Towards ensuring a more vibrant tourism sector in the State, the Ogun State Government and Nike Art Gallery have struck an arrangement that would see to the birth of gallery at the Olumo Rock towards attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists to the centre in Abeokuta.
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun made this known when he received the founder of the Nike Art Gallery; Chief (Mrs.) Nike Okundaye in his office, Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, saying it was expected that with the coming of the Nike Art Gallery into the Olumo Rock tourist centre, it would now be able to experience a surge in the number of people that would be visiting the tourist site from 20,000 people to over 100,000 tourists annually.
Governor Abiodun noted that he had instructed that the event centre inside the tourist site should be turned into a gallery of exhibition for Nike Art Gallery.
The Nike Art Gallery was opened in 1983 in Osogbo, Osun State, it boasts of about 8,000 diverse artworks from various Nigerian artists and provides training for hundreds of aspiring young performance artists and craftspeople.
” When I was there, I thought we need to have a befitting Gallery at the Olumo Rock, my mind went straight to you because I have come to your gallery so many times, I thought we must have a befitting Gallery to complement the quality of work that we are putting into the place.
“They have a hall there, they have been using it for events, I told them to shut it down, practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery,” he said.
While speaking on the impact of cultural events like the Ojude Oba festival, Lisabi Day festival and other cultural festivals in the State, Governor Abiodun opined that the various festivals had given sons and daughters of the State an opportunity to express and showcase their cultural awareness while promoting the rich cultural heritage of the State.
“Am sure you have seen how the Ojude Oba has evolved over the years and this year’s Ojude Oba is probably going to be one of the best that has ever been seen because a lot of people have been saying that they will be in Ijebu-Ode for Ojude Oba because it allows them to just express themselves,” he said.
In her remarks, the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Okundaye, commended the State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun for being an advocate of the preservation of Adire Ogun, saying that it was the local textile of the people of Ogun State that could be sold to the world.
She appreciated the Governor for creating an online market for adire, saying that in the next two years, Adire would be known and well appreciated more than Ankara and Dutch Wax.
While affirming the readiness of her foundation to collaborate with the Ogun State Government in lifting the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre and other tourist attractions to the outside world, affirming that her foundation would help in bringing more foreign Heads of State to the Olumo Rock tourist centre.
