Mr. Taye Fashina, the Director-General of London-based entertainment outfit, Infinity Promotion, has said the organisation is fully ready to support the upcoming Adire Cultural Carnival later this year, because it believes in the promotion of Yoruba culture and heritage.

Popularly known as Mayor of London, Fashina, who also doubles as the Director of Lady of Africa Empowerment and Advocacy Foundation, organisers of the upcoming carnival, said the carnival would empower over five million Nigerians as producers of the local fabric would have the opportunity to market their products.

He added it’s high time Nigerians, especially Yoruba, appreciates what they have rather than patronising foreign made fabrics.

He further said it’s disheartening other countries are taking away the Yoruba culture and heritage and appreciates them more than the owners of such culture.

“The Adire Street Culture Carnival would help to fight against poverty through direct empowerment of indigents people.

“That the Nigerian economy is in crisis is no longer a debate, but we cannot sit down to sulk. Thus we must all rise to the occasion by creating proactive measures to combat the problem confronting our dear country today.

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“One of the ways we can do it is to promote our culture as Yoruba and use what we have to generate income for ourselves,” Fashina said.

“Our projection is to ensure that the Adire empowers the people and create sustainable wealth that will be plowed back to continuously stimulate the economies of local communities.

“The Foundation has a plan to empower directly 10,000 producers of the Adire per year and gradually grow it to 20,000 producers per year in the first three years, reaching 50,000 producers per year by the year 2025.

“We anticipate that we would have been able to directly empower 180,000 producers within the same period, while we plan to indirectly empower over five million people by year 2025,” Fasina added.

He further said the carnival would put the Adire fabrics on the same level with foreign made materials, thereby making it acceptable internationally.

“Our projection, which is to revolutionise the way we use and wear the adire, has almost been achieved and we are rapidly marching towards the second stage of the plan.

“The plan is to put adire on the same pedestal as the ankara ‘ guinea brocade ‘and other well-acceptable materials from across the globe.”

Fashina, who is also the Director of numerous companies, and a well-known cultural ambassador having promoted several Nigerian musical artistes both in the United Kingdom and the United States, and other European countries, said he believes in helping many people to achieve a purpose in life.

He noted that the carnival affords him the opportunity to contribute his quota to the well-being of the people.

Vanguard News Nigeria