The Federal Government, through the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) has unveiled plans to establish the ‘World Orisha Congress’ (WOOCON) to boost the nation’s economy through spiritual tourism.
The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NICO, Chief Abiodun Ajiboye, disclosed this during a news conference on Monday in Lagos.
Ajiboye said the congress was aimed at establishing a convergence for ‘Orisha’ devotees globally.
According to him, all over the world, spiritual outreach programmes that align with ancestral convergence have proven to be a huge revenue generating venture with countries including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt and India.
He said these countries had become great because their cultures formed the basis of their development.
“This groundbreaking initiative is going to be one of the global cultural festivals that will reposition Nigeria as a major tourism destination in the world.
“By exploring new opportunities in cultural and spiritual tourism that can generate over 10 billion dollars annually for the country in the next three years if planned well,” he said.
Ajiboye further said that Nigeria would collaborate with Brazil to curb unethical activities of people, falsely representing the Yoruba traditional religion in Brazil.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, expressed happiness over the recognition of the Yoruba Orisha tradition by the Federal Government.
The Ooni, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees of WOOCON, highlighted the enduring power of names, adding that the Yoruba cultural resilience had defied centuries of being misconstrued.
According to the traditional ruler, the Yorubas appreciate everything they do, as it is linked to the essence of living.