The Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, Orumogege III, has expressed optimism that the Ogbomoso Cradles Carnival, scheduled to be held between December 19 and 24, 2024, would be the biggest culture and tourism event in Nigeria.
Olaoye, while speaking during a dinner and fundraising event for the coming carnival at the Imperial Heritage Hotel, Ogbomoso, on Sunday, said carnival activities would be events that everyone, including culture and tourism enthusiasts, will be looking forward to.
He said the event forms part of his 25-Year Development Plan for the ancient town, adding that the carnival represents one of his plans to bring the people of Ogbomoso together and love their town and king.
“The potential in Ogbomoso is very enormous, and my vision as a king is to inspire the sons and daughters of Ogbomoso for us to turn our communities around and make Ogbomosoland a model city.
“We want our people to love Ogbomoso because if they love their town, they will want to develop it. We want our people to love their king because if they do, they will want the community to develop, and invest in their communities.
“And that is why I have my 25-Year Development Plan. I want to sacrifice anything humanly possible to ensure that Ogbomosoland becomes a development model in Nigeria.
“Tonight, we have come here to demonstrate our love for this land. Ogbomoso people are everywhere in the world. One of the things that God has put in my heart is to create an environment where our people will come and be proud of Ogbomoso. The light has come to Ogbomoso.”
He explained that the aim is to return Ogbomoso to the rightful position it deserves among the comity of cities in Nigeria.
“In the area of Egungun, we want our people to eschew violence that used to be the order of the day during the Egungun festival in Ogbomoso. You all will soon begin to see masquerades that appear to have gone to extinction.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the planning committee, Oladejo Akanni, said the six-day event aimed to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Ogbomosland and promote tourism potential for economic development.
He added that the committee has lined up robust and all-encompassing events that will make people, both visitors and residents, always look forward to them.
The event was attended by businessmen across different strata, ethnic nationalities, culture exponents, entertainment, culture enthusiasts, and a host of others.
