News Update
THE Osun State Government on Monday received a call to declare December 20 as Adire Day and make it a public holiday, as officials unveiled plans for the 2025 Adire Osun Festival during a world media conference in Osogbo.
Speaking at the event, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Creative Economy, Events and Entertainment, Hon. Tunde Laface, appealed to Governor Ademola Adeleke to “please declare Saturday, 20th December, 2025, as Adire Day in Osun State.”
He said such a declaration would further strengthen the cultural and economic impact of the evolving festival.
The conference featured speeches from key government officials, including the Chairman of the Osun State Council for Arts and Culture, Ebenezer Adeniji, who highlighted the festival’s theme, Creating Wealth, Empowering Youths.
He described Adire as “a living archive, a powerful engine of identity, creativity, and economic hope.”
Adeniji explained that the festival was designed to convert cultural heritage into sustainable economic opportunities.
“Our task is to transform cultural capital into sustained livelihoods and meaningful futures for our young people,” he said.
He added that the state government had approved the training of 25 youths in each of the 332 wards across local governments.
According to him, “When an Adire artist earns steadily, their household is strengthened; when their business grows, local supply chains thrive.”
The Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, who represented the governor, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to making the Adire Osun Festival an annual event.
He stated, “The festival will showcase the unique Adire textile, a symbol of Osun history and creativity.”
Igbalaye outlined the goals of the event, noting that it would boost tourism, stimulate the local economy, and promote youth engagement.
“Adire Osun Festival will serve as a launching pad for local artisans, designers and entrepreneurs across the world,” he added.
He also announced several festival highlights, including the Adire Osun Ambassadors Launch, Adire Osun Fashion Couture, an export summit, and a colourful street carnival.
He said the festival would “reclaim Osun and Osogbo’s historical place as the source of Aro and Adire.”
In his presentation, Laface noted that more than 1,000 Adire producers, designers, craftsmen and accessory makers had already benefited from ongoing empowerment programmes linked to the festival.
He described the Adire Osun Carnival route, which will traverse major areas of Osogbo before culminating at Freedom Park.
According to him, the carnival will feature live bands, DJs, hypemen and various youth groups, all costumed in Adire.
“This Yorucentric street carnival will last for eight hours starting from 10am,” he said.
He added that iconic floats at the parade would celebrate cultural symbols such as Arugba of Osogbo, Oriolokun of Ile-Ife, Sango of Ede, and Ogedengbe of Ilesa.
The governor and Chief Nike Okundaye, described as the festival’s global ambassador, will also be represented.
Laface assured that government agencies would ensure adequate security, traffic control and emergency services throughout the festival period.
He said, “Ample notification will be given to road users as it relates to diversions to accommodate the carnival route plan.”
He compared the project’s potential to the successes recorded by the Calabar Carnival and the Ojude Oba Festival in Ijebu-Ode, saying the Adire Osun Festival could similarly enhance the state’s internally generated revenue.
Adeniji urged the media to promote the cultural and economic prospects of Adire.
“When you cover an artisan fairly, you open markets; when you highlight a youth-led enterprise, you inspire replication,” he said.
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He added that the Adire Osun Festival symbolised an alternative economic pathway for the state.
“The Adire of Osun is more than cloth; it is an instrument of identity and a potential engine of jobs,” he stated.
The officials affirmed that the 2025 edition of the festival would hold in December, with the export summit fixed for December 19 and the carnival slated for December 20.