Prince Adetunji Femi Fadina is an energetic and pragmatic Tourism Consultant known among his pairs as being strong and reliable when it comes to the issue of Domestic Tourism. Recently, he established Awori Tourism; an effort to promote the culture and heritage of his people. In this interview with Lucky Onoriode George, Editor of African Travel Times, he bares it all. Excerpts:
What is Awori Tourism all about?
We are the united voice of the Awori people in terms of tourism interpretation; we not only identify the industry’s biggest opportunities and challenges in our land but also develop the messages and actions to create positive growth. We advocate for policies that will advance and elevate our industry on the national/global level, engaging our members with the tools, research, and resources needed to influence change at state and local levels.
What do you intend to achieve?
Our top priority as we took over office was to advance a proactive agenda focused on tourism recovery through the implementation of strategies and programmes towards this purpose. With my agenda items being marketing, product development, and capacity building, we shall engage with various stakeholders in the tourism industry while reconnecting with tourism as a product. As we may be aware, tourism is a product that is affected by other deliverables such as infrastructure and security.
As a committee, we recognize the fact that the tourism business like any other economic activity, will not thrive with the challenges of infrastructure.
Who is an Awori?
The Awori people are peaceful, coastal agro-fishery, and distinct Yoruba-speaking people that form a sub-ethnic group of the larger Yoruba people of West Africa, particularly in Nigeria and Benin. The Awori are found in large numbers concentrated in Ogun and Lagos States, Nigeria.
Awori just like any other clan shows up a unique penchant for adventure and sums up our nature, character, courage, gallantry values and traditional beliefs in the ancient legacies of the Yoruba race as a nation. Our journey from Ile-Ife to the Atlantic Coast; [Lagos, Ogun] is a clear proof of their courage and perseverance.
Where are the Awori from?
The story is that Olofin [or Ogunfunminire, founder of the Awori] and his followers left the palace of King Oduduwa [founder of the Yoruba] in Ile-Ife and migrated southward along a river. Oduduwa had given Olofin a mud plate and instructed him to place it on the water and follow it until it sank into the river.
Several days after leaving Ile-Ife, the plate suddenly stopped near Olokemeji near present-day Abeokuta. After 17days, it began moving again, only to stop at Oke-Ata for another 17days. At the end of 17days, the plate began moving again, to stop on the southern outskirts of present-day Abeokuta, where it stayed for another 17days.
At this location, some of Olofin’s followers decided to remain, led by a man named Osho Aro-bi-ologbo-egan. The plate continued downriver, stopping again at Isheri, where it remained for a much longer period of time. Olofin began instructing his followers to begin setting up a permanent settlement, but after 289 days [17 x 17] the plate began moving again. Olofin and a few followers followed the plate, while the rest of the group stayed behind.
After two days the plate stopped briefly at Iddo in Lagos. At Idumota in central Lagos, it whirled around in the water and sank to the bottom. When Olofin returned to his group at Iddo, they are said to have asked him where the plate was. He answered “Awo Ti Ri” meaning “The plate has sunk”. This is how the name Awori is said to have come into being.
In accordance with Yoruba custom, they brought their crown along with them from Ile-Ife. Osolo, one of the sons of Prince Olofin, settled at the Osi quarters as his father and his brother journeyed further south from the place where the plate sank at Idumota. The first crowned Oba [king] in Aworiland since 1300 recorded.
Why use tourism to drive Awori Heritage?
As we may be aware, tourism is a product that is affected by other deliverables such as infrastructure and security.
As a committee, we recognize the fact that the tourism business like any other economic activity, will not thrive with the challenges of infrastructure.
Where are Awori found in Nigeria?
Osun, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos
You are from Ota, what’s the role of your city in the history of Awori people?
Ota is the capital of Awori People like Washington to America, and Lagos is our financial capital like New York to America.
What are those attractions that you think would drive Awori land as a destination of choice?
The second-storey building in Nigeria is in Aworiland. The Largest church in the world is in Ota, Winners Church.
Bad roads and insecurity is a major challenge in Nigeria, how safe is Awori land?
To do the needful is to create institutions that can raise the finishing competence of our craftsmen and women to global standards through training and re-training. The needful is to get our institutions of learning to offer courses in tourism because it is only those with the right competencies that can transform our state into a world-class tourism destination.
The needful is to, working through the relevant unions, train and retrain our taxi drivers on how to communicate with visitors to the state because they are usually the foot-soldiers of marketing or de-marketing the state. The needful is to fix our roads and unlock traffic bottlenecks that make commuting a testy experience.
The needful is to ensure adequate security so that people can freely move about in peace. The needful is to bring the hospitality industry up to global speed through proper regulation and certification.
Just like everywhere all over the country with poor and pathetic roads; I don’t know if it is deliberate, but honestly, for a community that generates 75 percent income for Lagos and Ogun states, the state of our roads is a death trap.
What is your vision for this project?
Our vision is to be Nigeria’s leading Business Tourism Destination, globally, and to strengthen and grow the Ota economy through travel and tourism promotion.
Is there any specific project on the ground?
Awori Day, coming up next year 2021, Iganmode Day, and Ijamido Festival
Is there any message for the Awori people, and Nigerians at large?
Tourism is our God-given crude oil. Can we find the will-power to mine it, refine it and prosper our people? Should we find the will-power to strengthen tourism, we would invariably significantly increase our internally generated revenue.
Should we find the will-power to unleash our tourism potential, we invariably would open sesame of rapid development, massive job creation, and ultimately, the prosperity of our dear state.
We shall get there, we shall overcome.
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