By Chibuzor Alli
The Ekiti State Government is seeking to use cultural festivals across the state to attract visitors, create jobs and generate economic opportunities.
The Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, Wale Ojo-Lanre, said communities had been urged to formally register their festivals with the bureau to improve their visibility and preserve the state’s cultural heritage.
Ojo-Lanre spoke in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday when organisers of the Epa Festival in Omuo-Ekiti formally registered the festival with the state government.
“Registering cultural festivals with the state government through the bureau will enhance their visibility, preserve cultural heritage and unlock the economic potential of tourism.
“It is the law that all festivals be registered with us, just as we also mandate hotels to do the same,” the DG said, adding that registration would provide a platform for proper coordination, branding, visibility, consultancy and legal recognition.
He said the government would work with festival organisers to develop events that could attract visitors while ensuring peace and order.
“We have to plan with them; we have to make it so that it will be a first-class festival that people will come while also ensuring that organisers maintain peace and order during such events.
“The Governor Biodun Oyebanji administration has demonstrated a strong understanding of the economic value of tourism. The governor had been paying increasing attention to festivals, carnivals, cultural events and other activities capable of attracting visitors to the state.”
Ojo-Lanre said the more than 3,000 visitors attracted to Ado-Ekiti during a recent cultural event demonstrated the potential economic impact of well-promoted festivals.
“Increased tourist traffic will translate into economic opportunities for hotels, transport operators, filling stations, event centres, food vendors, fashion designers and other businesses.
“The Oyebanji administration’s interventions that can support the growth of tourism in the state included completion of the Ekiti State International Cargo Airport, development of tourism policies and a tourism development master plan, improved security and infrastructure, as well as the creation of the State Bureau of Tourism Development.
“The airport has helped to address Ekiti State’s former status as a landlocked destination by providing an additional means of accessing the state. This has encouraged more tourists to visit.”
He also stressed the importance of private-sector participation, saying the government had created an enabling environment through legislation, infrastructure, security, coordination and policy, while private businesses would drive investment and commercial activity.
The Chairman of Ekiti East Local Government, Oluwasegun Ojo, said the decision to revive the Epa Festival had been driven largely by residents, particularly young people, seeking to reconnect with their cultural heritage.
The festival was last held in 1982 before being revived in 2022 and has continued to generate interest among residents and indigenes, he said.
Mr Ojo said organisers wanted to develop the festival from a cultural celebration into a major tourism attraction capable of generating economic activity in Omuo-Ekiti.
“The organisers are focusing on developing Omuo-Ekiti into a tourism hub and will work with the Bureau of Tourism Development to give the festival greater visibility and attract visitors from across the country and beyond.
“The seven-day festival generates significant economic activities through accommodation, food, transportation, buying and selling. Hotels were fully booked during the previous edition. This year’s edition will feature different activities throughout the seven days.
“Efforts are being made to attract indigenes of Omuo-Ekiti living abroad to participate. A committee has been set up in the Americas to coordinate activities among members of the diaspora,” he said.
Traditional chiefs from Omuo-Ekiti who attended the registration, including the Saruku of Omuo-Ekiti, Chief Sunday Adepoju; the Eye Olori-Eru of Omuo-Ekiti, Chief (Mrs) Titilayo Aladesanmi; and the Oloka of Omuo-Ekiti, Chief Akinlolu Adedoyin, expressed support for the revival and registration of the festival.
The chiefs said official recognition by the state would provide the visibility and institutional support needed to develop the festival beyond a community celebration into a recognised cultural tourism attraction, while creating economic opportunities for residents.
Leave a comment