The Aare Onakankanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, Monday, gave awards to four best indigenous Yoruba students in the Nigerian universities.
\The occasion, besides being used to mark his 53rd birthday, was also to promote Yoruba culture.
The students, who were selected from various universities in Southwest and beyond based on their academic performances, were presented with N200,000 cash each at the Stadplus Event Centre, Xpress House, off Otunba Joni Fele Way, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.
The awardess include Kadijat Oladipupo, University of Ibadan (UI); best indigenous student in Yoruba language. She is of the Department of African Languages and Communication; Akisanya Ganiyat Adedoyin, Languages and Communications Arts; Lagos State University, (LASU); Miss Victoria Adegbite, Dept of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, Faculty of Art, Ogun State University (Ago-Iwoye); and Abidemi Abduhamid Samad, Dept of English and Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, Kwara State University, Ilorin.
Speaking at the joyous event, Iba Gani Adams, said that anyone who values culture must always promote culture.
He said, “If you fail to promote culture, no one can promote it for you;
I do this to mark my 53rd birthday celebration and also to promote culture in our educational system across the universities in the Southwest of Nigeria and beyond.
“I celebrate my birthday yearly. I bring people together and use it as a platform for them to connect. I started holding this kind of gathering when I was 30 years old. I thank everyone for coming to celebrate with my family despite the heavy downpour. I recognise my wife, the pillar of my family.”
Also speaking, the Zaaki of Arigidi Kingdom, Akoiko, Ondo state, Dr. Isa Olaonipekun, described IBA Gani as a kind and generous man.
“He is a gentleman and when he wanted to become the generalissimo, I kicked against it. We dragged it for about two weeks before coming to an agreement.
“I did so because I wanted him to live long. I told him that there will be peace during his reign. As you can see, he is not a violent person. He is generous and has been helping people with scholarships.”
