Among the many eye-catching attendees at the Ojude Oba festival this year, Oreagba stole the show.

Clad in a flamboyant green and yellow “Aso-oke Agbada”, he rode majestically on horseback, a photo of which went viral and earned him the title “King of Steeze.”

Obi Asika, Director General of NCAC, made the announcement on his Instagram page, displaying the Certificate of Recognition awarded to Oreagba.

He wrote: “I could not be happier to announce him as an Hon Ambassador for the national council for arts and culture @ncac_nigeria and celebrate him and his boundless energy and spirit.

“He is now the King of Steeze and brought global attention to #OjudeOba the key traditional festival of Ijebu Ode celebrating the Awujale.

“For at least the last decade he has been getting on his horse, dressed in magnificent aso-oke and representing his family and culture.

“We discussed what made this year different and why the reaction; was it the photographer, was it the festival or was it just God’s time? I believe it was just meant to be.

“My brother is a fighter, diagnosed with terminal cancer he has been fighting it for a decade and never been anything but positive.

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“He has been an inspiration to we his friends and now we are sharing him to the world. He represents all that is good about Nigeria, pls celebrate him, a true Nigerian original!

“I know he is braver than almost anyone I know from the way he confronts his pain and has always repped naija since I have known him, Congrats again and thanks for all you do.”

The 2024 Ojude Oba Festival was held recently with its usual glitz, glamour and cultural resonance.

This year, the festival honours Awujale, the king of Ijebu-Ode and celebrates the rich traditions of the Ijebu people, drawing notable figures from near and far.

However, the Ogun State-born Oreagba, stood out for his striking appearance and compelling personal story, as his unique fashion style stole the show.

He inadvertently became ‘the face of the festival’ as he made a grand entrance at the festival on a decorated horse, dressed in a green and lemon “agbada” with a matching cap.

Oreagba exuded elegance and style as he adorned himself with red coral beads, and a gold crossbody chain, with his embolded tattoos, a big tobacco pipe, an Apple wristwatch, and stylish sunglasses.

His pictures and videos have since been trending on social media, as he embodied uncommon elegance and style in showcasing Nigerian culture to the world.

Oreagba, a former Head, Strategy & Business Development, Nigerian Stock Exchange, was in 2014 diagnosed with osteosarcoma and carcinoma, a cancer of the skin and bone marrow.

He had to leave his role at NSE to tend to his health, and after two years of battling the killer disease, until he was declared cancer-free and healthy enough to go back to work.

Oreagba’s stylish and endearing presence at the 2024 Ojude Oba festival clearly portrayed hope, courage and the indefatigable Nigerian spirit.

He is currently the Managing Director and CEO of of NG Clearing.

Source: NAN

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The Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mr Amodu Shakiru, confirmed this on Sunday.

Shakiru said that the fire was caused by a gas cylinder explosion, which almost spread to the Artistes Village  in Iganmu.

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“Property destroyed includes four cows and three goats, suspected dead as resulted of the fire. Firemen moved in to stop the inferno and our men with others put the fire off completely.

“The said property belongs to the National Council of Arts and Culture, located opposite Artistes Village. There is no human casualty involved,” he said.

Source: NAN

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Runsewe disclosed this during a familiarisation visit of the building with travel writers in Abuja.

According to him, it was long overdue for the nation to have such a tourist attraction where local and international tourists could access Nigeria’s peculiar cultural products.

He said the building which was initially acquired by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had been retrieved.

He said the 30-metre long building would accommodate offices for all countries with embassies in Nigeria as well as an e-library connected to over 170 countries.

According to him, that would afford local and international tourists to connect to the globe and also help individuals who might wish to conduct research based on Nigerian culture.

According to Runsewe, the Culture House which was undergoing some finishing touches would be inaugurated soon and ready to receive visitors.

“Here in the building, we have befitting offices for all staff of NCAC with work stations, a clinic that will cater for free medical assessment for all staff and visitors, also we have rehearsal rooms for the performing and theatre arts department.

“It is an iconic building that will accommodate constant exhibition of nation’s cultural materials.

“We have halls for events, a lift that is permanently connected to an inverter and boardrooms.

“We also have a small market where some of the members of staff could get some foodstuff and pay at subsidised rate at the end of each month.

“Erected on six corners of the building are 25 metres high art works designed to depict peculiar cultural features in each state of the federation, this is meant to attract and educate tourists,” he said.

Runsewe said the purpose of the building was to ensure proper welfare of NCAC staff and make the council perform its mandate of cultural promotion.

Source: NAN

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Runsewe made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that anybody found guilty of vices such as rape, advance fee fraud and other related crimes should be taken to his or her family house to dance by the village square.

“We have to use local and native approach to tackle issues of rape, advance fee fraud and other vices.

“Many of our people go abroad, come back and give us bad name because of their crimes, yet they come back to celebrate and promote these vices.

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“So, what I think we should do from now is that once somebody commits a crime, the person should be taken close to the family house. Let them dance by the village square.

“I’m telling you that you will be shocked that you won’t get anyone committing crimes.”

Runsewe said that the major reason why crimes had continued was that somebody that committed crime would get bail from one top person in society.

“So, let us put it this way: both the person that committed the crime and the man standing for his bail should go to jail. You will see that nobody will go again.

“Once they know that they can’t buy off the security agents on issues like these, I can assure you that a lot of changes is around the corner,” Runsewe stated.

Source: NAN

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The reappointment is for another term of four years.

The president also approved the appointment of Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed as the Chief Executive Officer /Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria.

Alhaji Ahmed was until his appointment, Director of Culture in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Bauchi State.

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Runsewe made this known while stating that Bobrisky (Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju), had constituted a nuisance to Nigerian and African values and misleading other youths, due to a lack of true African values in him.

Runsewe therefore called on parents to instil African cultures and values in their children and wards, to make them become responsible adults.

He said the 29 years old social media personality was nothing but a disgrace and disgust to Nigeria, and should not be allowed to continue with his fake life.

His words: “Do you know that the so-called Bobrisky was going to set up the African Chapter of Gay and LGBT or whatever they call it in Nigeria during his recently aborted birthday party? People from over 70 countries arrived in Lagos for the event.

“They were all at Ikoyi, preparing to launch it. We got a hint of it and had to put a stop to the event. I seized all the food and gave them to IDPs. If they had launched that thing, Nigeria would have been destroyed by now.

“That was how the insurgency started and because it was not nipped in the bud, today we are facing the consequences of our inaction then.

“People said the man called Bobrisky is powerful and that anytime he comes to Abuja, he lodges in a presidential suite on the tenth floor of Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

“But I will not stand and see such a character perpetrate a culture that does not conform to our African values and norms.

“If he wants to continue with that way of life, then he should leave Nigeria. Our culture does not allow such personality in our society. So he should leave Nigeria.”

Runsewe reiterated that parents should not allow their children to be influenced by characters like Bobrisky, who claims to be female.

“Bobrisky started by saying he sells body creams and later he went further that he got boobs. He went into many areas. He insults Nigerian women, claiming he is prettier than them. This is not African.

“On his father’s birthday, he dressed like a man. So you can see the deception by a fake personality living a fake life and deceiving Nigerian youths.

Bobrisky at his Father’s Birthday Party in Lagos

Runsewe said that many organisations had lauded NCAC, including a female group from Kenya for its stand against values that negate African culture and norms.

“That man is destroying Nigerian children. If we are not careful, in the next few years women will no longer have boyfriends or husbands again.

“This is because man to man is becoming the order of the day. In Abuja today, men stand on the streets waiting to be patronised by other men.”

Runsewe said that NCAC and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs would soon meet to continue deliberations to seek the way forward in sensitizing the public on the menace.

Source: NAN

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In a statement on Wednesday, in Lagos, Runsewe said that the reality of the new wave of the pandemic had created additional burden for the tourism industry, such that the players did not know how to survive in 2021.

He said that inbound travels across board and partial lockdown affecting outdoor recreation, hospitality businesses, were having impact on jobs and would eventually have a devastating effect in the industry.

Runsewe said that there was a need to reassure the cultural tourism economy to curb depression and continued job losses for the industry that had been known to champion employment and rural development.

“We certainly welcome the news of vaccination to help curb the spread of the pandemic.

“We must give the Nigerian tourism and culture sector some form of protection and confidence to get hold of a strategic survival plan through faster COVID-19 testing response and certification.

“The industry must hold its breath in 2021 and show grit,” he said.

The NCAC DG said he believed that putting in place an effective monitoring and compliance with COVID-19 protocols, supported by faster COVID-19 testing ecosystem and certification, could boost confidence in the troubled tourism economy.

He noted that it was necessary to strengthen the capacity of service providers, create more tourism jobs, as against predicted losses inspired by COVID-19, and expand existing pillars of national integration and love for history and heritage.

“The fear of another strain of the pandemic is very alarming, but we must respond with a chain of confidence building processes, carefully driven through one on one engagement with cultural tourism practitioners on creating additional domestic travels.

“It is important to empower the hospitality and creative sector to sustain jobs, provide services and with protocols of COVID-19 testing and certification process, to generate double digit growth for the industry in 2021,” he said.

Runsewe also said that NCAC carried out strategic engagements during the year to curb the fear and anxiety of COVID-19 pandemic, while commending the efforts of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, and the Presidential Task Force, PTF, on COVID-19, for creating an enabling environment for the cultural tourism sector to thrive.

He urged Nigerians not to stigmatise COVID-19 victims, reminding them that NCDC and the PTF consciously and deliberately embarked on an awareness campaign on COVID-19 to reduce community spread.

“We should not fear 2021 but must carefully navigate all the challenges likely to face us through a dedicated bank of faster COVID-19 testing response mechanism.

“We need to promote industry leadership in order to power the sector to growth, instead of doom in 2021,” he said.

Source: NAN

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The competitive events were on traditional cuisines, arts and crafts, essay writing, quiz, traditional board game, indigenous fabrics and fashion parade, indigenous music, archery and coral competitions.

Ekiti State and Rivers State emerged in the 2nd overall position, Plateau State bagged 3rd position, Kano and Enugu states had the 4^th position, while Delta, Kaduna states and the Federal Capital Territory bagged the 5^th position.

The positions were announced during the closing ceremony of the 33rd edition of NAFEST which held at the Rwang Pam Township Stadium, Jos, Plateau State.

Mr Andrew Kirifagha, Director, Bayelsa State Council for Arts and Culture, expressed his excitement over the state’s victory.

Kirifagha said he was not surprised as the state had been preparing for the various cultural competitions since August and lots of revenue had gone into the preparation.

He appreciated the National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC, and the Plateau State government for hosting the ancient festival even as COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world.

He said the state’s victory would further gear them to do more in promoting culture.

“I am excited for the victory achieved today, but I am not surprised because we have been practising since August, we have done a lot to deserve this victory.

“We will work hard on cultural promotion to maintain our status.

“We are grateful to Plateau State for its hospitality. We really enjoyed our stay in the state,” he said.

Earlier, Otunba Segun Runsewe, NCAC Director-General, commended the efforts of the Plateau government  in hosting the festival.

He said Govenro Simon Lalong had successfully put Plateau State on the global map of tourism, calling on Nigerians to visit the state and explore the abundance of its tourism and culture potential.

“Plateau is a safe place, I call on tourists and investors to visit the state for tourism and investment purposes.

“Let us make Plateau our Dubai, Jos is a place to be, so hospitable and beautiful weather.

“By the grace of God, we shall meet in Ekiti State by 2021 NAFEST. I wish you all safe journey to your destinations,” he said.

The week long festival which commenced on November 22 and ended on November 28 with 26 states participating in various cultural competitions and displays.

Some of the states that participated were, Kogi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Kwara, Kebbi, Benue, Rivers, Delta, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Yobe, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Lagos, Zamfara, Plateau, Bauchi, Borno, Ekiti, Taraba states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The theme of the festival was “COVID-19 and Cultural Dynamism.”

Some of the awards during the festival were  Best costume, won by Delta and Plateau states; Best behaved and disciplined states won by  Zamfara and Bauchi states, and Most creative and Innovative state in design and presentation by Kwara, Cross River, Delta and Nasarawa states.

Others were Most enterprising states by Kogi, Lagos, Imo and FCT; Most entrepreneurial state by Kaduna, Kano, Taraba and Borno states and Most improved performance by Bayelsa and Kebbi states.

Also, Most compliant to COVID-19 safety protocols were  Ekiti, Rivers and Plateau states, NAFEST legendary award for most consistent state by Katsina and Yobe states.

The competitive events were Traditional cuisine with 4th position to Nasarawa and Benue states, 3rd, Rivers, Ekiti and Kano states, 2nd, Plateau, Delta and Kaduna states and 1st  Bayelsa state.

Also, for children essay writing competition, Kaduna State came 5th, Rivers State and FCT, 4^th; Plateau state, 3^rd;  Bayelsa state 2nd and Enugu state, 1st.

There were also children arts and craft competition, Archery, Coral, Children Indigenous music instrumentation, Traditional board games, Indigenous fabric and fashion and Cultural Quiz competitions.

Source: NAN

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