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.
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.
Organisers described the celebration as a bold cultural statement and a strategic effort to elevate African heritage on the global stage.
