Nigerian Government Commences Plans To Push Ojude Oba To UNESCO Festival Status
The Ojude Oba festival that presents the rich cultural heritage and endowments of the people of Ijebuland is celebrated every third day of Eid-el-Kabir.
The federal government of Nigeria has disclosed its intention to commence plans to list the annual Ojude Oba festival, as one of the festivals backed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Minister of Culture, Art, and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa-Musawa, announced this on Tuesday at the annual Ojude Oba festival held at Awujale’s pavilion in Ijebu-Ode.
She noted that the annual festival is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda mandate for the ministry, which aims to increase tourism revenue to over $100 billion by 2030.
The Ojude Oba festival that presents the rich cultural heritage and endowments of the people of Ijebuland is celebrated every third day of Eid-el-Kabir.
This theme for this year’s celebrations is “Ojude Oba: Unity and Harmony, Our Gift”
The Minister described the annual festival as a platform that fosters unity in the country’s diversity. She also emphasized its potential for boosting tourism and diversifying the economy away from oil, generating more resources for the country.
She stated, “In line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ministry will always collaborate with stakeholders to promote, preserve, and protect the rich cultural heritage of our nation. This is to ensure it reaches its enviable height, following our vision for the Ministry called destination 2030.
“This vision highlights the potential in arts, culture, and the creative economy in terms of their ability to foster economic expansion. Our ambitious goals are based on this drive, which is capable of yielding over $100 billion and increasing the gross domestic product by the year 2030.”
