By Mustapha Aleem
The National Coordinator of the Odua People’s Congress, Chief Gani Adams, has berated the organizers of the annual Osun Osogbo Festival for not doing enough to woo tourists to festivals.
He said he started noticing a sharp decline in the level of turn out since the 2006 edition.
“I am not pleased in any way with the organisers of this event for their way of not arranging anything to eat. We don’t celebrate Christmas without eating anything and Ileya too. How can we call this a festival when you don’t give the people just a sachet water.”
He also decried the level at which the participants number is decreasing, emphasizing the organisers are not doing enough to woo tourists.
He said, “nothing stops major television stations in the country from giving this festival a live coverage. ”
He added that the Yoruba race needed to make efforts in discovering their true sense of value. He said the culture was unique and rich.
He also advised the federal government to collaborate with the state government and the people of Osun in creating a platform where the festival would be showcased for the world to embrace.
“Osun is a goddess that has been strong and honourable for ages. Well organised festivals like Osun Osogbo festival multiply the economy of any Country. The cost implication of getting to this place is around N5000 and if we multiply this by the thousands of people who attended the festival.
The governor of Osun State represented by a Former Commissioner for Culture, Tourism and Home Affairs, Sikiru Adetona, called on the federal government and other stakeholders to latch on the benefits presented by the groove, emphasizing that the federal government could incorporate the nature reserve in its diversification plans.
He said, “religion and culture should be properly propagated. Our culture has to do with our integrity, but we unfortunately do not celebrate our culture the way we should.”
Also, the Director General of National Commission for Museum and Monuments, Mr. Yusuf Abdullah, lauded the organisers of the event for the facilities put in place to ease the entire process.
The chairman of the occasion and the Governor Emeritus of the Rotary International, Dr. Mike Omotosho, urged the government to key into developing the groove so as to make it more attractive to tourists.
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