Ooni suspends Aje Festival 

…As Famoriyo advocates for revival of Adire culture

By Jeleel Olawale

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has postponed the annual Aje Festival indefinitely.

According to a statement by the Director of Media & Public Affairs to the Ooni, Otunba Moses Olafare said, the decision was taken after a meeting of the Ife Traditional Council under the supreme leadership of the Ooni, in relation to the current naira scarcity and petroleum facing the country.

The statement read in part, “The decision to postpone the prominent Aje festival is in solidarity with Nigerians especially the scarcity of naira notes, fuel and other basic needs that should have made life better for all.

“The Ooni is concerned as a father and held meetings with Iyalaje Oodua, Princess Dr. Toyin Kolade who is the Festival Coordinator and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that things get fixed as he continues to pray for the country.

“A new date will be announced to the public shortly after the forthcoming Presidential election.”

Aje Festival is a prominent festival in Yoruba land particularly Ile-Ife, to celebrate and enlighten the people about the spirit of wealth and prosperity.

Similarly, Mr. Richard Famoriyo has advocated for the revival of Adire attire among Yorubas to promote the dressing culture of the Yoruba speaking region.

Famoriyo, who is the head of the Adire Hub of Ife Grand Resorts and Industrial Hub said, the Adire factory is established to promote Yoruba culture and empower the youths, saying the hub has trained many youths about our culture.

He noted that if not because of some people who really love our culture, stressing that it has been discovered nowadays that we find it difficult seen the younger ones putting on native attire.

“If not because some people have imbibed native cultural dressing, the dressing culture would have gone into extinction. The issue is that richest ones in the society are not promoting the culture.

“Many people build industry but no one thinks of promoting our ancient way of dressing. The parents are not even helping matter because they imbibed foreign dressing code. Ife is the cradle of Adire because it started from Ile-Ife.

“Ile-Ife is the origin of Adire. Ogun State Government has made it compulsory for students to put on Adire attire and should be included in our school curriculum. The fault is from the government and elderly ones in the society,”Famoriyo said.

He said there are a lot of advocacy on the need to imbibe Adire culture, adding that many young people have been trained.

“Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is trying greatly in promoting the culture. We have trained about 100 people free, courtesy of Ooni of Ife. The media is also being used to promote our ancient culture.”

Famoriyo added that youths should be empowered by training them on  Adire culture with a view to promote our culture.

“People should be made to imbibe Adire culture.”

The policy of putting on Adire by the former Osun State Government who mandated civil servants in Osun State to wear Adire attire by the former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola on every Thursday should be continued and sustained.