Ikare-Akoko monarch seeks tourism boost for ‘Olokemeji Festival’

…prays for Tinubu, Aiyedatiwa

By Boye Oyeyemi –

The Owa-Ale of Ikare-Akoko, Oba Adeleke Adegbite-Adedoyin II, has called on both the Federal and Ondo State Governments to harness the tourism and economic potential of the annual Olokemeji TakoTabo Festival in Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State.

The monarch made the appeal during this year’s edition of the festival held on Sunday at the Hill of Progenitors in Ikare, where residents and tourists gathered for prayers and cultural displays.

Oba Adedoyin described the festival as not just a cultural gathering but also a spiritual event where the people of Ikare pray for peace, unity, and progress.

He used the occasion to offer prayers for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, seeking divine guidance for their administrations.

Owa-Ale opined that, “First of all, apart from cultural heritage, we come here yearly to pray. And believe me, there is no prayer you pray here with a good heart that God will not answer,” he said.

Tracing the festival’s roots, the First Class monarch said it began with the early settlers of Ikare, led by Owa-Ale Agbaode, who migrated from Ile-Ife and founded the town on the sacred hills where the event is held annually. He urged the government to partner with the community to upgrade facilities and improve road networks linking Ikare with Ekiti, Kogi, and Edo states.

“This is a massive festival. In Nigeria, you agree with me that there is no festival as large as this in the whole country. You see the crowd, see the people; you see people come from abroad, from everywhere, to witness this festival,” he said.

The Yeye-Asa of Ikare, Chief Modupe Akerele, said the festival fosters unity and spiritual renewal among indigenes at home and abroad, while High Chief Lawrence Olaleye-Omotosho noted that it also boosts local commerce, with hotels fully booked and traders recording huge sales.