Adeleke rejoices with Ooni of Ife on Olojo festival

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has felicitated with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi, and the people of Ile-Ife on the celebration of the 2025 Olojo Festival.

In a statement issued on Saturday by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke described the Olojo Festival as a spiritually significant occasion and prayed for continuous blessings upon the people.

The governor commended the Ooni as a cultural icon and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to preserving and promoting Osun’s cultural heritage.

“Cultural festivals are the backbone of economies in India and many Asian countries. We will boost cultural tourism by placing Olojo and other significant festivals on the global map,” Adeleke said.

He further assured the monarch that his administration would not abandon ongoing projects, stressing that the era of diverting public funds and truncating projects had ended.

“If Ile-Ife or any part of Osun had experienced such in the past, it will not happen under my watch. While we are not probing previous administrations, we are committed to completing all inherited abandoned projects,” he added.

Highlighting ongoing development efforts in the ancient city, Adeleke noted that nearly 25 roads had been reconstructed in Ile-Ife, with the flyover bridge nearing completion and plans underway to dualise the road leading to the Ooni’s palace.

“Ile-Ife will soon assume its rightful place as the cultural tourism hub of South-West Nigeria. I rejoice with all sons and daughters of the source, as well as Yoruba people at home and abroad, on this important occasion,” the governor stated.