Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State and Nike Okundaye, the founder of the Nike Art Foundation and Nike Art Gallery, are among the distinguished Nigerians set to receive prestigious honours at the second edition of the World Headdress Celebration. The event, scheduled for Sunday, December 28, 2025, will take place in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Also among the honorees are Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, former Deputy Governor of Oyo State and current National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, and Alhaji Onaolapo Gbolagin, a retired broadcaster from the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS).

A Celebration of Cultural Heritage

The World Headdress Celebration is organized by the Omo Yoruba Atata Socio-Cultural Initiative (OYASI). According to the Chairman of OYASI, Olawale Ajao, the celebration is aimed at promoting the global appreciation of headgears, with a special emphasis on Yoruba headdresses, which are deeply symbolic of identity, prestige, and cultural heritage.

Ajao explained that the event is also working towards getting UNESCO recognition for a World Headdress Day.

“The World Headdress Celebration showcases crowns, caps, and headgears from cultures across the globe. Our focus, however, will be on the magnificence of Yoruba headdresses, which hold spiritual and artistic significance,” he said.

Special Posthumous Awards

In addition to the live honorees, posthumous awards will be given to two revered Yoruba figures: the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the First Premier of Western Nigeria, and the late Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola Alao, the former Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo, and Delta States. These awards recognize their invaluable contributions to the development of Yoruba culture and leadership.

Event Highlights

The 2025 World Headdress Celebration will feature a series of activities, including a gele-tying competition, where participants will compete for prizes in different categories such as the most attractive cap wearers and most stylish gele wearers.

The event encourages participants to wear caps or headgears to stay true to the essence of the celebration.

Lectures and Cultural Education

In line with the event’s goal to celebrate Yoruba cultural heritage, there will be lectures on the significance of headdresses among the Yoruba people. These lectures will be delivered by prominent cultural and traditional scholars, including:

• Araba Ifáyẹmi Elebuibon, the Araba of Osogboland
• Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, the Olúwò of Ìwóland
• Elder Debo Awe, a veteran author and intellectual

The Olubadan of Ibadanland will host traditional rulers from various Yoruba kingdoms, including the Soun of Ogbomosoland and the Aseyin of Iseyinland.

Distinguished Guests and Leadership

The Chairman of the occasion will be Mr. Alao Adedayo, Chairman of Aláròyé Newspapers and Yoruba World Centre. Other notable figures expected at the event include:

• Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, CEO of Agidigbo FM, Ibadan
• Mrs. Deborah Olufunke Awoyele, CEO of Deborah Adefunke Nigeria Ltd.

The celebration promises to be a significant cultural event, bringing together people from all walks of life to celebrate Yoruba traditions, identity, and unity.