Nigerian Farmers, yam lovers and many others gathered on August 5th at Ile Oodua palace for the annual yam festival.

His Imperial Majesty Alayeluwa Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi Ojaja II, 51st Ooni and AROLE ODUDUWA accompanied by Her Imperial Majesty Olori Silekunola Moronke Ogunwusi, Yeyeluwa Oodua and queen consort of Ife-Ife Kingdom hosted the 2019 edition of the New Yam Festival and invited to thousands of Ile Ife natives and guests from other parts of the country.

Before the festival was opened, His Imperial Majesty addressed everyone that peaceful coexistence is the secret to economic prosperity.

In his capacity as the Co-Chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria(NCTRN) he that the country has suffered economically from the clashes between farmers and herders, he therefore charged the two groups to embrace peace as a tool to enhance productivity.

On the motivation behind the recent economic boom across Ile Ife markets, he described the ancient city as the one prominent for countless economic activities earlier before modern civilization.

“The abandoned ancient Oja-Ife market also spiritually known as Oja Ejigbom'ekun which is the first market in the world and others like the Itakogun and Ajifowobaje markets as well as Oja Tuntun have been revived to bring back the lost economic glories of Ile Ife.” The Ooni noted.

The African foremost monarch who is also the Spiritual father of all the Yoruba people worldwide closed his speech at the annual Yam Festival with prayers that Nigeria would soon defeat the insecurity menace currently facing the country.

He also prayed for economic progress and agricultural productivity while he symbolically sliced a tuber of yam which is a declaration that farm produce can now be consumed across Yorubaland, afterwh ich tubers of yam and other farm produce were shared among the excited participants.

Also attending was His Royal Majesty Oba Idowu Adediwura, Obalufe of Iremo-Ife,