The Ewi of Ado Ekiti Oba (Dr) Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, Aladesami III has stressed the need for the establishment of a palace museum in the city so as to further help in propagating the culture of the people to the outside world as well as ensure heritage preservation and presentation of Ado Ekiti peoples ‘patrimony.
Oba Adejugbe made this assertion during a courtesy call on His Royal Highness at his palace in Ado Ekiti by the combined team of National Museum Osogbo, Osun State and the Ekiti State Bureau of Culture, Arts and Tourism, recently.
Speaking during the visit facilitated by the Executive Secretary of the Bureau, Mr Yomi Longe, the Curator National Museum Osogbo, Mr Olakunle Makinde informed the Kabiyesi and Ewi in Council that the visit was to sensitise them on the need for the establishment of a palace museum or national museum in the state.
According to him Ekiti is one among the South West States that does not have a branch of the National Museum.
He further informed the Ewi that the time has now come for the establishment of either of the museums. He there after sought the permission of the Oba Adejugbe and the traditional council to join hands in making sure the dream comes to fruition. Such cooperation according to the curator shall come in the area of materials, facilities, art collections museum building and logistics.
Responding, Oba Adejugbe expressed optimism that the museum project for Ado Ekiti is done deal. According to him the defunct military administration under General Ibrahim Babangida in 1988 had then promised, during a visit to the Ewi Regent in the state to establish a museum for the state, however, the project got stalled due to reasons best known to the government then. But now that the Ekiti State Bureau for culture has taken up the coordination in conjunction with National Museum Osogbo, Osun State he believes the dream shall be realised.
Kabiyesi immediately promised to donate a building for the project and directed that a technical committee to include the palace, traditional council, the bureau be set up, in conjunction with the NCMM, to work out modalities for the actualization of the project.
Oba Adejugbe further added that the non-chalant attitude of government to the museum project had led to the theft and destruction of many traditional/cultural objects of the state.
He made reference to a particular wooden door that is over a hundred years old which has been recovered and put back into use in the palace.
The National Museum, Osogbo Curator was accompanied on the visit to the Ewi by Olufemi Osunmakinde, a Principal Museum Education Officer while Mr Funso Longe of the Ekiti State Culture Bureau was accompanied by field officers which include…Prince Adebanji Adelusi, Mrs Adejoke Afolabi and many others.