BEING THE TEXT OF SPEECH DELIVERED BY OTUNBA (DR) GANI ADAMS, CHIEF PROMOTER, OLOKUN FESTIVAL FOUNDATION, AT THE EDITION OF 2013 OLOKUN FESTIVAL LECTURE AT AIRPORT HOTEL (OSUN HALL), AWOLOWO WAY IKEJA ON 16TH OCTOBER 2013. National Co-ordinating Council of Oodua People’s Congress, Olokun Festival Planning Committee Members, Olokun Festival Foundation Members Gentle Men of the Press, Ladies and Gentle Men. I stand here today with all sense of humility, grateful to all of you for turning out to attend this event despite the festivity and public holiday. We are gathered here today to enrich our knowledge about the black man and the world at large. And I can assure you all that nobody would leave here today without going back home with something very useful. This is the eleventh edition of Olokun Festival lecture. Each of the past lectures was very rewarding as the speakers try to find answers to topics that have engaged our minds. Today will not be different in any way. The topic of the lecture, ‘Olokun: Fostering global peace and unity’ was specially chosen to proffer solutions to some of the problems confronting human beings around the world today. You will agree with me that the world is particularly witnessing some security challenges that nobody seems able to find solution to. For us in Nigeria, the last five to six years have been particularly tough. The northern part of the country has been under the siege of the Boko Haram crisis. Of course, the Federal Government is doing its best to find a lasting solution to this crisis, but we are yet to see the end to killings and maiming going on in that part of the country. But the question I want all of us to ask ourselves is that can we really leave the security of the nation to the government alone? In my own opinion, I think it is the responsibility of all us to join hands with the government of Nigeria in our own little way to end all the killings and kidnappings going on around the country. Perhaps some people are wondering why we chose the topic. The Olokun goddess in whose honour we are organizing this festival is a peaceful goddess. She is a beautiful and benevolent mother. Her love for peace is what is reflected in all oceans across the world. Imagine what would happen in the oceans if Olokun were not a peaceful goddess. So she deserves all the honours and encomiums that we are showering on her today. Over the years, many groups and individuals have continued to stress the need to sustain the rich cultural heritage and history of the different ethnic groups that make up Nigeria. They also clamour for the preservation of the numerous historical and cultural landmarks that dot every part of the country. Asides from forming a link and reminder of the past and history of the people, such landmarks also have lucrative tourism potentials that can earn the nation much needed foreign exchange, and provide a means of unemployment for millions of Nigerians. However, many ethnic groups in the country have found themselves in the unsavory situation of cultural decay, where a number of cultural events and ceremonies have either been tagged ‘fetish’ or have been overcome by ‘civilisation’. Many scholars advocate that while culture embraces all of human life, it also remains a veritable means of identifying a people. And that to ensure a cultural revival that there is the need for the planning and execution of cultural development projects around the country. This is why the efforts of the Olokun Festival Foundation is commendable. For over a decade the organisation has continued to take active part in advancing and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba race in Nigeria. It is for this reason that we are again calling on all sons and daughters of Oduduwa both home and in the Diaspora to begin to rekindle their interest in the promotion of Yoruba culture and tradition. I beg them start by promoting our indigenous clothes and foods. This will not only increase our worth in the eyes of the world, it will also give us a unique identity that will set us apart from the crowd. Let me at this juncture send a clarion call to Yoruba people. It is time we dedicate more time to teaching our children the history and religion of our people. We must not lose sight of our history and the son of whom we are. But if we speak of teaching, sharing and healing our land of all the security challenges, we must continue to live true to our words. We must know that we are the children of the cloth weaver, who must not wear rags. In the reflection of Olokun, we must go back to live a honorable life and do things that will bring back the long-missing peace to our land. I thank all of you once again for your patience. But this is just a tip of the iceberg. Take your time to listen carefully to the lecture, and you will never regret that you were here today. Thank you for your attention. Otunba (Dr) Gani Adams, Chief Promoter, Olokun Festival Foundation.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 17:45:39 +0000
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