ogidi-ijumu.com
Ogidi Day is an annual celebration of the community's rich cultural heritage and the New Yam Festival. The June event provides a unique opportunity for sons and daughters to come together to rebuild broken links with friendly communities, to promote their core values of integrity, hard work, self-reliance, love and honesty. The occasion of the New Yam festival generates tremendous excitement among this predominantly agrerian community with yam occupying a prime place as the king of crops.
That exactly is how they welcome the New Yam with drumming and dancing. They do that astheir own peculiar way of expressing their appreciation to God for giving them the strength and good health to till the soil as well as for His special grace which ensures that the crop germinates and yields bountiful harvest.
Since yam is the staple food around of this community, the New Yam Festival is therefore their annual expression of communal gratitude to God for the sustenance.
Ogidi Day also provides an opportunity to seek the assistance of friends in raising funds for the execution of community projects that add value to the lives of the people. This is not new as they have had to virtually, on their own, provide for themselves, the available facilities taken for granted elsewhere.
Ogidi Day
Nigeria’s biggest culture event in June
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OGIDI DAY
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2017
The theme of this year's celebration, which took place on Saturday June 17, is Education and Empowerment of Woman and Youth. This emphasizes the determination of our people to regain the comparative advantage in education it once enjoyed by rehabilitating our educational infrastructure such as schools and colleges.
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2016
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The annual event took place on Saturday June 18 2016. It was a festival of honours which was attended by people from all works of life. Special guests of honour included the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Denis Guaer, Otunba Gani Adams, leader, Oodua Peoples Congress, Chinese entrepreneur, Diana Cha, Nike Okundaye, a world renowed Batik Artist and top Nigerian hip hop singer, 9ice. A major highlight of the week-long event was the annual medical outreach, courtesy of Anne Philips, of Ripple Foundation, a United Kingdom based voluntary organisation, which provided free medical sucour to local people. Some of the cultural groups that performed at the festival included Adunni Nefertiti, Bini, Nike and Ekiti Groups. Other groups included Agbo Olode, Ebira, Iya Epa Dancers and Iyamoye Group.
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Click here to view part 2 of 3 of photos
Click here to view part 3 of 3 of photos
Click here for a newspaper report on the event
Click here to read the presidential speech by Mr Olukayode Eniolorunda
Click here to read the outline report of the event
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2015
Click here to view part 1 of 3 photos
Click here to view part 2 of 3 photos
Click here to view part 3 of 3 photos
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2014
Click here for pictures
Click here for presidential speech
Click here to read the keynote address of former Presidential Spokesman, Mallam Mohammed Haruna
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2013
Click here for the keynote address by a leading Nigerian Newspaper columnist, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi
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