Oyo Empire Day committee assures participants of adequate security
By Adejayan Gbenga
The Central Working Committee of the Oyo Empire Day Celebration has assured participants and visitors of adequate security during the maiden edition of the three-day event, saying measures have been put in place to protect lives and property.
The Chairman of the committee, Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola, gave the assurance on Wednesday during a media interaction at the Palace of the Alaafin of Oyo.
Ogunmola said the committee was working with relevant security agencies to ensure that the large number of visitors expected in Oyo could participate in a safe and orderly environment, recalling the presence of the military in the town.
He added that the committee had established contact with ancestral family homes in the ancient city, with representatives expected to work with the organisers to receive visitors returning to reconnect with their roots.
According to him, more than 100 ancestral family compounds had been sensitised to the homecoming initiative, while plans were underway to provide an identification map showing the locations of the compounds to help visitors locate their ancestral homes.
Ogunmola said the significance of Oyo Empire Day extended beyond present-day indigenes of Oyo, noting that the celebration was open to people in different communities and countries who could trace their roots to the historical Oyo Empire.
Explaining the significance of the celebration, he said the historical influence of the Oyo Empire extended beyond the geographical boundaries of present-day Oyo, adding that the event was initiated by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, as an annual ancestral homecoming.
He said the maiden edition, which is expected to attract about 20,000 people daily, would feature a procession, traditional performances, historical presentations, heritage tours of Oyo-Igboho and Oyo-Ile, youth activities and a grand finale at the Durbar Stadium, adding that the celebration would thereafter be held annually on the third Thursday, Friday and Saturday of December.
