Epe Kayo 2019- Olu Epe, Committee Intensify Efforts To Host The World

The Epe community in Lagos is in a celebrative mood, a few days to the commencement of one of its cherished socio-cultural festival, Epe Kayokayo.

 An annual fiesta with many sides, this year’s celebration would be seeking to consolidate on past editions by harnessing the unity and bond that exist in the kingdom, and draw socio-economic development.

The Eagle reports that these and more were unveiled at a press conference yesterday in the palace of His Royal Majesty, Oba Shefiu Adewale, Bamgbopa Eshinlokun 1.

Coordinator of the Festival Committee, Alhaji Saliu Okulu, was joined by other members of the committee in expressing great optimism about the success of the festival.

Providing a historical overview, he said the festival is in commemorative celebration of the 1851 coming into Epe of Kosoko and his men following a misunderstanding with the colonialists.

According to him, the celebration has since progressed from just being symbolic to incorporate strong social, economic and cultural dimensions.

Alhaji Okulu said socially, the festival creates a platform for the Epe people to bond together while dining, eating to full being a major undertone of the celebrations;

In continuation of the tradition, the year’s celebration, will encompass a special prayer session at the Central mospque a vigil, Islamic lecture, procession, raffle draw  and musical fiesta amongst others.

Providing further explanation, he said the with a N200 ticket, that one could win a Toyota car, while 35 beneficiaries of the scholarship, would be handed their monies in the course of the celebrations.

“We are taking care of the youths in rhe festival, we are also taking care of the elderely. We want our youths to begin to embrace the festial. We have tourism potentials in the state. Lagos is blessed it is surrounded by lagoons and water. All that is needed is for government to make Lagos a tourism destination”.

He said Epe was already playing its part, a proof being the promotion of Epe Kayokayo and other festivals native to the community as a tourism driver beyond cultural reawakening and entertainment

His points were further corroborated by Otunba TJ Abass, a son of the soil who began strong mobilizations for effective media coverage earlier.

Otunba Abass lavished encomiums on the royal father and the committee leader for the efforts towards both sustaining the festival and making it better this time round.

He described the festival as truly a rallying point for indegins to share banters while reflecting on their evolution as a people, adding that it was indeed commendable, that impactful programmes are being incorporated into it so that it does not end up just a carnival of merriment.

Sponsors of the past editions of the programme include MTN, Binatone, Intercontinetal Distillers and Lagos State Inland Revenue Service, while efforts are on to woo more sponsors which would also leverage from the growing popularity of the festival