Governor of Oyo State, Engnr. Seyi Makinde has revealed that as part of the plans to create sustainable development, tourism is now included as a key pillar to expanding the economy of Oyo state.
Seyi Makinde stated this on Saturday while speaking at the annual World Twins Day organised by the Igbo-ora Community in collaboration with the Twins World Creation and the Oyo State government and held in Igboora.
Makinde added that his administration is committed to integrating all the zones in Oyo state by constructing and rehabilitating road networks linking all the zones.
He, therefore, promised that his administration would award, construct, and deliver a solid link between Igbo-ora to Iseyin and, by extension, link Ibarapa land to the centre of activities in Oyo state.
Makinde also thanked the people of Ibarapa Central, Igboora, for supporting him during the last election.
“We have decided to include tourism in our road map for sustainable development. Tourism is now one of the pillars to expand our economy.
“When we expand our economy through Tourism, the economy of Ibarapa Central will also improve.
In Oyo state, we are integrating our economies in all the zones; hence, when we came into power, we first linked the Ibadan zone with the Oke-Ogun zone through Moniya Iseyin Road.
“Then we awarded the contract to link Ogbomoso with the Oke-ogun zone through Ogbomosho-Okute-Iseyin road. We will be commissioning that road within the first quarter of next year.
“The next thing we did was to link the Oyo zone with Oke-Ogun through Oyo-Fashola-Iseyin road. That road was commissioned a few weeks ago.
“We have to link Ibarapa with Oke-Ogun, which we have started. The link is decent enough, but we need a fast pace economy.
“The only way we can link Ibarapa land into the wider linkage is to link Ibarapa with Iseyin.
“We evaluated the road, but it is a Federal government road like Oyo to Iseyin.
“Within the next two weeks. I will write to the federal government and ask them to give us that road to fix.
“Under this administration, I will award, construct, and deliver a solid link between Igbo-ora to Iseyin and, by extension, linking Ibarapa land to the centre of activities in Oyo state.
“This government will continue to do what is right for Ibarapa land.
The Olu of Igbo-Ora land, HRM Oba Jimoh Olajide Titiloye, urged for a twin tourist resort for Igboora to improve the community’s economy and Oyo State through tourism activities.
Oba Jimoh Olajide Titiloye also noted that even though the southwest has the highest multiple birth rate, Igbo-ora in the southwest has a higher multiple birth rate, which makes it a significant destination for twin festival celebrations.
“Olubadan of Ibadan confirmed this, but in Igbo-ora, there is a higher rate of multiple births in the community than in other places.
“The Festival is designed to position Oyo state as the world’s foremost twin celebration tourist location and create activities around Igbo-ora towards the pilgrimage attraction to the twins’ land and improve the town’s economy, his royal highness, Titiloye stated.
Oba Titiloye, therefore, clamours for the first twin resort in the world to be created in Igbo-ora.
“Tourism is one of the world’s largest economic sectors after non-chemical products contributing to the global economy.
The World Twin Festival celebrates multiple births in the Igbo-ora community of Oyo State. Although there is ongoing research on the cause of the multiple births, Igbo-Ora community members believe in the myth that a special diet of Okoro leaf soup (locally called Ilasa) made with Igbo-ora water is a major factor for the multiple births.
This year’s festival was tagged “Twinning for Community Development”, an initiative driven by Amb Taiwo and Kehinde Oguntoye, popularly known as “the most famous twins in African tourism”.
According to the Oguntoye twins, the World Twin Festival is significant for the Igbo-ora community and Oyo state because it attracts tourist attractions, which puts the community, the state and the country on the global map as a place with a significant number of multiple births.
The festival celebrations included an exhibition of twin children and adults wearing uniforms and parading before present dignitaries.
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