Walk for Osun had thousands of Osun Osogbo devotees, indigenes, groups, associations and ethnic nationalities, as participants at the weekend.
The walk was a carnival procession of stakeholders in Osogbo to herald the 2019 Osun Osogbo festival.
The Governor of Osun State, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola, leading the walk from Better Life through Ahmadiya; Oja Oba Junction; Obate; Sabo Junction; Balogun Agoro; Isale Aro; Jolayemi; Isale Osun to the Ataoja palace, said the state government would provide adequate security during the celebration of the festival.
He assured that the government would continue to support and enhance the quality of Osun Osogbo festival and bring in more people to participate.
A statement issued in Ibadan by the lead consultant to Esquire Global, the official marketing company of Osun Osogbo festival 2019, Mr. Tunde Muraina, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, quoted Oyetola as disclosing that record showed that the festival attracted different people from near, far and wide and in the diaspora.
He noted that the government had brought new tourist product, Karaole Odua, which would be used to bring Yorubas in the diaspora to Yorubaland so that they would come home to know their source.
Oyetola who was represented by the supervisor in charge of the Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism Ministry, Dr. Obawale Adebisi, said, “our effort is to plan strategically to bring them (Yorubas) home on annual basis between 10 and 21th of August during the celebration of Osun Osogbo Festival. It will enhance the quality of Osun Osogbo and bring in more people to partake.”
He reiterated that he would drive the state economy with tourism and his administration would continue to take active part in the annual Osun Osogbo festival and other festivals, stating, “what we are doing today is to ensure that we give necessary support to the community and we also get maximum support in return for government programmes and policies.”
“The festival every year brings millions of Naira to Nigeria. Though not directly to the purse of the state government but we are planning on capturing more data and register participants so that it can bring in revenue to the purse of the state government,” he said.
The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, while receiving the participants of the walk at his palace, said the insinuation that Osun deity had been sold was fallacy, explaining that the Walk for Osun was to create awareness for the people that the Osun Osogbo festival 2019 was around the corner.
Oba Oyetunji said: “Usually, the celebration of Osun Osogbo festival commences by cleaning of the town called Iwopopo whereby citizens of Osogbo and tourists gather to do the task. But this one is a special occasion, special in the sense that it is awareness to the public that the alleged stolen spirit of Osun is a fallacy. Osun deity remains there and we started this year’s own with Walk For Osun, where everyone regardless of the ethnic group came to me and we moved round Osogbo to tell people that Osun remains where she is.
“Osun Osogbo is a very significant festival. There is the involvement of UNESCO, which has made the site a World Heritage one. This places Osun Osogbo on the world map as a tourism destination and the federal, state and local government have shown enthusiasm in promoting Osun Festival. The state government is nearer to me and the celebration of the festival is not done only by the Ataoja, its custodian, and its people but in collaboration with the Osun State Government and they have been upright.”
The managing consultant of the firm managing and marketing the festival, Mr. Toye Arulogun, on his part commended the federal and the state governments for their relentless efforts of improving on the security situation in the country, pointing out that the insecurity was not terribly bad as being painted.
Arulogun said that the Walk for Osun was an element of contemporary that was introduced into the celebration of the festival this year, explaining that, “today, thousands of people walked with us to herald the celebration of 2019 Osun Osogbo festival. The walk signifies peace and unity between different ethnic groups. What we are bringing in is an element of contemporary, as we cannot do anything about the tradition.”
