09/08/2025
Text of speech by the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams at the 2025 Osun Osogbo Festival, holding today, Friday 8, August 2025, at L'aaro Primary School, Asubiaro Area, Isale Osun, Osogbo.
1. Distinguished guests, esteemed members of the Oodua People's Congress (OPC), ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honour and profound respect that I welcome you all to the 2025 Osun-Osogbo Festival,
2. I welcome our royal father and host, the Ataoja of Osogbo land, His Royal Majesty, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, (Laaroye II)and other traditional rulers that are here to grace this occasion.
3. I appreciate all our guests for finding time to be part of this event.
4. I specially thank all our members for their commitment every year and their belief in what the Osun-Osogbo festival stands for.
5. I am not unmindful of your sacrifices in fulfilling the dreams of preserving and sustaining the cultural identity of the Yoruba race.
6. The annual Osun-Osogbo festival is a remarkable celebration of our rich heritage, vibrant traditions, and the enduring spirit of the Yoruba people, which are all ideals that the Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF) seeks to promote through diverse culture and festival celebrations.
7. Let me emphasise that, through the Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF), we would continue to promote our culture and tradition in a bid to ensure that the Yoruba race regains its pride of place globally.
OSUN-OSOGBO FESTIVAL: HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE
8. The Osun-Osogbo festival, which takes place every year in Osogbo, celebrates the goddess of fertility, Osun. The festival renews the contract between humans and the divine: while Osun offers grace to the community and indeed people drawn from far and near, in her Sacred Grove is honoured in return.
9. Osun-Osogbo Festival is believed to have a history of more than 700 years. Historically, an ancestral occurrence led to the celebration of this festival. But in modern times, August has become a month of celebration for the people of Osogbo land that includes the traditional cleansing of the city and the cultural reunion of the people with their ancestors.
10. The festival itself is a two-week-long programme, which culminates in a procession to the shrine in the sacred grove where a large crowd builds up. Drumming, dancing, musical performing, wearing elaborate costumes, speaking of the Yoruba language, recitation of praise poetry, and the performance other cultural practices further add colour to the proceedings. This event is led by His Royal Majesty, the Ataoja of Osogbo.
11. Today, the benefits of the Osun-Osogbo Festival to Nigeria and our tourism sector cannot be over-emphasised.
12. While it enables the community to sell its culture and tradition to tourists coming from within and outside the country, it also serves as a strong unifying factor for the people of Osogbo, Yorubaland and even the entire country, irrespective of the different social, economic, religious and political convictions of participants.
13. So, as we gather here today, let us reflect on the importance of protecting, preserving, and promoting our diverse cultural.
14. This festival stands as a testament to the resilience and beauty of the Nigerian culture, particularly the sacred Osun-Osogbo grove, a symbol of spiritual unity and cultural identity. The festival not only preserves our ancestral legacy but also fosters unity, peace, and progress among our people.
15. As a duty, the OFF will keep promoting and enlightening the people about our culture and history. It is only through such education that we can deepen the understanding and appreciation of our cultural heritage, thereby ensuring its transmission to future generations.
EXPLORING ECO-TOURISM POTENTIALS OF SOUTHWEST NIGERIA: A CALL TO ACTION
16. The Osun-Osogbo festival is not only a celebration, it is also a call to action for all of us to actively participate in the preservation and promotion of our cultural values and what nature has endowed the Southwest region with.
17. This brings us to the importance of promoting eco-tourism across the Southwest states as a means of entrenching our culture, preserving nature, improving the economies of host communities and ultimately boosting the GDP of the region through revenue generated.
18. Eco-tourism entails responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, cultural heritage, and improves the well-being of the community people.
19. It is a form of tourism focused on experiencing and appreciating nature while minimising negative impacts and supporting conservation efforts in ecosystems, wildlife, and habitats and local cultures, which all the Southwest states are richly blessed with.
20. It also aims to involve and benefit local communities, often through employment opportunities and sustainable development initiatives. Eco-tourism can contribute to biodiversity conservation, support local economies, promote cultural understanding, and foster a greater appreciation for the natural world.
21. When tourists come, they will be taken on guided nature walks, wildlife viewing, birdwatching tours, visits to national parks. They will also be made to stay in eco-lodges, which prioritises sustainable practices.
22. As the tourists do all these, they will learn about the natural environment, local cultures, and conservation efforts.
WHY ECO-TOURISM IS IMPORTANT
23. It is very important for state governments across the Southwest region to begin to promote eco-tourism on the basis of culture and tradition.
24. This would help to create destinations that people can visit from across the world. And while this would help to create alternative sources of income for the states, it would also help correct the wrong impression that has been created in the international media about Nigeria and Africa.
25. Today, many Asian countries, especially in the Middle East, are developing their tourism potential. Even Saudi Arabia, which used to be vast in religious tourism, is now diversifying into sports and entertainment tourism. They invite many great musicians to perform and also host big sporting events in their country. They now hosts big boxing, golf and football tournaments.
26. Presently, in spite of having 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which the country has developed and promotes vigorously, Saudi Arabia is bidding to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Its government says hosting the competition will help the country in its transformation journey and in meeting its long-term infrastructure needs.
27. Another example is the United Arabs Emirate (UAE). The UAE has developed fantastic destinations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that make many tourists to visit the country round the year. The country now generates income from tourism that is rivaling its revenue from oil.
28. Specifically, in 2022, the UAE tourism sector generated S45.5 billion in revenue, with S10.35 billion coming from hotel revenues. Tourism is a primary driver of UAE's economy, with projections indicating a continued strong contribution in revenue from accommodation, dining, shopping, and entertainment.
29. Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and other Arab nations are making similar efforts to open up their countries as tourism destinations. It is the same with China, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and other Asian nations.
30. In South Africa, the second major income earner after solid minerals is tourism.
31. According to the World Tourism Forum Institute, South Africa tourism contributes 8.8% to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This includes both direct and indirect contributions from the tourism sector. In 2023, the tourism sector's contribution was 8.2% of GDP, and it was projected to reach 8.8% by the end of 2024.
32. In Queensland, Australia, tourism is a $33. 23 billion industry, according to data released in May 2022 the state's Department of Tourism and Events.
33. The data says that Queensland generates $46.5 million a day in overnight visitor expenditure across the state, and directly and indirectly employs 207,000 Queenslanders. This is massive in terms of revenue generation.
34. Experiencing nature is a primary motivator for both domestic and international visitors in Australia. Queensland has a natural competitive advantage in providing visitors with high-quality eco-tourism experiences because of its world-class national parks and marine parks, five World Heritage areas, and a huge diversity of unique and unrivalled landscapes and iconic wildlife.
35. Coming back home, we have a lot of similar destinations that can be developed to world standard across the Southwest.
36. In Ile-Ife in Osun State, we have the Oodua Grove, the Oranmiyan Grove, many palaces that are full of history and have been around for hundreds of years. Ile-Ife itself is an historical city.
36. In Oyo, the Oyo empire lasted for 640 years. You would hardly find any other empire in the world that lasted for that long. Aside from the historical empire, there are many hills that can also be showcased to tourists. Even the Alaafin of Oyo's palace can be made a tourism destination if it is well managed.
37. Oke Ibadan in Ibadan, Oyo State; Oke Olumo in Ogun State, Oke Idanre, Oke Erinmo, Okota in Arigidi-Akoko all in Ondo State are all very good destinations that can be marketed to the world.
38. This is a clarion call to all Ministries of Tourism and Culture across the Southwest States to develop a strategy that we can use to develop all these sites to global standards and then promote them, especially through festivals such as the one we are gathered for here today.
39. If you go to Asia and Europe, governments funds such festivals generously. Our governments should also take a cue from them.
40. Oil and gas that Nigeria current depends on would dry up one day. But, if we properly harness our tourism destinations, we would continue to explore them forever.
41. We need to wake up from our slumber. Our governments should build good infrastructure and road networks to support these destinations.
42. They should also work to ensure adequate security across our states. This would ensure that when tourists visit, they can relax to have pleasure.
CONCLUSION
43. In conclusion, I urge all participants to embrace the spirit of this festival with open hearts and minds.
44. Let us honour our ancestors, celebrate our culture, and commit ourselves to the continuous development and promotion of Nigerian culture and heritage.
45. May the 2025 Osun-Osogbo Cultural Festival be a resounding success.
Thank you all for listening.
God bless you all.
Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams
The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland
Chief Promoter, Olokun Festival Foundation.
