Udiroko Festival Is A Culture And Ancestral Heritage Of The People Of Ado Ekiti – Jadesola Babatola

An Ado Ekiti born Academician and a University Administrator, Dr. Jadesola Babatola has revealed that the yearly event of Udiroko Festival is a show of the Culture and the Ancestral Heritage of the people of Ado Ekiti Kingdom.

Dr. Jadesola made the assertion while responding to questions from the Treasure Newspaper during the 2022 annual Udiroko festival held at the Palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe on Sunday.

According to Dr. Jadesola Babatola, he stated, that, “the Udiroko Festival is a yearly significance event usually held at the Palace of the foremost Yoruba Traditional Ruler, the Ewi of Ado of Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe. Jadesola explained further that the yearly celebration is an opportunity to bring together all the citizens and indigenes of Ado Ekiti in the diaspora to come back home once in a year to celebrate together”.

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Dr. Jadesola Babatola who is a member of the Udiroko Planning Committee expressed his appreciation to God for a festival like the Udiroko in existence.

He averred that the Udiroko Festival is not different from the Yam Festival known as ‘Odun Ijesu’ and the likes of it that are been observed in the various communities in the Country.

He maintained further that, “when the first Ewi of Ado Ekiti came, the Udiroko Festival became part of the tradition held on annual basis. In the history of Ado Ekiti, Udiroko Festival is also an event the people are addressed and prayed for”.

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“On a normal day, it is not everyone that can see the King, but during the Udiroko Festive period, we all see sit under an Iroko Tree and relate freely with the King”.

He added that, the Udiroko festival is a place where the Warriors, the Chiefs, the Queens, the powerful Women and the farmers brings on board resources and there agricultural products together while others will come to the Ewi’s Palace to pay homage to the King in Ado Ekiti.

He also revealed that “the hallmark for the event is to repeat the same thing annually. In terms of what we have, a week longed programme was designed for the 2022 edition and these includes Health Talk, meeting of the Chiefs, Prince and Princess night, Quiz Competition and during the Grand Finale, the Kings and Chiefs will be in attendance, and have a resolution and a communion on how to improve on the subsequent year events”.

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