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Adeleke, Nike Okundaye to Receive Prestigious Headdress Award
World Headdress Celebration honours Governor Ademola Adeleke, Nike Okundaye and others at a prestigious cultural event in Ibadan, Oyo State
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and renowned artist and cultural icon Nike Okundaye will be honoured at the second edition of the World Headdress Celebration, scheduled for Sunday, December 28, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
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The award ceremony will also recognise former Oyo State Deputy Governor and National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; the Director General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre; and veteran broadcaster Alhaji Onaolapo Gbolagin.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Chairman of Omo Yoruba Atata Socio-Cultural Initiative, Olawale Ajao, said the annual World Headdress Celebration aims to promote global appreciation of traditional headgears and position the initiative for eventual recognition by UNESCO.
Ajao explained that the World Headdress Celebration showcases crowns, caps and headgears from cultures across the world, with a strong emphasis on the symbolic, spiritual and artistic significance of Yoruba headdresses as powerful emblems of identity, prestige and heritage.
The event will also feature posthumous honours for the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, first Premier of Western Nigeria, and the late Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola Alao, former Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, in recognition of their enduring cultural and social legacy.
Key highlights include a gele-tying competition, awards for outstanding cap and gele wearers, and lectures on the cultural importance of headgears in Yoruba society.
Participants are required to wear traditional caps or headgears in line with the theme of the celebration.
Renowned cultural scholars and traditional leaders, including Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon, the Araba of Osogboland; Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwoland; and veteran author Elder Debo Awe, are expected to deliver lectures at the event.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland is also expected to host several traditional rulers, including the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, and the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Oba Sefiu Olawale Oyebola.
Chairman of the occasion is the Chairman of Aláròyé Newspapers and Yoruba World Centre, Alao Adedayo, while other dignitaries expected include Agidigbo FM Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, and Mrs Deborah Olufunke Awoyele, Chief Executive Officer of Deborah Adefunke Nigeria Ltd.
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Organisers described the celebration as a bold cultural statement and a strategic effort to elevate African heritage on the global stage.
The Executive Governor of Zamfara State, Governor Dauda Lawal, has received the ZIK International Peace and Leadership Award in Ghana, with organisers recognising what they described as his administration’s achievements in public sector leadership and economic reforms.
The governor was honoured at the 7th ZIK International Peace and Leadership Award ceremony, held on Friday at the British Council in Accra. The event featured a lecture themed: “Leadership, Peace, and Regional Integration: Advancing Africa’s Development in a Changing Global Order.”
According to the organisers, Lawal’s award was based, among other considerations, on his administration’s progress in public sector leadership and economic reforms in Zamfara State.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ZIK Pan-African Award, His Royal Highness Professor Echefuna R.G. Onyeabadi, noted that the award was established to recognise individuals making meaningful contributions to the service of their people.
Receiving the award, Governor Lawal dedicated the honour to the people of Zamfara State, stating that it would further motivate his administration to intensify efforts toward transforming the state.
“This award is dedicated to all the people of Zamfara State. My administration has been working tirelessly to ensure the state can compete with any other in Nigeria. That was our promise and we have surpassed expectations in just three years,” Lawal said.
The governor highlighted key projects and reforms undertaken by his administration, including urban renewal initiatives, the construction of a modern airport and sweeping reforms in security, education, healthcare and the civil service. He noted that the newly constructed airport was particularly significant, as Zamfara had not benefited from such infrastructure in over 30 years since the creation of the state.
“We have made great strides in security, civil service reform, education, health and other sectors,” the governor added.
Lawal thanked the organisers for the recognition, saying the award would encourage him to do even more for the people of Zamfara.
“It means a lot to me and will motivate me to do even more for my people. Zamfara is on the rise,” he said.
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