An Address Delivered By The Governor Of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi At The Opening Ceremony Of The First Ekiti State Festival Of Culture And Arts Expo (EKIFEST) Held In Ado-Ekiti On Monday 10th September, 2012.

1. AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE GOVERNOR OF
EKITI STATE, DR. KAYODE FAYEMI AT THE OPENING CEREMONY
OF THE FIRST EKITI STATE FESTIVAL OF CULTURE AND ARTS
EXPO (EKIFEST) HELD IN ADO-EKITI
ON MONDAY 10th SEPTEMBER,2012
PROTOCOL
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the opening ceremony of
the first Ekiti State Festival of Culture and Arts Expo (EKIFEST). I
congratulate all the sons and daughters of Ekiti State both at home and in
the diaspora for witnessing this novel and memorable event at this period
that our culture and our language are suffering deprivation and are at the
verge of relegation and eventual extinction.
As you all know, the culture of a society is the way of life of its members.
The collection of ideas and habits learnt, shared and transmitted from
generation to generation makes the people what they are. Whether
tangible or intangible, the culture determines how members of a society
think and defines the direction of their actions and world outlook. Indeed,
it is the people’s identity and binding chord.
Many members of a society often take their culture for granted because it
has become so much a part of them that they are often unaware of its
potentials for development. Culture is the key to creative potentials of
every society and the art of the people is the transmission of ideas, values,
norms and ethos which the people regard as sacrosanct. Culture shapes
the foundations of development and determines how people act in the

2. world. Cultural production is clerly an important area for investment and a
means of boosting cultural identity; more strategically, it aids the
diversification of national and global economies. In most parts of the world,
the cultural industry sector now makes significant contributions to GDP, as
it promotes exports and generates employment.
The many advantages derivable from cultural awareness, tapping and
development are not lost on this administration hence the establishment of
a virile institutional framework to rejuvenate our cultural values. This, as a
matter of fact, informed the creation of a Ministry of Arts, Culture and
Tourism on the assumption of office of this government and the
empowerment of its various operational arms to drive our vision in this
regard. It is also in this spirit that the Committee on Arts, Culture and
Tourism was established to provide a strategic roadmap on all aspects of
the Ministry’s work. All these efforts have been institutionalized through the
passage into law of the Council of Art and Culture by the State House of
Assembly. The Council will soon commence its works as its board members
would be inaugurated before the end of the year.
Tourism, as you are quite aware, is a significant element in the agenda of
this government. The whole essence of the desire of this administration to
promote our cultural values is to harness the age long potentials of our
people and the land to further drive indigenous economic enterprises,

3. generate employment and ultimately make Ekiti State a vibrant and
sustainable tourism destination of choice.
The theme of this maiden Festival of Culture and Arts Expo, “Engaging
Culture for socio-economic transformation” is not only definitive; it is also
instructive of our determination to exploit all God given endowments for
the growth of the State. Ekiti State may not be an oil producing State or a
coastal region where commercial activities are influenced by the free flow
of goods from the seas. We are, however, blessed with abundant human
and natural resources. Our captivating environment, the rolling hills within
the Efon, Ipole-Iloro, Ikogosi and Okemesi tourism corridor, the lush
vegetation, the rivers, mountain range, rocks, the gullies and pathways are
fantastic and endearing elements incomparable to any other all over the
world.
The state government is poised to tap these potentials to ignite economic
activities of the people. May I assure you all that plans are in top gear to
develop all the identified monuments, historical and heritage sites in the
State. These include Ogunonire groove, Esa Cave, Okuta-gbokuta-leri etc
to a standard that would meet the UNESCO’s enlistment as a world
heritage site.
As you may all be aware, the State Government has concluded the all
arrangements for the construction of the Film Village established in the

4. State which will soon take off at the Ipole Iloro – Efon- Ikogosi tourism
corridor. This is not only to widen our cultural scope but also to boost our
economic activities. I like to assure that the ongoing construction of the
Civic Centre with focus on the Museum, the amphitheater, gallery and
events centre will meet the original concept of enhancing the place of the
arts in Ekiti State. As part of these sustained efforts also, it is our desire to
structurally and professionally effect a turnaround in the State’s Standing
Cultural Troupe to give it more aggressive global outlook for better
performances in view of its robust potentials.
May I use this occasion to inform the good people of Ekiti State and all
lovers of our rich cultural endowments that the State Government has
entered into discussion with the UNESCO on expanding the international
linkages on culture and development to the economic advantage of the
State. We are encouraged by the responses of international partners in this
regard. The government is also deeply committed to expanding the
intellectual frontiers of Arts and Culture with the planned establishment of
a Department of Theatre Arts and Cultural Studies at the Ekiti State
University, Ado-Ekiti. It is hoped that such intellectual input from the
academic environment into the cultural rebirth and resonance in our land
would further make our cultural values exportable products.
At present, fund has been released for the survey of the land provided by
the Ire-Ekiti Community for the development of Ogun-onire groove. In

5. similar vein, all the tourist sites like the Ikogosi Warm Spring, Arinta Water
Falls, the Fajuyi Park and other parks within the State Capital and Local
Government headquarters will be developed to boost tourism. Currently,
the wonder of nature, the Ikogosi Warm Spring which is second to none in
Africa is undergoing massive reconstruction and renovation to promote
eco-tourism and make it a bee-hive of tourism activities. Let me again use
the opportunity of this occasion to appeal to all public spirited individuals,
non-governmental organizations and corporate establishments to key into
the monumental strides of the state government to better the lots of the
people from all angles. We indeed solicit private involvement in these
initiatives.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this festival is another window of
opportunity to showcase our cultural potentials in traditional dances,
traditional music, games and exhibition by masquerades of diverse forms.
Let me quickly add that this effort is not a journey back to our fetish past
or an avenue for idol worship, it is rather an attempt towards the
promotion of our core values as well as an expression of our cultural
identity. The festival will equally showcase exhibition of arts, crafts,
artifacts and antiquities of our ancestors. Products of our cultural industries
like the beautiful coloured mats of Ogotun-Ekiti and Ipoti-Ekiti, the
ornamental pots of Isan and Igbara-odo, as well as the beaded works of
Efon – Alaaye will be on display.

6. I like to state here that all talented performers discovered at this EXPO
would be exposed to international competitions through sponsorship just
like the Cultural Troupe was sponsored to participate in PANAFEST held in
Ghana in July 2012.
It is now my pleasure to declare the 1st Ekiti State Festival of Culture and
Arts Expo open to the glory of God and the benefit of mankind.
Thank you and God bless.