No fewer than one million people are expected to participate in the forthcoming special carnival to mark the one-year ascension to the throne of Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, the Ooni of Ile-Ife.
The spokesman for the Organizing Committee, Desmond Onyebuchi, made the disclosure on Wednesday, while addressing newsmen at the Ooni’s Palace in Ile-Ife.
It will be recalled that Adeyeye was selected as king-elect on October 26, 2015 out of 21 contenders to the Ooni stool.
The Oba received his Staff of Office from Osun State Governor, Raufu Aregbesola, on December 7, 2015 at Enuwa Square, Ile-Ife.
Onyebuchi said the forthcoming carnival would attract people from various communities in Yorubaland and also well-wishers from different parts of the country and the Diaspora.
He said the carnival, tagged: “O ti seese Carnival, 2016,” was not only conceived to celebrate the reign of the monarch.
According to him, the occasion will also showcase the rich cultural splendour of Ile-Ife and foster unity among the Yoruba race in particular and the country as a whole.
Onyebuchi said security agents had perfected arrangement to guarantee the safety of lives and property, urging tourists within and outside of the country to attend the “royal carnival”.
The spokesman said the celebration, which would last for weeks, would end on December 7.
He said the Ooni and his wife would use the period to jointly launch a pet project, which would include social empowerment initiatives for Ile-Ife Community and Yorubaland in general.