Lisabi festival: Alake of Egbaland showers praises on Glo

The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, has commended Globacom for elevating the Lisabi Festival to the highest level ever imagined by Egba indigenes, since the telecoms company started sponsoring the festival six years ago.

Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo

Oba Gbadebo, who stated this at a press conference to herald 2016 Lisabi Festival, in his Abeokuta palace, said that the festival was now listed on the world map of festivals as a result of Globacom’s support and efforts of its Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr., who he described as a living legend.

The monarch noted that many Egba indigenes, including late Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, late Canon Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, among others, were modern day Lisabi adherents, because of their valour, patriotism and monumental achievements.

Speaking earlier, Glo Business Director, Ogun, Mr. Ayo Ogunranti, described the theme of the 2016 Lisabi Festival: “Wealth creation through Small and Medium Enterprises”, as germane and vital to the revamping of Nigeria’s economy, adding that small- and medium-scale enterprises were the engine of growth that Nigeria needed to embrace, cultivate and stimulate at this crucial period, in order to wade through the myriads of economic challenges confronting the nation.

He stated that Globacom held the sector in the highest esteem, recalling that this was why the company partnered with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

Globacom congratulated the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle

Amosun and the paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo on the 40th anniversary of Ogun State, its transformation, and the impressive development that Abeokuta had witnessed in various ways.

The company explained that it collaborated with the organisers of Lisabi Festival to keep the legacies of hardwork, courage, integrity, honesty, love and patriotism alive, in order to imbue the young ones with the noble values.

“These are the same attributes that history has recorded in favour of Lisabi Agbongbo Akala. These are the values that Globacom seeks to celebrate,” Globacom added.

A week-long programme of activities marking the 30th Lisabi Festival was announced at the press conference by the Lisabi Festival Committee 2016.

The activities will kick off on Monday, February 29, 2016, with booming of guns on Olumo Rock, public mobilisation by women, dance on sectional basis and semi-final of Lisabi Football Competition at MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta.

The final ceremony of the traditional Ayo Game competition, as well as the finals of the Secondary School debate and children social programmes have been slated for Tuesday, March 1, 2016, while the Inter-School Quiz Competition and the finals of Lisabi Football Competition will take place on Wednesday, March 2, 2016.

A seminar on the theme of the 2016 Lisabi Festival: “Creating wealth through Small and Medium Enterprises”, and the annual visit to the hero of the year will hold on Thursday, March 3, 2016.

On Friday, March 4, 2016, the Jumat thanksgiving service is slated for the Central Mosque, Kobiti, Abeokuta, while the royal banquet in honour of the Alake of Egbaland, sponsored exclusively by Globacom, will hold the same day.

The Grand Finale of this year’s Lisabi Festival will take place on Saturday at the Ake Palace Grounds. The activities will be ended with a thanksgiving service on Sunday at the Cathedral of St Peter, Ake, Abeokuta.