By Ridwan Adewuyi
Oyo State government has revealed its plans to renovate the historical Irefin Palace in Ibadan to the enviable height of rivaling the Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom after completion.
The State Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun made this known while playing host to the Irefin Royal Family of Ibadan at his office on Tuesday. He uncovered that the GSM_led administration has entered into an agreement with private partners to promote notable tourist centres in the State.
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Going back to the memory lane, the family held the historical significance of being the descendants of Oba Onirefin who built the biggest palace of 125 rooms in the history of Yorubaland, during his reign between 1912 to 1914.
Late Oba Onirefin who was symbolic of his stout effort towards the promotion of education and no doubt the highest donor to the establishment of the popular Ibadan Grammar School where he donated 100 pounds and the land upon which the school was built.
Dr. Olatubosun stressed that the new authority holding the mantle of leadership in the state has swerved from what had been in the past of not seeing tourism as a means of generating internal revenue to adopt a public-private-partnership model to develop and promote major tourist sites in the State.
“We want to work with the Irefin Royal Family to bring more attention to the tourism potential of the palace and the significance of it to humanity, the palace is not just a structure, it symbolizes love, it symbolizes philanthropy”, he expressed.
The Commissioner said the traditional ruler was a giver and lover of educational development, therefore, the state government will support the family to promote the palace to be as famous as that of the UK. He was positive that the upgrade of the palace will generate goodwill for the government and promote the tourism industry in the State.
The leader of the family and the Coordinator of the Irefin Historical Palace Foundation, Prince Omokayode Ayinla Irefin expressed joy over the move of the Oyo State Government to make the tourism sector more effective in the state.
The leader said the Irefin Palace Heritage Tourism Development Foundation has partnered foreigners to train youths that are interested in tourism and send them abroad for the practical aspect of the goldmine sector.
He, however, charged other notable families in the State with historical potentials to emulate the Irefin Tourism foundation so as to diversify the State’s economy and gain more from foa reign investment of skill and input into tourism.
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