic Tourism with Community Festivals,” speaks volumes about his resolve to make Ile-Ife and Yorubaland a cultural tourism destination in Africa and the world.

“This has also manifested in his zealous efforts to promote the Olojo and other traditional festivals in Ile-Ife and across Yorubaland, which have opened a floodgate of opportunities for people of various kinds, as it has facilitated investment, created job opportunities, and provided a platform for setting the agenda for peace, security, stability, and unity across Yorubaland in particular, and Nigeria in general.

“I, therefore, use this solemn occasion of the Olojo Festival to beseech all Yoruba sons and daughters, and the entire Black race, to key into the developmental agenda of our esteemed traditional and spiritual head, exemplified by his cultural promotion strides. We should renew our commitment to the promotion and globalization of Black culture, and live by the ideals of Omoluabi for which the Yorubas are renowned.

“Finally, on behalf of the Governing Council of our dear alma mater, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, I extend this congratulatory note to the esteemed traditional Chiefs, the princes and princesses, and all sons and daughters of Ile-Ife on the joyous occasion of the 2024 Olojo Festival. We also thank the Ile-Ife community for their hospitality and support of our dear institution over the last sixty-three years!”