Tuesday, August 28, 2012

ISIRO FESTIVAL IS OUR THANKSGIVING DAY IN OKE -ILA  OBA DOKUN ABOLARIN

ISIRO Festivals is  one of the numoerous  festiavls  being celebrated in  Oke Ila in Ifedayo Local governenmet area of Osun state, This featival marks the end of one year and the beiggining  of another one, it is like the thanksgiving day being celebrated  by the Americans   while the  following day is meant for making of new rules  for the town and  delibration on issues relevant to the growth and development  of  the town, in this interview With Guild of  Tourism journalists In Nigeria, which  Remi Oladoye is a member, the  Orangun of Oke Ila,His Royal Highness Oba Dokun Abolarin gave us an insight of what Isiro is all about, his plan for the  town and advise that the need for the people of other town to emulate the  LAIKA programme in which  younger people donate to the  aged. Excerpt.
Sir, Congratulations  on  isiro  festival 2012, can you tell us sir, what is the important of this festival.
Thank you very much, Iisro  basically   is to mobilize our people  for the coming year , it is to thank God and it is to encourage  what western philosophy espoused  as tolerance  of views, religious and  what have you, it is a social contract between the  people and the king ten again for seven days the chroniclers of history the talking drummers from my progenitors, orangun Ajagula Ifagbamila, the   son of Oduduwa up to my good self in terms of achievements  so you understand that you are  on the throne for just a while even if you are  on the throne for fifty years  so it is for a specific  period  and as a chronicler of history of which you are adequately tasking stock of the time  on today and  the beauty of this is that two days after  today people will now assemble in front of  the palace  to make new rule for the coming year so this is the end of the year and we are  commencing another year in the next three days  just like the America thanksgiving day, this is our won  thanksgiving  day to thank God it is a period to entertainment, it’s a period of fellowship a period to network it is a period to pray for the good of the community and for the larger Nigeria state,  again  not until I became king a lot of  my people do not see  the significance  of the past but for me it shows greatness, the instinct position of our forefathers, in their own little way had   one that the supremacy of the power is in the  people and not in the  Orangun  and that if I failed to adhere strictly to the aspiration  of my people next year  you wont see them, that is to show their displeasure so when you  now look at it in a modern  governmental structure, you will see that there is  separation of power there is the supremacy of the people that is  well embedded in 1979 constitution  as amended so the greatness of my office is  make for fellowship why won’t I promote   that  why won’t I tell my people that it is important for them to do good that we are in this world for just a while so we should do good to people. And another period during this time is what we called LAIKA, young souls distribute tubers of yam to the aged people, showing their empathizing with the aged, not forgetting that the aged and for me that is important we have to remind ourselves o that the young souls of today are becoming the elders of tomorrow and that is why they must continue to take care of the elders of today’s   because it will be there turn soon. So I am now saying that in Nigeria we should take care of the aged, the  vision should not  be toyed with for them to pray for  the community and the  Nigeria state at large so if you are  taking anything away from me, tell them  the Orangun of Oke Ila is admonishing  the Nigerians that they should follow the Laika that we have in Oke Ila where the  aged are  taking care  of especially during their festival.

 Sir, the development of a town is a paramount and important to any king on the throne, with yourself becoming the Oba of Oke ila what effort are you making to  ensure all round development and  create good economic atmosphere in the town.
 Yes  we are trying when you are coming to Oke Ila, the road  coming from  Ekiti state which  was to promote interstate relation., that road was a dead end  before  now it has been opened, I’ve been  on the  throne for about five and half years now it has been opened,  the state government is hell bent  to do more, it is the time to promote tourism in Ayikunugba  it is one of the tourism destination  in Osun state  and governor Aregbesola is hundred percent  certain that to develop that place so what you see there is just preparation for  the development of that  is to come to promote culture and tourism  and I know for sure that the commerce of my people have also been boosted in one way or the other and we’ll continue to do more.
Sir  you said today marks the end of a year and  another years begins tomorrow what advice to you have for the people of Oke Ila indigene and the Nigerian state entirely.
 The educated  elite should not forget their rural home, we’ve  abandoned  our people  for too long  we are not using our  intellect to develop our people   we are not using it to attract  attention to our people from the  people so admonish the people  of Osun state that are well endowed  that hey should  not  never forget their root it is important there are talent here which can be helped to develop.