Harnessing the Ojude-Oba Festival for Tourism and Community Development in Ogun State

Abstract

This study examined the Ojúde-Ǫba festival in Ijȩbu-Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria, with a view to underscoring its roles in tourism development in Ogun State. The study employed the ethnographic research design. The participant observation method was used to elicit data for the study during the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions of the festival. The purposive sampling technique was utilized to select four local policy makers and two festival planning committee members and key informant interviews were conducted with each of them. Data gathered from the study was content analysed. The Ojúde-Ǫba festival is said to have originated over 100 years ago and has metamorphosed into a tourist event. This has attracted corporate branding of the festival and has resulted in the generation of funds for the community. Proceeds from the festival were reported to be used for the provision of boreholes, electricity transformers, and hospitals for public use, and for the repair of public schools. In preparation for the annual event, community roads and street lights are repaired, drainages are cleared and community cleaning efforts are intensified. The participation of the traditional Ijȩbu age-grade groups (Rȩgbȩ-Rȩgbȩ) of the community in the festival activities has increased attendance at the Ojúde-Ǫba festival. The study concludes that the Ojúde-Ǫba festival contributes to the promotion of tourism and the development of its host community and recommends that the festival be further promoted to enable the community derive more benefits.