Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan
Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde has expressed his administration’s readiness to promote Arts and Culture in the state to make it a source of foreign currency, vowing not to spare resources towards achieving the goal.
Makinde said this on Saturday at an event organised in honour of the publisher of Honey Palace Magazine, Mrs Oyindamola Adeoye, which was attended by the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji and prominent traditional rulers from Osun, Ogun and Ondo States.
The Governor, who was represented at the occasion by the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, said his government was working round the clock to revive and promote arts and cultural potentials lying moribund across the major towns of the state.
According to him, the administration has resolved to give due attention to all notable tourist sites and monuments in order to enhance the social and economic prosperity of the state.
He stated further that the state’s Ministry of Information has been mandated to work with every interested body within and outside the state to resuscitate and project the state’s unrivaled art and cultural heritage to the world.
According to him, “The governor has mandated the Ministry to see to it that all arts and cultural potentials and monuments around the state are made to come alive again. He promised not to spare anything within the capacity of the state to achieve this as Oyo State’s glory as the capital of Yoruba culture must be resuscitated and maintained henceforth. These sites that glorify the uncommon heritage of the Yoruba people as well as individuals that are alive and dead who have contributed to the cultural beautification of our tribe must be promoted”.
The commissioner hinted that the directive given by the governor has helped in repositioning the ministry to promote activities and programmes of the ministry and its agencies as reflected in the publicity given to the last Sango festival that held at Oyo town as the last celebration was adjudged to be the best since the festival started.