By Providence Adeyinka

Culture is so important, that it is the key to development and it unlocks the economic potential of any community.

The annual Kayokayo festival in Epe is a veritable platform for the celebration of the history, heritage and greatness of the ancient town of Epe in Lagos State.

These are the words of the Coordinator of the 2021 Epe Kayokayo Festival, Otunba Gbenga Abass, at the grand finale of the festival held at the Lagos theatre where he said Kayokayo festival is one of the foremost and one of the iconic festivals celebrated by the Epe people.

Abass said that plans are underway to industriously leverage on the Okoshi, Ebi and Kilajolu, while harnessing it for the development of the community.

He said: “From next year, the committee would be calling for corporate sponsorships, not monetary but would be to give employment to unemployed youths in the community.

“Ours is a beautiful story. It may not be perfect, but it is a beautiful story. It is a story of cohabitation between the Eko Epes and the Ijebu Epes who have lived together for more than 176 years.

“It is a story of the tourism potentials that we have in our community. It is a story of a beautiful culture; a rich and diverse culture. We are not there yet, but we shall get there. Culture is very important. It is the key to our development. It unlocks the economic potentials of any community.

“One of those cultures is Kayokayo. The festival is one of the foremost and the most iconic festivals celebrated by Epe people. We have the Okoshi, we have Ebi, we have Kilajolu, why can’t we industriously leverage on these and harness them for the development of our community? That is our goal, and that is what we will do,” he said.

Earlier, Otun Balogun of Epe Kingdom, Chief Wale Mogaji, said that the festival was significant and symbolic because it reminded sons and daughters of Epe on the journey of their forefather from Lagos to Epe.

Mogaji said the focus was to ensure that the festival is promoted to a level that it would become a tourist attraction that people all over the world will be looking forward to.

Also, Oloja of Lagos, Abiola Kosoko, a descendant of King Kosoko said: “I want to make it so clear that, for so long the Kosoko has been fully on ground in Epe. I decided that I should bring back the Kosoko descendant to Epe not to fight for superiority, but we are coming back to Epe to turn things around.

He said that their coming back is to create a platform where there will be peace, harmony and progress within Epe dwellers, just as he advised Epe indigens to do away with self-centeredness and work together for the progress of the town.

A representative member of Epe Constituency 1, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Abiodun Tobun, said that moving the community to the next level is a task that all must work together to achieve.

Tobun who doubles as the Chairman House Committee on works and infrastructure said: “We want people to come around and invest heavily in this community; this is a community waiting for business opportunity and for development.

“We must all work together to ensure that we deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Epe,” he added.