Ogbomoso agog as Cradles Carnival set to begin tomorrow (see events guide)

Ogbomoso agog as Cradles Carnival set to begin tomorrow (see events guide)

Khalid ABRAHAM

WATCH VIDEO OF MESSAGE BY ALHAJI ABDULMAJID SOLADEMI ON THE CARNIVAL

All is now set for the commencement of the second edition of the Ogbomoso Cradles Carnival tomorrow Thursday December 18. The people are in jubilant mood, ecstatic, and many have bought the festival’s clothes. Round the city every place is covered in colourful banners of the carnival. Many indigenes are streaming in, many activities are springing up. The fever of festivities is infectious.In addition, the Soun Palace building is wearing a new look.

DAY 1

The event will take off at daybreak with assemblage of cyclists at the Ogbomoso Palace for the Gran Fondo Cycling Tourney, the first of its kind in the city. The competitors will cover Ogbomoso – Iseyin route to and fro. It promises to be exciting.

By 9am guests will start converging again at the palace for the formal opening and exhibition of local cuisine, arts & crafts, and from there, the theatre will shift to the Ogunlola Hall premises for traditional hunters display, Bata acrobatic dances and Ijala renditions. The Ogunlola arena will also include energetic Egungun performances while by 4:00pm the final crackers of Orumogege Football Competition will take place at the S

oun Stadium (male and female). The first day of event will round off with musical entertainment at the palace starting 6:00pm.

DAY 2

The second day, Friday, December 19, will witness some epoch-making events including special Islamic prayers (starting 9:00am at the palace) and installation of Dr Saka Adegbite Balogun as the Balogun of Ogbomosoland. The Balogun chief is a member of the seven Ilus (Soun’s cabinet), ranking sixth and is a member of the kingmakers. The programme will also feature conferment of honorary chieftaincy titles on other eminent personalities among whom are Sir Olusegun Adekunle (Asipa), Professor Adeshola Adepoju (Asiwaju Ogbomosoland) and Rear Admiral Jacob Ajani rtd. By 1:00pm, there will be Jumaat service featuring second coronation anniversary thanksgiving.

The annual Odun Oole festival, a cultural event of the members of the Soun royal houses celebrating their ancestors, will commence 4:00pm. It will encompass processions by each of the five ruling houses led by their beautifully adorned ancestral Egunguns (ago) and paying of homage to the Soun His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III, who will be mounted majestically on a special stool, and draped in splendour, at the site of the historical Ajagbon tree. The Mogajis, the princes and the princesses are similarly decked in common uniform attires. All morning and early afternoon feasting on eko (solid pap wrapped in leaves) and oole (moinmoin) will go on at the various ruling houses’ headquarters and individuals’ residences.

6:00pm, musical entertainment will again begin at the palace to close the day.

DAY 3

Saturday 20th, Day 3, will feature the much-publicised Ogbomoso Marathon Race for (senior) athletes who will include professionals and children 13 – 16 years. They will participate in 12km and 5kms categories respectively. 6:30am is take-off point at Ogbomoso High School area and Ogbomoso Palace respectively, each ending at the Soun Stadium. Fun trekking for senior citizens (45 to 65 years old) will also take place commencing from late Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola’s residence at Oke – Ado, ending at the stadium likewise. There will similarly be relay races among selected secondary schools in Ogbomoso at the stadium.

Activities will continue at 9:00am for the Oba Ghandi Golf Tournament at the Ogbomoso Recreation Club (ORC). Other games – Chess, Scrabble, Ayo Olopon, Basketball, Boxing, Table Tennis – will unravel at the same time the golf tournament is ongoing.

Then, starting 4:00pm on Saturday the grand finale of pre-carnival contests will ensue at the palace.

The day will also be rounded off with musical entertainment from 6:00pm.

DAY 4

On Sunday, December 21, HIM, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye 2nd year coronation thanksgiving service will hold at 12:00pm at the Beulah Baptist Centre, while a musical concert and award of prizes for winners that emerged in the pre-carnival events, will hold at the palace, starting 4pm.

DAY 5

Monday, December 21, is the much-anticipated grand finale dubbed “Ajilete Day” at the Soun Stadium. Pre-programme events start at 9:00am and the main “menu,” 11:00am, which will feature breathtaking cultural displays by troupes from across the 5 local government areas of Ogbomoso zone, Egungun performances, traditional homage paying to the Soun by various societies, clubs and associations, musical interludes etc. Popular Tiktok comedian Agba Inaki is the compeer. He indeed is the official MC for the Ogbomoso Cradles Carnival 2.0.