2016: Oluwo makes case for culture for economic growth

One of the frontline traditional rulers in Yorubaland, the Oluwo of Iwo in Osun State, Oba AbdulRasheed Adele Akanbi, has said the economy of the Yoruba nation would not grow until there is a conscious effort at recognising and promoting the Yoruba culture in all its ramifications.
In a New Year message released by the monarch, Oba Akanbi said a quick return to Yoruba culture through fashion, food, tourism, festivals has the potential to bring back the lost glory of the Yoruba race.
He added that if the Yoruba could do this, the Nigerian nation as a while stand very great opportunities of benefitting from the renaissance.
The monarch, through a statement by the palace spokesman, Prince Dauda Abimbola, said while the Yoruba of Nigeria and in the Diapora can hold high the values of their different faiths in Islam and Christianity, they must be conscious of the differences of the requirements of their respective faiths as opposed to the values and essence of their own Yoruba culture.
“We must not jettison our culture because we want to serve God through our faiths in Islam and Christianity. As a Yoruba man, you have your culture of dressing which does not in any way offend God or reduce the value of your faith. We must not shy away fro our culture,” the monarch stated.
Harping on what the Yoruba are loosing through a rejection of their own cultural values such as dressing and others, Oba Akanbi said each time money is used to purchase dresses that promote the cultures of other people across the world, the economy of the Yoruba suffers losses.
“We have our own culture of dressing which can fit in perfectly into our present lifestyles. Has anyone considered the economic benefits of using our local batik and adire to produce the mass of clothing we wear for our big religious events. If we are thinking of how to overcome our present economic challenges, we must look inward to promote our culture,” he added.
Oba Akanbi said under the new economic situation in Nigeria, the Federal Government must encourage the use of local materials for the production of daily needs.
“It is only this that local production will be boosted. Jobs will be created and the wealth of our nation will grow. We cannot claim to be building our economy while we patronize only foreign goods. We must create an enabling environment that open the market for our local productions,” he said.
The monarch prayed for the sustenance of the economy in the New Year just as he prayed his domain for progress and development.