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.
Fresh concerns have emerged over compliance with a court order issued by the High Court of Kano State on April 8, 2026, restraining key parties—including the Honourable Minister of Education, the Kano State Ministry of Land and Physical Planning, the Kano State Urban Development Authority, and Pluck Global Company Limited—from further actions pending the determination of the matter before the court.
Findings indicate that while all parties—except the concessionaire, Pluck Global Company Limited—were duly served within two days of the order, significant challenges were encountered in effecting service on the company, raising troubling questions about its corporate traceability and regulatory vetting.
A review of the company’s records filed with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed addresses that could not be verified as functional business locations. Notably, documentation submitted to Federal Government College (FGC), Kano, dated June 20, 2024, listed two addresses: 8B, Lalupon Street, off Keffi Street, off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, as its head office, and 3 Bargery Road, Bompai, Kano, as its branch office.
However, a physical visit to the Ikoyi address revealed that the entire property is occupied by a company identified as Golden Alchemy, whose staff категорically denied any knowledge of, or shared occupancy with, Pluck Global Company Limited.
Efforts to trace the Kano address yielded even more unsettling findings. The location—a locked duplex—showed no visible signs of commercial activity. Neighbours, while reluctant to speak on record, alluded to irregular movements at odd hours, casting further doubt on the legitimacy of the premises as a corporate office.
In a twist, after multiple attempts to establish contact, an individual purportedly representing the company surfaced in Kano and agreed to receive and acknowledge the court order on April 11, 2026, at approximately 6:00 pm. Curiously, the Ikoyi address—already discredited—was again listed as the company’s official address in the acknowledgment.
These developments raise critical questions regarding due diligence and Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols on the part of the Federal Ministry of Education. They also cast a spotlight on the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), should a concession agreement indeed have been executed with the company. Stakeholders say it would be instructive to review the addresses contained in all official correspondences and contractual documents linked to the transaction.
Meanwhile, a visit to the premises of Federal Government College, Kano, revealed ongoing construction activity, with workers observed excavating foundations. When approached, the workers declined to disclose the authority under which they were operating—despite the subsistence of a court order restraining further action.
Notably, a previously installed project billboard bearing the insignia of the school authorities and the Federal Ministry of Education had been removed. Sources within the institution suggest that the directive for its removal may have emanated from the Ministry following receipt of the court order.
The unfolding situation presents a complex mix of legal, regulatory, and accountability issues—raising the spectre of possible non-compliance with judicial directives, as well as deeper concerns about transparency in public-private concession arrangements.
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