VISITORS and tourists to the grand finale of the annual Osun-Osogbo festival in Osogbo Osun state scheduled for Friday, August 9, 2024, are greeted on arrival by the poor state of the road leading to the event.
The festival which takes place every year, attracts traditional worshippers and tourists from all over the world.
The event is majorly celebrated to honour the goddess of fertility, Osun.
The ceremony is part of the religious tradition of the Yoruba from the southwest of Nigeria and has spanned many years.
The festival is usually filled with the display of culture and tradition.
However, this year’s edition has been plagued by the dilapidated state of the road leading to the Osun Sacred Grove, the venue of the popular event.
The Osun-Osogbo Grove is located near the Osun River banks, just outside the city of Osogbo. The Grove is several hundred years old.
According to the UNESCO website, worship is held in the grove on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Additionally, the Yoruba people’s living cultural traditions are maintained via an annual processional celebration that takes place over twelve days in July and August each year to re-establish the mystic links between the goddess and the town’s residents.
However, the dilapidated road leading to the grove has been a setback for tourists and Osun devotees who visit the grove yearly.
The road is in such a bad state that during a visit to Osogbo, commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada asked The ICIR reporter for extra fees to be taken to the grove.
“That road no good at all, if you pay me well I will manage to go,” a motorcycle rider told The ICIR, in pigin English
Worshippers lament
According to a traditional worshipper, simply identified as Ifatope, the bad road is an embarrassment to the Osun state government.
Ifatope claimed that some tourists interested in the event usually stay back in their countries due to the condition of the road which he described as an eyesore.
“We have been shouting about the Osun-Osogbo road for years. You can see it yourself, it is not good at all and I am disappointed.
“This is an international festival, people come from all over the world but look at the road. What will it take the state government to fix this road and put it in a good condition,” Ifatope asked.
In a chat with The ICIR, the Agbongbon Awo of Osogbo land Kayode Faniyi urged the state government to repair the road.
According to Faniyi, who is also the Baale Apowe of Oduduwa land, the government can increase its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the festival if the right amenities are put in place.
“We have our place where people can come like Osun Osogbo. Only Rauf Aregbesola (former governor of the state) had done something feasible. We will want the present governor, Asiwaju Adeleke to follow suit.
“Even the road to Osun Osogbo, if you go there, you will see it’s not good, UNESCO is trying but it’s not enough. We need a good road,” Faniyi said
He praised the efforts of a former governor of the state, the late Isiaka Adeleke to connect electricity within the Osun grove and claimed some leaders condemned the move due to the risk involved.
He appealed to the government to build more recreational centres to accommodate thousands of visitors who troop to the festival every year.
“Osun Osogbo is a big festival, we need a big parking space for motorists, good restroom facility and even pipe borne water for visitors to ease themselves.
“They should copy some other things going on at Ikogosi, a religious sit. They didn’t cut any trees, they are there naturally. It’s now a warm spring. They put some facilities there. You don’t have to go far to get a good hotel,” Faniyi stated.
Osun state government reacts
In a chat with The ICIR on Friday, August 7, Olawale Rasheed the spokesperson to the governor of Osun state, Ademola Adeleke said the state government launched the tourism revival programmes for the Osun Osogbo project last year.
According to him, the first phase of the project was the reconstruction of the pavilion and the event arena, which was completed.
“It was put to use last year. The second item was the cleaning of the Osun grove for sustainability. The third one was the internal road within the groove itself, which is still on the table. Lets, however, be aware that the government is not in control of the festival. The custodian is the Ataoja Palace,”
“The involvement of the state government is mainly in the area of financial and logistics support for the organisers,” he added.
A reporter with the ICIR
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