The Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, on Saturday joined other dignitaries and traditional rulers at the 2026 Gaani Festival in Ilesha-Baruba, Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The three-day festival, which commenced on Friday, September 18, and ends on Sunday, September 20, is being held at the Emir’s Palace, Ilesha-Baruba, under the leadership of the Emir of Ilesha-Baruba, His Royal Highness, Prof. Halidu Ibrahim Abubakar, Sabi Derekureku IV.
The event attracted traditional rulers, community leaders, government officials, cultural groups, sons and daughters of Ilesha-Baruba and visitors from within and outside the community.
Among the royal fathers listed for the festival were the Emir of Ilesha-Baruba, the Buyon Kafo of Ilesha-Baruba, Shero Tooru of Nikki, Sina Deeru of Sandiro and the Emirs of Kaiama, Yashikira, Okuta and Gwanara.
Also listed were the Village Area Heads of Sinawu, Bweru, Gwasoro, Kparulu and Bushiru; the Village Area Head of Gbereberu; the Village Area Head of Tebetebere and a delegate from Kika, as well as the Waziri of Ilesha-Baruba.
The Order of Baradubu also featured the Mare Sinanbu, led by the Jonwuro of Ilesha, and the Seko Sinanbu, led by Seko Suno of Ilesha.
It was a celebration of the rich cultural heritage of the Ilesha-Baruba people, marked by colourful traditional displays, royal processions, cultural performances and the presentation of indigenous customs.
The cultural activities featured senior and junior male groups of Kpaiba and Wureba, including traditional title holders from the Lafiaru, Makararu, Gbasi, Koraru and Wanro dynasties.
The Tonkuro Bibu, involving Musa Biwater, Ciroma Kaiama and others, also featured in the cultural programme.
The female groups were not left out, as senior and junior female contingents of Wureba and Kpaiba participated in the celebration, alongside female title holders from the Lafiaru, Makararu, Koraru, Wanro, Kika and other dynasties.
The various cultural interludes provided colourful displays of the people’s traditions and offered visitors a vivid account of the cultural heritage of Ilesha-Baruba.
The Okere of Sakiland, Oba Dr. Surv. Khalid Oyeniyi Olabisi Oyedepo III, also attended the festival in the company of other traditional chiefs.
His participation highlighted the longstanding ancestral and cultural relationship between Saki and Ilesha-Baruba, which has continued to foster interactions between the two communities.
The Gaani Festival is one of the prominent traditional festivals celebrated in Kwara State and serves as an avenue for the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of the people.
It also provides an opportunity for sons and daughters of the community to reunite, celebrate their traditions and strengthen bonds among traditional institutions and communities.
Studies on the festival have described it as a socio-cultural and religious celebration that promotes unity and preserves the cultural identity of the Bokobaru people, despite the influence of modern education and foreign religions.
The festival’s activities include traditional performances, processions and cultural displays that bring together different groups and title holders within the traditional institution.
Speaking on behalf of the Ilesha-Baruba Emirate, the Emir expressed appreciation to the royal fathers, distinguished guests, sons and daughters of the land and friends who travelled from different locations to attend the 2026 celebration.
He said their presence, support and enthusiasm had reaffirmed the strength of the people’s shared heritage and the enduring bonds that unite them.
The monarch also prayed for the safe return of visitors to their various destinations and urged participants and residents to remain security-conscious.
He stressed that security was everyone’s responsibility and called on the people to report suspicious activities or persons to the nearest security agency.
The 2026 Gaani Festival programme ends with the departure of participants to meet at Kayesi.