..as Aiyedatiwa, Adelami, others join monarch to mark 2024 edition

All roads led to Oka land in the Akoko South West area of Ondo State on Saturday, as dignitaries from across Nigeria joined the town’s indigenes to joyously celebrate the annual Oka Day festival.

The Olubaka of Oka, HRM, Oba (Dr.) Yusuf Adebori Adeleye, OON, praised God on behalf of the community for the grace to sustain the annual event, which continues to be held in an atmosphere of peace.

In an exclusive interview, the Olubaka reflected on the origins of the now globally celebrated Oka Day. He noted that it was a unification of the yam festivals previously celebrated by each quarter of the community, which he transformed into one big event aimed at uniting the entire Oka land.

Supported by his elegant Queen Adejumoke, the Olubaka affirmed that 85% of Oka people are farmers and that Oka Day is significant in bringing them together to wine and dine under one canopy, regardless of their religious backgrounds.

“The purpose of setting it up has come to fruition in the sense that the majority of our people, in every corner of the world, now know the day and celebrate together wherever they are.

“This morning, I received a letter and saw the invitation printed by Oka sons and daughters in the UK and Ireland. They are equally celebrating Oka Day today. Also, those in the USA and Canada are celebrating. It’s a global event now,” he averred.

Highlighting the achievements recorded through the annual festival, which he said started about 37 years ago, Oba Adeleye informed that the edifice of the Palace, which houses a pavilion with a capacity for thousands, is a product of the Oka Day festival.

According to him, the festival is not fetishistic but serves as a platform to reach out to the needy by distributing foodstuffs, awarding educational scholarships to indigent indigenes sponsored by the community’s well-meaning individuals, and providing mobility equipment for the physically challenged, underscoring the need to complement government efforts.

He thanked Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for his efforts to forestall violence associated with protests and also appreciated him for appointing a few sons of the soil to his cabinet.

The monarch acknowledged the economic challenges being experienced in the nation, describing them as a global phenomenon, and urged youths to maintain decorum.

He admonished his people at home to continue to live together in peace and harmony in their various farming settlements, and he encouraged those outside the town to invest in the community and endeavor to visit Oka land once in a while. He appreciated their efforts and contributions to the transformation of the town.

Olubaka, therefore, expressed his desire to leave behind a very united, prosperous, and peaceful Oka land.

On the forthcoming governorship election in Ondo State, he urged them to conduct themselves peacefully before, during, and after the exercise.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the Planning Committee for the event, Elder Alfred Omosola, hinted that the annual Oka Day had served as a platform to project the heritage of the community and bring its sons and daughters together to promote the fraternal bond binding them.

He disclosed that the annual festival had attracted significant development to the community, stating: “In the line of our futuristic pace and development, the commencement of ‘Oka Museum’ for the preservation of our Arts and Artefacts is an achievement for all of us compared to the previous year’s accomplishments. With this mentality of irreversible progress, it is believed that when it is completed, it will serve the purposes of tourism and become a revenue-generating hub for the local government.”

Congratulating the Olubaka on another successful festival, the Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, described the Oka Day celebration as a special milestone in the journey of Oka people.

The governor, who was flanked by his deputy, Chief Olayide Adelami, noted that the coming together of people who share the same culture, tradition, and heritage to support one another is the essence of a community.

He said he was proud to see the progress of the community, which they collaboratively achieved, describing it as a shining example of what can be accomplished together if there is unity.

Aiyedatiwa expressed the commitment of his administration to build inclusive, equitable, and just communities by supporting community growth and development.

He added that the government remains committed to its constitutional mandate of securing the welfare and security of the citizens.

The event climaxed with the presentation of awards to some individuals both within and outside Oka land who have contributed meritoriously to society in different capacities.

To mark the beginning of the new yam’s arrival in the community, the Olubaka presented a tuber of yam to notable individuals at the ceremony, starting with the traditional chiefs. The event also featured generous donations toward the further development of Oka land.

Guests were later entertained by the Olubaka at a night of prayer with the monarch, where they dined, wined, and danced, after which the monarch offered royal blessings for the indigenes, both home and abroad.