Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will on November 23 become the first fellow of the Yoruba World Centre at the University of Ibadan (UI).
Prof. Osinbajo will be joined by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; and other eminent Yoruba traditional rulers and leaders.
The occasion being organised by the International Centre for Yoruba Arts And Culture (INCEYAC) will also feature the opening of the centre’s temporary abode, the presentation of a full documentary on the Yoruba World Centre and the laying of the first foundation at the permanent site by Osinbajo.
When completed, the Yoruba World Centre will have a big library, an archive, a museum, a recreational center, reconstruction and digitising centre, a broadcasting and film village and an artificial forest (zoo).
A member of the board of trustees of INCEYAC and publisher of Alaroye newspaper Alao Adedayo, said the purpose of this is to make the centre to serve as a one-stop shop, offering old, new, recreated and reconstructed materials for researchers, lecturers, students, authors, journalists, historians and members of the public interested in Yoruba history, arts and culture as a tool for nation building, national cohesiveness and mutual understanding.
Explaining further, Mr Adedayo said: “Being the largest user of Yoruba language (in print) in the world today, and because of our daily interactions with the language, arts, culture and history of the people, through our newspaper – Alaroye, we can confirm that there is no one institution in the entire world where researchers, or anyone at all, can stay to conduct and complete works on the history, arts and culture of the Yoruba people.
“It is because we sincerely believe that there should be one to help us in nation building that we have come up with the idea of INCEYAC. We are equally optimistic that proud sons and daughters of Yorubaland and other friends of the elitist tribe will rise up to the occasion of supporting this project in whatever way they can.”
