Ekiti To Host The World At This Year’s “UDIROKO TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL”, As Oba Rufus Aladesanmi 111 Showcases Major Highlights Of The Event.

This year, the world will converse in Nigeria, Ekiti State to be precise as the state, through the office of the traditional ruler of Ado-Ekiti, for the world class cultural festival, organized to celebrate the culture and tradition of the good people of Ado-Ekiti in the South-West zone of Nigeria.

Udiroko Festival, is the celebration of the cultural essence of the people of Ado, which dates back to the establishment the Ado Kingdom in Ekiti State and has the two major religions practiced in Nigeria, Christianity and Islam, participating.

Through the festival, which is the end of the year party for the people of Ado is used as a platform for rejoicing and thanksgiving for milestones covered in the passing year. During the event, no deity is worshipped, no idolatry is practised, or secret ceremonies performed, as the events starts from the Mosque on a Friday, Thanksgiving Service on the following Sunday, after a long stretch of events marking the celebration.

Udiroko, was designed to feature the National Day and the New Year in the defunct Ado Kingdom, with the traditional ruler, known and addressed as EWI as the chief celebrant, with his subjects, which includes all the sons and daughters from Ado, his Chiefs and other people, including visitors who come for site-seeing and tourist attractions. As designed, the major achievement for this festival would be the bringing together under the Iroko Tree, of Ado sons and daughters, devoid of class and pedigree, wealth or position, as one people, united in love and for the common good of the people, for the development of the various communities in Ado.

This was why the Oba of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Aladesanmi III came on a working visit to Lagos to meet with his sons and daughters outside the confines of his palace to intimate the world of his plans to host them in his domain at the “Udiroko Festival’’ 2019.

The Oba said that the festival which holds on the 12^th of August, will begin the Calendar of the year for Ado people and will therefore be recognized by the tradition as the end a year and the beginning of another year, thus would provide opportunities for all sons and daughter of the kingdom to tap into all the blessings brought by the festival and explore them to the fullest.

Oba Rufus Adeyemo Aladesanmi III

Speaking further, the state Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi who was represented by the Director General of the Etiki State Council of Arts and Culture, Wale Ojo Lanre said that for tourism to thrive in the state, there must be the inclusion of key elements which would make the business of tourism attractive and they include the promotion of Ado-Ekiti arts and culture, core-values of the people, which is why the state government is supporting Udiroko Festival as a catalyst for economic and social development of the people, even as the festival hopes to sell itself to the outside world as a tool for tourism development in not only Ekiti State, but in Nigeria in general.

According to him, the wish of the governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi is to make sure that all facets of human existence in the state are explored, including festivals such Udiroko and given it the lift to attract the desired market for foreign and local investments, saying he is proud to be associated with the EWI himself and the people of Ado-Ekiti on this project. 

On his part, the Chairman of the “Udiroko Festival” Planning Committee, Professor Sunday Akindele said that the Festival is an event organized annually to remember the Historic foundation of Ado Kingdom and as a platform to celebrate with the EWI, a successful year, and use it to usher in the new year in grand style. 

Amongst sponsors for the Festival are, Udiroko has laCasera Soft Drink, Smoov Chapman and Nigerian Brewery’s Goldberg as sponsors for this year’s edition.