Asa Festival rekindles yoruba culture, promotes tourism

Ikorodu town and its environ was agog with festivities last week, as the popular Asa Festival held at the Ferry Terminal, Ebute, Ikorodu amidst pomp and pageantry.

There were several activities, which held visitors to the cultural feast spellbound. On display were horse riding sessions, stilt man show, Imowo-Nla Parade, Okeletu Parade, Agura Parade, Aga Parade and special parade by Council of Elekus.

The lawmaker representing Ikorodu in Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Sanai Agunbiade, founder, Ikorodu Rebirth Project (IREP), a non governmental organisation (NGO) promoting culture in Ikorodu and the organisers of Asa Festival, said the fiesta was organised to re-awaken the people’s cultural heritage and transform Ikorodu into a tourism hub in the state.

He said the festival needs more government support, having been approved by the Lagos State government as one of the events in its cultural calendar.

Agunbiade’s commitment to protecting this heritage took him and his IREP team members to Ife, where they paid a courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife in order to carry out more research on the festival and Yoruba heritage.

According to Agunbiade, “Asa Festival is to preserve the cultural heritage of our land in Ikorodu, so we want Ministry of Art and Culture to give us more support.”

The lawmaker, who is the Majority Leader of Lagos Assembly, advised youths to see Asa as part of their heritage that must not be allowed to die.

Also speaking at the festival, the Speaker of Lagos Assembly, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, emphasised the need to promote Yoruba language and culture.

Obasa called for extensive use of Yoruba language among the people in order to continue to propagate Yoruba culture.

Asa Festival is a yearly cultural carnival where various communities in Sagamu, Ogun State, and Ikorodu, in Lagos, display their cultural heritage.

Prominent monarchs that graced the occasion were the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi; Ranodu of Imota, Oba Bakare Agoro; Adegoruwa of Igbogbo, Abdulsemiu Kasali; Otunba Ganiu Abiru; Olubeshe of Ibeshe, Oba Richard Abayomi and Obateru of Egbin, Akeem Oyebo.