The Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), on Friday, May 31, 2024, held the Ibadan Cultural Festival Week, showcasing local talents in both beauty and cultural heritage.
The colorful event, which came up at Ibadan House, Oke Aremo, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, was graced by distinguished guests and prominent personalities across Ibadan land.
In his opening remarks, the President General of CCII, Alhaji Ajeniyi Ajewole, commended the organizing committee for their resilience and commitment towards the successful hosting of the first-ever cultural festival in the history of CCII.
Ajewole also thanked distinguished Ibadan indigenes who donated generously towards the event.
He told the audience that the final date for the annual Ibadan festival will be announced after the installation of the new Olubadan of Ibadan.
Earlier, while declaring the event open, the chairman of the event, Hon. Ibraheem Salami Dikko, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the event and urged the CCII to sustain the program.
The CCII used the occasion to decorate the Chief Executive Officer of Omoola Travels and Tours, Alhaji Kazeem Olaniyan, as Grand Ambassador of Ibadan Culture. Speaking on the investiture, the CCII President noted the philanthropic activities of the young entrepreneur, describing him as a proud Ibadan indigene with class.
The highlight of the event was the competition finals of Ibadan Talent Hunt and Orekelewa Brain and Beauty Pageant. Speaking with journalists, the chairman of the organizing committee of the 2024 Ibadan Cultural Festival Week, Balogun Gaphar Babatunde Ojetola, said, “Ibadan Got Talent was adapted from Britain’s Got Talent, a United Kingdom program, while the Ibadan Brain and Beauty Pageant competition is another adaptation from beauty competitions.”
Ojetola added, “Ibadan Cultural Festival started 30 years ago by CCII, and I was brought on in 2022 to be the chairman of the planning committee. When I came home, I discussed it with the President General, and he allowed me to showcase it in order to bring out the talent in our children and develop their hidden talents.”
According to Ojetola, “Ibadan Got Talent” has been able to discover hidden talents which their parents didn’t know existed. He added, “As a result of our agenda, in 2022, two of our talents were given scholarships in higher institutions, and one is employed by the Ministry of Culture in Oyo State. We are happy to develop our boys and girls in the area of their talents and propagate those talents to the world. We have brought judges from outside CCII from Lagos and other places to ensure unbiased judgment.”
On the Orekelewa Brain and Beauty Pageant competition, he said, “This is another adaptation from beauty competitions. Typically, beauty competitions involve ladies exhibiting their beauty in nudity, but we aim to instill confidence in our beautiful ladies, demonstrating that they can exhibit, compete, and showcase their beauty and talent without exposing themselves unduly. We started this in 2022, and our beauty queen from that year went on to compete in the South West of Nigeria beauty competition and won. Our 2022 Queen is today the Beauty Queen of South West Nigeria. We produced her, and you can see her today. We want our children to partner their beauty with brains and emulate the Omoluabi ethos Ibadan is noted for.”
Miss Temidun Ogunrinde emerged as the new Orekelewa of Ibadan Culture and was presented with a cash gift of N500,000. The first and second runners-up of the beauty pageant were Joke Omolola Akande and Olamide Akinwale, respectively.
In the category of Ibadan Got Talent, Abdullateef Utman (a.k.a Ayanfe Olodumara) clinched the winner’s prize with a cash gift of N250,000, while the first runner-up, Agunbiade Gideon Group, and second runner-up, Obaloluwa Okewumi, received N150,000 and N100,000, respectively.
In deciding the winners of the Orekelewa competition, the judges placed a premium on physical appearance, talent such as singing, dancing, cultural or traditional wear, and performance in question and answer. For the talent competition, the winner was judged on skill level, originality and creativity, stage presence, emotional impact, entertainment value, and audience reaction.
Among the dignitaries at the occasion were the sole administrator of Pacesetter Transport Service and chairman of the occasion, Dr. Ibrahim Salami Dikko; Iyaloja General of Oyo State, Alhaja Sarata Aduke; the chairman of Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, Mrs. Dotun Olaitan, represented by ace broadcaster, Mrs. Lola Osanyin; Chairman of Omoola Travels Tours, Alhaji Kazeem Olaniyan; and Chief Executive Officer of Royaldiadem, Hon. Olusoji Alade and his wife.
Other notable guests included Chief Waheed Ekun; Alhaja Simiat Adeleke Larodo; Mrs. Adebisi Adejumo, and a host of others.
Please see below other pics
