By Tribune Online

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A frontline governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Omooba Dotun Babayemi, has appealed to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, to work with other stakeholders in Southwest, to organise a summit that would promote the core values inherent in Yoruba culture.

Babayemi equally enjoined government at all levels to form an alliance with the traditional institution with a view to turning Yoruba cultural artifacts, monuments, and festivals into tourism platforms.

The popular gubernatorial aspirant who is also the son of the late monarch of Gbongan in Ayedaade Local Government area of the state, made the call while congratulating the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi and the people of the ancient town on the celebration of this year’s annual Olojo festival.

“The annual celebration of Olojo festival in Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race, is one of the most important celebrations in among the Yoruba people which signposts not only the inherent core value in the race’s cultural heritage, but also the significance of Ile-Ife as the cradle of the race”, he said

The gubernatorial contender who noted that the Yoruba was a sophisticated race with a rich culture, feared that unless its stories were sustained and continuously retold, generations to come would be left with little or nothing about it.

Babayemi then pleaded that for the culture not to be lost to the tide of modernity and foreign cultures, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, working with other royal fathers as well as relevant stakeholders, should urgently form a vanguard that would protect the culture from disappearing from the annals and among the Yoruba people.

“Our highly respected Ooni of Ife and other traditional rulers in southwest need to ensure that nothing is left to chance in ensuring the preservation and sustenance of our cultural relics and monuments. This can be done and achieved through a convocation of a high-powered summit that will comprise our royal fathers and related stakeholders. This confab will produce a practicable thematic of how our culture will not go into extinction,” he posited.

The Gbongan-born Prince added that this was premised on the fact that the Yoruba race has a rich background, with Ile-Ife and the Oonirisa holding a strategic leadership position in the heritage; stressing, “as a people, we have come a long way and we must not allow our tomorrow to be truncated by our today’s nonchalance”, he emphasized.

He however advised that the move could become realisable with the cooperation of the government, noting that it would help the drive and promotion of the cultural heritage into tourism brands.

“The southwestern part of Nigeria peopled by the Yoruba, could become a tourism haven if all the cultural heritage are properly harnessed. It will further open up our towns and villages and at the same time, become a money-spinning venture for the government, corporate business owners and individuals” he added

While further congratulating the traditional ruler of Ile-Ife, Oba Ogunwusi on the Olojo festival, he commended his efforts aimed at upholding the Yoruba ethos in his engagements at all levels, and promised to continue to work closely with him to bring his big vision for the race to fruition.

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