•Aare AYODELE BANKOLE, Chairman Central Planning Committee Reveals
It is a subliminal privilege to stand before you all today as the Chairman of the organisinq committee for this year’s edition of the rejuvenated Iganmode Cultural Festival otherwise known as “ODUN OMO IGANMODE AFELEJA”. Let me first of all thank our royal father, the Olota of Ota, Oba (Prof) Adeyemi Obalanlege, Lanlege Ekun II, Arole Iganmode and Olofin Apesin Olode, Olota-in-Council and the entire community for the opportunity given to my Committee to serve the community in this capacity.
Our primary mission, as it has been done for decades is to celebrate our cultural and ancestral hero, IGANMODE, that irrepressible Awori warrior whose exploits in history have become the staying power &the spirituality of Ota Awori people wherever you find them. IGANMODE is a symbol of leadership, influence, hardwork, unity & teamwork. To celebrate this iconic & revered figure of influence and deploy his idyllic traits, to galvanize those latent & »residual energies in our people, especially the youths, the committee adopted a theme for this year’s event: CULTURE: A MODULE FOR A SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP. We believed this is a well-timed theme that seeks to address and identify the synergy between cultural heritage and its influence to drive communal and personal efforts at building a sustainable 1eadership in our society.
Distinguished Ladies & gentlemen, this year’s event is unique. Unique in the sense that the scope of funding, planning and execution is primarily community driven. The ancient City of Ota is privileged to be the industrial nerve centre of Ogun State, for that reasons, the previous editions of this festival had relied largely on funding coming from the industries and business interests situated here. This year’s however, we came out with an assumption what if there were no industries in Ado -Odo/Ota, what happens. To this, the committee resolved to adopt a communal self- funding model. This is the first time in the history of this festival that the entire community, here in Nigeria and in diaspora is mobilized to contribute to the purse of the committee for the planning and execution of the programmes. Gratifying to report that87% of funding for this year’s Odun Omo Iganmode is contributed by individuals, families, Social Clubs and traditional institutions from this community. We thank you all.
Permit me to all put on records the sterling and outstanding contribution of the Ogun State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, MFR who has encouraged and supported us through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to make Odun Omo Iganmode the primus inter pares for Tourism &Culture in Ogun State. His efforts in promoting Culture and Tourism shall be duly recognized today and as such ha rawardad This shall be the first sort of recognition by any community in Ogun State. We also thank our sister and daughter. Her Excellency, The Deputy Governor of Ogun State for her relentless efforts and support to our committee to bring out the best of what Ota-Awori Kingdom could offer. Thank you for being a wonder Hostess a proud daughterof Ota-Awori Kingdom. I will not end this speech without recognizing the support of all members of the Central Planning Committee and the sub-committees for the support and the wonderful job done so far to set new standards and establish a new template for our ancestral festival. I thank you so much.
At this junction, I want to admonish you to get copies of the. Event Brochure for yourself, families, friends and well wishers – home and abroad. It has been specially packaged as a MEMORABILIA for all and Sundry. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, please sit back and enjoy the fecund hospitality of Ota-Awori people. Iganmode a gbewa o!
IGANMODE CULTURAL FESTIVAL 2021 “ODUN OMO IGANMODE AFELEJA” GRAND FINALE BEING CHAIRMAN’S TEXT OF THE SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE CHAIRMAN, IGANMODE CULTURAL FESTIVAL 2021 CENTRAL PLANNING COMMITTEE, AYODELE BANKOLE
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