Build Museum Around Ogun Grove To Explore Cultural,Tourism Potential  – Bimbo  Daramola 

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC),Bimbo Daramola (fondly called congressman) has called for the establishment of a museum around the Ogun grove  in Ire-Ekiti with a curator that can tell the history better.

Speaking at the sideline of this year’s  edition of the Ogunire Festival  in Ire-Ekiti ,Daramola  said a local economy could also  be built around this festival ,which attracted over 5000 people,for the benefit of the people.

The Ire-Ekiti born  former member of the House of Representatives said ”  the  pull factor of this weeklong festival is unimaginably so strong that people both natives and non natives come from all over the world to see the festival for all sorts of reasons, from historical through cultural to spiritual.

“This must  have been the reason behind the interest of the Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s efforts at this year’s festival, visibly present is the government, represented by the Ministry of  Culture and Tourism led by the Professor of Arts, the renowned Commissioner, who I am told had been on ground in Ire Ekiti , two days before the D-Day!

“Besides Ogun festival being our cultural identity and historical essence, the historical relevance has attracted the attention of UNESCO with a view to explore possibilities of its preservation, particularly the grove and  explore potentials of turning it into a veritable cultural centre because of its inherent tourism value proposition.

“Ogun is the mythical fiery god of iron according to history, noted for his ingenuity, the first to craft iron into various useful purposes from forming cutlasses used for farming to developing bow and arrows for hunting and defence.

“The one that introduced sparks of fire  for roasting of animals after hugely successful hunting expeditions.

“Ancient history has it that Ogun was a reserved and amiable “personality” but his anger  was unmanageable, so he was reverred for that identity.

“The mythology has it that he was a connoisseur of good palm wine and after every remarkable war exploits he would return to enjoy his palm wine with his people as he regaled them with tales from battle front.

“Until a day came that he returned from one of such battles battle looking forward to his communion with his people over his Favourite foamy drink .

“But due to negligence or indiscretion of some people at home who had been drinking palm wine, they had finished all the palm wine but left the gourd in sitting position instead of laying them on their sides to indicate that they were empty.

“Ogun met those gourds in their sitting position and he went into a rage  believing that his people were not appreciative of the fact that he went to war to defend them in the first place, and feeling that the minimum is to be sensitive enough to at the minimum leave some palm wine for him to savour and if not to celebrate but at least assuage his parched throat after another successful battle

He was aggrieved and in his fit of anger  many lives were taken for that negligence and that was the beginning of the end.

After seeing the level of havoc from the legendary lethal anger to his people, he left town broken hearted and disappeared into the ground.

“Ogun is the god of iron , anything iron, from tea spoon to motor car( not today’s retrofitted aluminum panels though) is celebrated by people from my town, Ireland Ekiti, and a lot of prayers and supplication are still made in Ogun’s name by the adherents till this day, and my town and our people are still lovers of foamy palm wine reputed for its unique taste.

I believe the festival holds great prospects and I share the efforts and renewed  attention of the State Government in this regard.”Daramola said