As cultural enthusiasts celebrates the grand finale of the 2024 Osun-Osogbo festival, the events witness low turnout following anxiety over End bad governance protest in the country.
The nationwide protest scheduled to last ten days was active in Osogbo, Osun State capital until the sixth day of the protest when organisers suspended the exercise to allow tourists and adherents attend Osun-Osogbo festival which falls on the ninth day of the protest.
Some adherents who spoke with Vanguard correspondents disclosed that the high cost of transportation limit the number of persons that traveled to Osogbo in their entourage.
Ifalola Oduwale, an Osun adherents from Ogun State disclosed that the high cost of transportation restricted her entourage to just a vehicle against three full buses that usually accompany her to the festival
The festival is a religious rite and mandatory for me and my people to attend but the hardship in the country forced me to bring just my vehicle with four other persons.
Also, an Osun priestess from Lagos, Osunbunmi Ademola said, “Rather than not attending the festival due to economic situation in the country, we decided to come in a bus against the four that usually convey my people. We are also conscious of the fact that their is protest ongoing nation-wide”.
However, adherents and tourists still thronged to the grove following the procession led by the maiden Virgin, (Arugba) as armed bearing security operatives adorned every corner leading to the grove.
Combined security operatives including DSS, soldiers, police, Amotekun were also stationed inside the grove to avert breakdown of law and order in and around the sacred river.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Ademola Adeleke, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, said the state government is intensifying efforts to explore the potential inherents in the State’s tourism sector.
“We have huge potentials to tap into in the tourism sector. Osun is the cradle of Yoruba race, the host of key Yoruba cultural assets. We are not relenting in our plans to make Osun the first tourism destination within and outside the federation”, the Governor noted in his address.
Meanwhile, the Aare onakakando of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams while tasking the Governors of Ondo and Ekiti States to declare August 20 as Isese Day in line with the remaining four southwest states, he tasked traditional rulers to be more traditional rather than political.
“As custodians of Yoruba culture and tradition, it is the responsibility of the traditional rulers to sustain the cultural identity of Yoruba race. In the same vein,Yoruba Obas should be more traditional than political.
“As we celebrate Osun Osogbo festival today, I am appealing to our traditional rulers across the southwest to keep the hope alive by playing their roles as custodians of Yoruba culture and tradition in their respective towns and communities.
“I also want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Ondo and Ekiti state governments to join their counterparts in the south west region to celebrate the best of our culture and tradition. Four states in the south west region including Osun, Ogun, Oyo, and even Lagos states have declared August 20 as Iseese day.
“In Ondo state for instance, we have many festivals, traditional, cultural and tourism sites that can be celebrated as major milestones in the state. Festivals like Ekinmogun, Okota, Igogo and several others can be celebrated like that of the Osun Osogbo festival. In Ondo state, there is Oke- Idanre, Ikare Olokeniyi and several other tourists sites that can be turned to gold mines”, he said.
Source | Vanguard
