The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams has lauded Ekiti State and Ekiti State Governor, Dr John Kayode Fayemi, for hosting the 2021 National Festival for Arts and Culture.
Aare Gani Adams made this observation yesterday in Lagos during an engagement with the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Ekiti State on Tourism Development, Wale Ojo-Lanre who paid a visit to the Yoruba generalissimo in his house in Lagos.
Mr Ojo-Lanre said his visit was not unconnected with the National Festival of Arts and Culture, NAFEST, which is being hosted by Ekiti State on 13- 20 November 2021, an event that will be a delight for the members of Oodua Progressive Union, OPU, a Yoruba socio-cultural intercontinental organisation planted in 93 countries outside Nigeria by Aare Gani Adams.
He commended Aare Gani Adams who is the President of Olokun Festival Foundation, a foundation that promotes and enhances over 25 cultural festivals in Yoruba land even before he became the Aare Ona kakanfo for his interest in the rejuvenation of cultural festivals and arts in Nigeria.
Ojo-Lanre pointed out that Aare Gani Adams who is also the Global Convener, Oodua Progressive Union, OPU, facilitated the visit of over 300 diasporan members of this organisation to Ekiti in December 2020, when the organisation hosted one of its Annual General Meetings in Ado Ekiti.
He disclosed that 2021 NAFEST being hosted in Ekiti would be a spectacular event where the diasporan Yoruba would be grateful to be partakers and witnesses as it would be the most spectacular of such events even.
Aare Adams in his response commended the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr John Kayode Fayemi for his solid interest in resuscitating the pristine cultural value, norms and etiquette in Ekiti state by his introduction of value education into the curriculum.
He described Dr Fayemi as a progressive thinker who always facilitates events that will boost the economy of the state and inject direct money into the pockets of the ordinary people on the street.
He hailed him for the hosting of NAFEST 2012, an event, which he said would spin economic fortunes in the state.
Aare Adams said hosting festivals and celebrating the arts are not worshipping idols or venerating fetishism but a positive way of engaging arts and culture to ignite and stoke economic dividends and development.
He disclosed that over 300 OPU members who converged on Ado Ekiti for the 4 – day 2020 OPU Ekiti AGM spent over N20 million on accommodation, food, transportation and other social services.
Aare Adams said if 300 of OPU members were able to inject such an amount into. Ekiti economy, one can imagine how much a national event would do.
Aare Gani Adams promised to sensitize members of OPU on NAFEST Ekiti 2021 to ensure that some of them participate.
