ILE IFE - The Making Of Another Global Religious Tourism Destination

The history of ile ife is exactly that treated as very dear to the yoruba race. So dear that the ordinary young under-aged kids of yoruba extract know their ancestors were from Ile ife. 

Ooni Of Ife And Tourism DG Sally Mbanefo at the Declaration
of Ife as a Tourism zone recently

"Ile ife" as now being emphatically pronounced by the new Ooni, Oluaye Enitan ogunwusi... Is a land of great historical relevance , which harbours great heritage of a people. 

The history of the Yoruba predates the birth of Jesus Christ as some archaeological excavations being researched claim some 5000 years old. Interestingly ife existed before Oduduwa as history clearly narrated, there were people who inhabited that land before the advent of our great known progenitor from the middle east. Another historical account claims that oduduwa descended from Heaven through a chain. 

This piece is not a lot about how they arrived in ile ife but how old our memory can capture ile ife as being in existence.
I listened to the Ooni recently saying with so much pride that the Garden of Eden is right in ile- Ife... Other things like the Ark of Noah and so on... One fact we must simply realise here is that, Religious Tourism is a global phenomenon and an economic antedote, Mecca and Jerusalem play host to millions of devotees of the two religions every year, which has remained sanctimonious and sacrilegious for many years since after the collapse of those civilisations over 2000 years ago. 

The Yoruba etymological monuments are older and un- explored, we must realise today that there are over 107m people spread around Argentina, south America, Cuba, Brazil , Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Columbia ,Cuba etc. As has been expounded, the slave Trade exercise of the 16th century exported lots of the Yoruba people to the Americas, the history is clear to them and they are yearning in full nostalgia to come back home if not to live , at least for holy pilgrimage. I have that need of theirs on good authority.

A recent visit to Bahia by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi 111, witnessed by this writer is a point of conviction that lots of interests reside out there... How the people trooped out in hundreds of thousands to catch a glimpse at a direct descendant of oranyan and shango, who they worship...
It was electrifying that they were seeing in flesh and blood an alaafin of oyo. In their 400 years of settling in Bahia, no alaafin had visited them... Oh, it was hilarious. 

The declaration of ile ife as Tourism zone is a revelation of divine wisdom... Which will involve carrying the Federal Government and the states Govts of the southwest along to develop these areas to be able to serve as a good religious tourist centre of global attraction...

" Business reports conclude that Saudi Tourism, especially the religious variety, is recession proof. The government's commission for tourism and antiquities said revenue from tourism this year would reach $17.6bn, then almost double again by 2015. "

The above Saudi experience is for us to see the far - end of what income possibly can be made from a full- blown Tourism development, particularly Religious Tourism which is the biggest selling in the world. 

IFA is a brand of divine communication with the esoteric world and olodumare which is claimed to have originated from ile ife... Ifa today remains the most revered religious centre of gravitation of the Yoruba people... There are other points of religious Tourism that can blossom from ile ife to the over 170m Yoruba people all over the world. 

THE GOVERNMENT . 

The government has a lot of investment to make in order to establish the zone as perfectly fit for such massive Tourism activity that can generate the kind of income that can turn the fortune of our near comatose economy around. For a regional cooperation of southwest Government, by which the Ooni is expected to host the Governors to a Round table discussion on what benefits can come out of this tourism venture? 

Quite easily in the next 3 years, that venture can generate about 8bn usd per annum. With an investment of 100bn naira in two years... The rest will be history with over 400000 thousand jobs being created. Several infrastructural development required ... Hotels and road networks, decent airport... Good security and very good marketing. 

The job is a piece of cake. 

Óoni Enitan Ogunwusi, a divine blessing to the Yoruba people , who is created, preserved and nurtured for the unification of the Yoruba people and to bring about a huge development, to this Race of great people, the way i am seeing the new king moving , i foresee in very near future a great impact to be stirred by his efforts towards monumental development of the Yoruba race, as one of the races that will compete for global. attention. 

Indeed this declaration, if followed properly is the beginning of another great economic upliftment for Nigeria from Tourism. 

I doff my heart for this great initiative and i appeal to our South west Governments to embrace this investment whenever called upon... 

Text By

Otunba Biodun Ajiboye, 

A culture enthusiast.