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.
Oba Gbadebo who stated this at a press conference to herald 2016 Lisabi Festival activities in his Abeokuta palace said 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 Lisabis because of their valour, patriotism and monumental achievements.
“These are the same attributes that history has recorded in favour of Lisabi AgbongboAkala” the monarch added.
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 are the engine of growth Nigeria needs 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 holds 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 and the transformation the state in general and Abeokuta in particular has witnessed in various ways.
The company explained that it collaborated with the organizers of Lisabi Festival to keep the legacies ofhardwork, courage, integrity, honesty, love and patriotism alive in order to imbue the young ones with these noble values.
“These are the same attributes that history has recorded in favour of Lisabi AgbongboAkala. 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 kicked off on Monday, 29th February, 2016 with booming of guns on Olumo Rock, public mobilization by women, worodance 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, while the Inter School Quiz competition and the finals of Lisabi Football Competition will take place on Wednesday.
The 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.
On Friday, 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 rounded off with a thanksgiving service on Sunday at the Cathedral of St Peter, Ake, Abeokuta.