Kunle Adelabu
-As celebration Kicks off with ‘Walk for Fitness’
The Lagos State Government has been urged to continue to grant necessary support to the Ikorodu – Oga Development Association (IKODASS), for the organization of the annual Ikorodu – Oga Carnival which is listed on the State’s Festival Calendar.
First Permanent Vice Chairman, Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs and Ayangbure of Ikorodu Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oba Kabir Shotobi, and Chairman, IKODASS, Asiwaju Akeem Rotimi Erogbogbo, gave the charge on Saturday, during the ‘Walk for Fitness’ organised to kick off the annual celebration.
The ‘Walk for Fitness’, which was tagged, ‘Persevere’, and witnessed a large turnout, was the opening activity of the 32nd edition of the festival which is scheduled to officially hold between November 11th and 18th November, 2023.
The procession, led by the Chairman, Ikorodu – Oga Development Association (IKODASS), took off from the Ikorodu Town Hall through Ayangbure Road, Oriwu Road, Ita – Elewa, Aga/Ireshe Road, Sheriff junction, Ota – Ona, Alhaji Street, Ladega/Ojubode, Ikorodu roundabout, back to Ojubode to connect the Ayangbure Road and finally berthed at the Ayangbure palace where the crowd of residents that participated in the fitness walk were welcomed by the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, His Royal Majesty, Oba Kabir Shotobi.
Asiwaju Erogbogbo, speaking about the walk, said that the exercise is good for the health, and enjoin the populace to always exercise.
“The purpose of this walk is to keep fit because drugs may fail you, and while we welcome and appreciate doctors, they are not enough to keep you healthy. If your lifestyle does not include what we are doing today, you are about to kill yourself”, he said.
“So, exercise is very paramount and we have been doing it yearly, and I know that most of you here engage in it every day, but we are using this walk to tell the generality of our people in Ikorodu that exercise is good.
“We are also announcing that the 32nd Ikorodu – Oga Festival, which is an eight – day long event, will commence on November 11. This is the tip of the iceberg. We are kick starting it with this walk”, Erogbogbo announced to the crowd that participated in the walk.
“This time around, it’s going to be wow; it will be the best and I want to let you know that we are fully prepared, and that Kabiyesi is fully with us. This year, we are sure that we are going to have a great show”.
The IKODASS Chairman appealed to the people not to lose hope because of the current economic situation in the country.
“You can see that we had a great show for the walk for fitness which is tagged, ‘Persevere’, because we want people to persevere in this time and period that we are in this nation. The madness of yesteryears cannot be overturned overnight”, Erogbogbo said.
“Where we are in this nation, I want to tell you is most likely where we want to be if we want to move forward. If we are moving away from the past, we will definitely get to where we want to be unless we want to deceive ourselves by continuing with what we used to do in the past.
“We want our people to know that whatever things that are happening today in our nation are also happening world over. That is the truth.
“We are also seizing this opportunity to appeal to the government and business organisations to create employment for the people to increase the standard of their living. Once you have job, people will not go begging and Nigeria will not be a beggar nation”.
Erogbogbo also appealed to the state government on the need to continue to support the annual festival.
“We want government to participate because this a medium through which we disseminate information about the community and the government, to our people”, he said.
“I also bear to say that we are contributing our own quota through the Ikorodu – Oga festival to what government is doing and showcasing the presence of government in Ikorodu.
“My appeal to the government is to be part of it; proud of it and support it totally and my appeal to the government is to see and do more for Ikorodu –Oga festival festival which is on the almanac of the Lagos State Festival”, Erogbogbo appealed.
Ayangbure of Ikorodu, Oba Shotobi, in his royal message, also said that the walk is to senstise the public on the commencement of the annual cultural and economic festival.
“What we are doing today is the takeoff of the annual Ikorodu – Oga Festival. It is a means of telling the Ikorodu people and the whole world that we have started the festival”, Oba Shotobi said.
“The IKODASS, under the leadership of Rotimi Erogbogbo, is organizing this walk for fitness which has been established as being good for our health and make us fit, and we are also using it to let people know that we are starting the Ikorodu – Oga Day celebration”.
While also enjoining the government to continue to be supportive of the annual festival, Oba Shotobi added that Ikorodu would start getting everything that she required when she produces governor of the state.
“The government has been very supportive and I know that they will continue to do that. We will continue to sing the song to them and I believe that they are going to listen to us”, Oba Shotobi said.
“We will continue to take whatever that they are giving to us, but not until we have a sitting governor from Ikorodu who understand what Eluku and Agemo means to us, that we can establish the celebration the way we want it.
“Let us have patience and endure with the dilapidated state of our inner roads. Things will change and it would change for good. We will continue to make them realise that they have not touched all this axis. Some of our children in position of authority are also doing their best and we will continue to encourage them”, the royal father said.
Oba Shotobi also charged sons and daughters of Ikorodu to give back to their father’s land by supporting development in Ikorodu.
