Francis Ogwo
The Annual Ojude Oba Cultural Festival earlier scheduled for Sunday, August 2, 2020 has been cancelled even as popular Kano State horse riding display popularly called Hawan Daushe would not also hold due to the lingering COVID-19, organisers have revealed.
The festival organising committee made this public on Thursday in a statement issued by the coordinator of the Ijebu Ode festival and Baabagbimo of Ijebu, Chief Fassay Yusuf.
According to the statement, the cancellation of the cultural festival, which is usually a beehive of activities and a rallying point of Ijebu sons and daughters, was called off due to the social distancing rules in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also added that the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr) Sikiru Adetona approved the cancellation of the event in compliance with the global containment measures.
The monarch while wishing the sons and daughters of the town a peaceful commemoration of the Eid El Kabir Muslim celebration urged them to stay safe against the dreaded pandemic.
In a related development, the popular horse riding festival, which takes place in the ancient city of Kano has been called off.
The Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, made this known in an interaction with newsmen in the state.
He noted that all the five Emirs in the state would go to the Eid prayer ground in their respective vehicles, while there would be no visit to Shettima House, gathering for Hawan Daushe, Hawan Nassarawa and other traditional outings in the Emirates.
He added that the government would provide facemasks and other protective materials as required in the global fight against COVID-19 while ensuring compliance with social distancing at the praying grounds.
The two cancelled events you would recall are popular international events, which attracts tourists to the host states with huge revenues from visitors and guests as guesthouses, business owners and petty traders count their gains after the celebrations.
The Hawan Daushe Durbar festival is an annual religious and tourism friendly celebration in several cities of Northern Nigeria including Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zazzau and Bida.
The festival marks the end of Ramadan and coincides with the Muslim festivities of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitri.
Ojude Oba is a Yoruba festival held in Ijebu Ode, a town in Ogun State, Southwestern Nigeria. It is held annually the third day after Eid al-Kabir.
It is a festival whereby different cultural age groups known as regberegbe parade at the front of the king’s palace on the third day of Eid al Kabir festival popularly referred to as “Ileya” in Yoruba language.
Ojude Oba, which means king’s fore-court in Yoruba language, is usually celebrated with Pomp and pageantry by about 1,000,000 people from different parts of the world and Nigeria especially those from Yoruba origin and most especially by people of Ijebu descent all over the world.
