Governor Adeleke will receive a prestigious honour in recognition of his iconic cap, which has become a distinctive symbol of his public identity, while Nike Okundaye, Founder of Nike Art Foundation and Nike Art Gallery, will be celebrated for her innovative and culturally expressive headgear that has helped project Yoruba art and culture to the global stage.
Other notable award recipients include Ambassador Taofeek Ọládẹ̀jọ Arapaja, former Deputy Governor of Oyo State and National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development; and Alhaji Onaolapo Gbolagin, a retired broadcaster with the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS).
The organisers, Ọmọ Yorùbá Àtàtà Socio-cultural Initiative (ỌYÀSI), disclosed this in a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Ọlawale Ajao, noting that the event will take place at the Single Tennis Court, Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan, by 12 noon.
According to Ajao, the annual celebration is designed to promote global appreciation of headgears and to position the event for UNESCO recognition as a World Headdress Day.
“The World Headdress Celebration showcases crowns, caps and headgears from cultures across the world, with special emphasis on the symbolic, spiritual and artistic significance of Yoruba headdresses, which remain powerful emblems of identity, prestige and heritage,” he said.
The event will also feature posthumous honours for two outstanding Yoruba icons, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, First Premier of Western Nigeria, and the late Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola Alao, former Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States.
Highlights of the celebration include a gele-tying competition, awards for the most attractive cap and gele wearers, as well as cultural exhibitions. Participants are expected to attend in traditional headgears, in keeping with the spirit of the celebration.
Lectures on the cultural and historical significance of headdresses among the Yoruba will be delivered by eminent traditional and cultural scholars, including Araba Ifáyẹmi Elebuibon, Araba of Osogboland; Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, the Olúwò of Ìwóland; and veteran author and intellectual, Elder Debo Awe.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland is expected to host the event alongside other traditional rulers, including the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Olawale Oyebola, among others.
Chairman of the occasion is the Chairman of Aláròyé Newspapers and Yoruba World Centre, while other dignitaries expected include Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, Chief Executive Officer of Agidigbo FM, Ibadan, and Mrs. Deborah Olufunke Awoyele, Chief Executive Officer of Deborah Adefunke Nigeria Ltd.
The maiden edition of the World Headdress Celebration was held on December 28, 2024.
