By KEMI KASUMU, General Editor
The Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewa Land, Ogun State, says the 25th Oronna Ilaro Festival of the kingdom will begin from Saturday 10th and end Sunday 18th November 2018.
The monarch disclosed this, during a world press conference he personally addressed in Lagos on Friday, heralding the weeklong event said to be the biggest tourism festival in Ogun State.
The monarch started by tracing the celebration down memory lane to the time very beginning of Ilaro shortly after it was founded by Aro, a brave hunter and farmer.
“The name of the man, who founded Ilaro was Aro, a brave hunter who, against other hunters who hunted with dogs, was known and respected for hunting with leopard.”
According to the monarch, “Ilu that is ‘town’ of Aro the hunter led to the name of Ilaro community. Ilu Aro and it became Ilaro,” he first clarified and then moved on to the history of the Oronna festival.
“The origin of the celebration of Oronna Day/Festival could be traced to the very beginning of Ilaro shortly after it was founded by Aro, a brave hunter and farmer from Oyo Ile sometimes in the middle of the 17th century. Not long afterwards, Ilaro was under the threat of invasion by the notorious and fearful Dahomean Army. Aro had no choice but to send message to warriors and princes in Oyo to join him in protecting the fertile land from the marauding Dahomean fighters.
“One of the Oyo Princes and warriors that answered that call was Oronna who won many battles and became a Generalissimo in the defence of Ilaro from Dahomeans and other attackers.
Oronna’s exploits was great that he was recognized as super-human and in time assumed a deity figure. It was belief that Oronna enjoyed special support from Odua, the deity of the ancient town of Itolu as well as other deities from Oyo.
“However, no enemy dare challenge Ilaro to war and even in death Oronna pledged to defend Ilaro people. Oronna is said to have disappeared into the earth following a provocation leaving the tail of a long chain tied to his waist as exit point from earth.
“The point of his disappearance is now the famous Oronna Shrine which is now a tourist centre in Ogun State. It is at the shrine that all kings of Ilaro are crowned while most Ilaro people are called ‘Omo Oronna’.
“Oronna celebration is a unifying yearly socio-cultural event by Ilaro people in pursuant of their cultural tradition and a platform for self help initiatives to develop the community.
“The festival was celebrated formally since 1993 with Ogun State Government participation in one form or another. But in line with positive trends and the axiom that change is an inevitable aspect of human life, the Oronna celebration is now being rebranded and taken to the next level as a national and international tourism event with potentials to impact on the economy of Ilaro and Ogun State,” Oba Olugbenle said.
The objectives of the Oronna festive, according to the Ilaro monarch, include: “To position Ilaro town as a rewarding tourist destination; Bringing back Ilaro sons and daughters; other people of African decent to trace their root during this period; Collaborating with Ogun State government in her effort to develop tourism potentials of the state and also to showcase the growth and development of Ilaro town socially, structurally and economically and to identify talents for further development”.
Oba Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle continued, “The festival is now being re-branded as Oronna-laro festival. This year’s festival is the 25th of its kind, this is the 25th silver celebration of this annual festival. It’s going to be fun-filled, entertaining and interesting.
“The Oronna Ilaro Festival Central Planning Committee chaired by Alhaji Rafiu Akinola has lined up a lot of innovative and interesting activities to mark this 25th anniversary from Saturday 10th November to Sunday 18th November 2018,” he said.
The festival expected to take off with festival carnival/road show from 10am on Monday 12 November, 2018 will also feature medical checkups, Igunnuko masquerade display, football competitions, traditional Efe dance, colourful Gelede display Sisi Ilaro beauty pageant among others.
Dignitaries including the Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, will be part of very important personalities expected to grace the occasion.
In the meantime, the Olu of Ilaro, Oba Olugbenle, fielding question from a newspaper editor in attendance about what he is doing to help Ilaro descendants now doing well in Brazil and Barbados, where the State House is named “Ilaro Court” trace their roots and harmonise all of their efforts for the development of the home base, declared that by next year, he and Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his own prince would travel to those countries for that purpose.
Barbados, particularly, is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of North America. It is 34 kilometres (21 miles) in length and up to 23 km (14 mi) in width, covering an area of 432 km2 (167 sq mi). It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 km (62 mi) east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea ]therein, Barbados is east of the Windwards, part of the Lesser Antilles, roughly at 13°N of the equator. It is about 168 km (104 mi) east of both the countries of Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and 400 km (250 mi) north-east of Trinidad and Tobago. Barbados is outside the principal Atlantic hurricane belt. Its capital and largest city is Bridgetown.
That island country, is said to be closely related to the Ilaro base. All of these great showcases of the Ilaro people of Nigeria, West Africa, will be explored, the monarch declared at the world press conference in Ikeja, Lagos on Friday.
