President Bola Tinubu has received high praise from leading cultural figures, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, for his administration’s efforts to elevate Nigeria’s culture on the global stage.
The commendation came during a media conference organized by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation ahead of the World Orisha Congress, WOOCON.
The Ooni, who serves as the Global Patron of WOOCON, said President Tinubu was fostering a culturally-conscious environment and offering official support to Nigeria’s rich traditional heritage and spiritual institutions.
“We are grateful that this administration is giving rightful recognition to our culture. Culture is the soul of a people. Without it we have no identity,” the Ooni stated.
Wole Soyinka, also a Patron of WOOCON, described the initiative as a pathway to global recognition and increased tourism.
He stressed that culture not only defines people but also serves as a foundation for intellectual and spiritual revival across Africa.
Speaking at the event, Brazil’s Consular General in Lagos, Ambassador Manuel de Lacerda Santos, underscored the spiritual ties between Brazil and Nigeria, particularly through their shared Yoruba heritage.
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Abiodun Ajiboye, Executive Secretary of NICO and Secretary of the WOOCON Board of Trustees, described the initiative as a movement aimed at reshaping African cultural consciousness.
He noted that Nigeria’s collaboration with Brazil and the Caribbean on cultural projects could generate over \$10 billion annually through cultural and spiritual tourism.
Ajiboye added that structured cultural engagement would strengthen ancestral connections, with thousands of Brazilians already visiting Nigeria for traditional events such as the Osun Oshogbo and Sango Festivals.
Prof. Wande Abimbola, a distinguished Yoruba scholar, also spoke at the event, describing the Orisha tradition as a spiritual system with global significance that deserves preservation and global respect.
WOOCON’s series of cultural and intellectual engagements are expected to continue in the coming months, placing Nigeria at the center of a global cultural renaissance.
NAN
