The organisers of the maiden Oyo Empire Day Celebration have said the festival is designed to reconnect descendants of the old Oyo Empire with their ancestral roots and strengthen cultural ties among Yoruba communities spread across Nigeria and the diaspora. Speaking during a media briefing at the Alaafin’s Palace in……
The organisers of the maiden Oyo Empire Day Celebration have said the festival is designed to reconnect descendants of the old Oyo Empire with their ancestral roots and strengthen cultural ties among Yoruba communities spread across Nigeria and the diaspora.
Speaking during a media briefing at the Alaafin’s Palace in Oyo on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Central Working Committee for the celebration, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, said the initiative was conceived by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, as an annual homecoming for people whose ancestry could be traced to the historic Oyo Empire.
He explained that the celebration would bring together descendants of Oyo settlements across Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi states, as well as communities in the Republic of Benin and other parts of the diaspora, to reconnect with their history and heritage.
Ogunmola said, “We are reaching out to people and communities with Oyo ancestry across Kwara, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, Kogi, other parts of Nigeria, Republic of Benin, and the wider diaspora.”
He added, “His Imperial Majesty’s vision is to provide a platform where these dispersed people can reconnect with the ancestral homeland.”
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Ogunmola further stated that the three-day event would feature cultural displays, historical lectures, theatre performances, family reunions and guided visits to ancient Oyo sites, including Oyo-Ile and Oyo-Igboho, which played significant roles in the history of the empire.
According to him, the long-term goal is to institutionalise the celebration as an annual cultural and tourism event capable of preserving Oyo history, promoting scholarship and creating economic opportunities for local communities.
Echoing the chairman’s speech, the secretary of the Oyo Empire committee, Odekulehin, said people of Oyo ancestry in Nigeria and the diaspora are invited to the maiden event to join the historic celebration of its shared heritage.
He said, “The Oyo Empire Day Celebration is being conceived and positioned as an annual pan-Oyo celebration, bringing together people of Oyo ancestry from across the world.