By Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti
The Ilawe day planning committee has outlined activities that will mark this year Ilawe Ekiti Unity day 2024.
In a press briefing which was held at the palace of the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Ajibade Adebanji Alabi, the planning committee chairman Barrister Femi Bankole announced that the major activity is the launching of 500 million naira which will be used for community health projects most especially the resuscitation of the Teaching Hospital Annex in Ilawe Ekiti.
Barrister Femi maintained that though Ilawe day was celebrated yearly to bring together Ilawe ilustrious sons and daugthers all over the world for felicitation and for developmental purposes, it is also an avenue to facilitate community projects in the ancient town.
Ilawe Ekiti which according to the National Population Commission is the third most populous town in Ekiti state lacks many crucial social amenities, infrastructural facilities especially the understaffed Health facilities.
The secretary of the planning committee High Chief Ajibade Odolofin while fielding questions about the proceeds from the past celebrations declared that most of the projects in Ilawe was facilitated through self help and that considering Ilawe’s status as the central seat in the region it is most important that that the town has a befitting hospital which will be well equipped with equivalent manpower.
” It is necesary to have a standard hospital because we have lost two prominent Ilawe sons due to poor health facilities, we lost a Professor and a Bishop because the hospital here was under equipped and short of staff they had to be transfered to Ado and before they could get to Ado they have given up the ghost.”
According to the planning committee, the celebrations starts on Monday 18th November,2024 with a press conference at the Alawe palace, Environmental sanitation follows on the 19th from 7:00 am to 10:00 am.
Wednesday the 20th of November will witness Youths Rendezvous at Agbajeola Hall by 9:00 am while the 21st of November is for the Unity day lecture at the same Agbajeola Hall by 11:30 am .
The celebration continues on Friday 22nd November with Indoor games competitions like Ayo Olopon, Draught and many other games with gifts for winners while the jummah services will be held at the Ilawe Ekiti Central Mosque by 1.30 p.m
Saturday 23rd November which is the grand finale with the launching of 500 million for Health developmental projects especially the take off of the teaching hospital annex Ilawe Ekiti.
The planning committee also announced that distinguished Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Alhaji Otunba Adesanya Abayomi Rasaq and his wife Alhaja Haolat will be confered with Chieftaincy titles.
The celebration will round off with the entertainment of guests at Adedoyin Event centre with Thanksgiving service at the RCCG provisional Headquarters Ilawe Ekiti on the 24th of November 2024.
The planning committee was inaugurated on 15th of june 2024 by the Alawe of ilawe Ekiti with Barrister Bankole as the chairman, High Chief Ajibade as the Secretary, Chief Mrs Obafemi as member while Prince Oriwaye was the PRO.