The Chairman of Omo Yoruba Atata Socio-cultural Initiative (OYASI) and convener of the annual World Headdress Celebration, Mr Olawale Ajao, has decried the growing trend of organisations turning awards into money-making ventures.
Ajao stated this on Friday during the official presentation of an award to Chief Mrs Nike Davies-Okundaye, owner of the Nike Art Gallery, at her office in Lekki, Lagos.
The award was one of the highlights of the Second World Headdress Celebration, held on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at the Single Tennis Court, Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba, Ibadan.
Speaking during the award presentation to Mrs Davies-Okundaye, Ajao stressed that the honours were not given in anticipation of financial or material returns from recipients.
“We honour you with this award not because of anything else but because of the artistically innovative head tie you constantly wear, which is the same criterion used for other awardees,” Ajao said.
According to him, the World Headdress Celebration seeks to recognise individuals renowned for consistently adorning distinctive caps or head ties, adding that the awards are carved in the likeness of the specific headdresses associated with each recipient.
“Awards given during the annual World Headdress Celebration are not money-making ventures. They are presented strictly to deserving individuals, and for this reason, we are not expecting any dime from you or other awardees,” he said.
Ajao, however, noted that the organisation hopes to introduce cash or material accompaniments to the awards in the future when sponsorship becomes available.
In her response, Mrs Davies-Okundaye expressed appreciation to OYASI for the honour, commending the group for promoting Yoruba culture.
“We are on the same page, because I have always projected the Yoruba headdress in my life,” she said.
She recalled how Nobel Laureate, Prof Wọle Soyinka, once referred to the gele as “Gele Galla,” and narrated her efforts to empower women by teaching them how to tie gele at markets such as Tejuosho and Jankara in Lagos.
“We started with ordinary gele and later transformed it into the turban style, which people embraced,” she added.
The World Headdress Celebration is aimed at preserving and promoting Yoruba cultural identity through traditional headwear.
Earlier at the event in Ibadan, the Deputy Editor of the Nigerian Tribune, Mr Yinka Oladoyinbo, received a posthumous award on behalf of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, first Premier of Western Nigeria. Oladoyinbo used the occasion to urge parents to instil Yoruba language and culture in their children to prevent extinction. His call was supported by publisher Pa Debo Aawe, ace broadcaster Chief Adesoye Omotoso, and retired Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State broadcaster, Alhaji Onaolapo Gbolagun, who was also honoured for his consistent use of the Abetiaja cap.
The event attracted several dignitaries, including the Aseyin of Iseyinland, Ọba Sefiu Olawale Oyebola, and the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Adelola, who was represented by Chief Ayodele Ojelade, the Aare Onikoyi and Chief Olaniyan Sofela, the Sakosi of Owu Kingdom.
Other notable attendees included the Deputy Director, News and Current Affairs, FRCN Ibadan Zonal Station, Mr Adewumi Faniran, and the General Manager of Amuludun FM, Mrs Tolulope Onafowokan, who was represented by the Manager, News, Amuludun FM, Mr Oluseye Arowolo.
Mrs Davies-Okundaye, a globally renowned artist and cultural icon, was unavoidably absent during the Ibadan event. Consequently, organisers later visited her Lagos office to formally present the award, a gesture also extended to other awardees who could not attend the ceremony.
These included Ambassador Taofeek Oladejo Arapaja, National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development; and Honourable Farouq Arisekola, who received a posthumous award on behalf of his late father, Alhaji Abdul Azeez Arisekola Alao, the late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta, in recognition of his iconic Abetiaja cap.
