Oyo State Government, through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has pledged to promote the Adeyipo Research and Library Centre as part of its commitment to preserving, documenting and showcasing African heritage to a wider audience.
The Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, made this pledge on Monday while receiving the founder of the Centre, Dr Bayo Adebowale, in his office.
He promised to visit the facility alongside the ministry’s management and media teams, assuring that the ministry would support and promote the centre within its capacity.
Dr Olatubosun further disclosed plans to organise a media tour of the centre to expose it to the global community, adding that the facility would be listed among tourist sites to be recommended for visitation in the state. “I will tell the whole world to come, see, and enjoy Adeyipo village,” the Commissioner said.
Earlier, Dr Adebowale explained that the purpose of the visit was to seek a partnership with the ministry for the promotion of the centre. He described the Adeyipo Research and Library Centre as a rural community-based library with over 150,000 volumes of books and magazines.
According to him, the library serves about 300 villages and also functions as a cultural hub where film producers carry out movie shoots.
He noted that the initiative was designed to make library services relevant at the grassroots level, while housing a rich collection of African literature.
Adebowale added that the vision of the centre is to cater to both rural and urban dwellers by providing a conducive environment for knowledge acquisition and cultural exchange.
He disclosed that the centre was commissioned during the administration of the current Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, as Governor of Oyo State.
He added that four governors had since visited the facility, alongside eminent personalities such as the late Dr J.P. Clark and Professor Wole Soyinka, who has an enclave named after him, the Wole Soyinka Enclave.
Dr Adebowale also acknowledged the contributions of Aare Afe Babalola to the growth of the centre, noting that it started with 11,000 books at Ila-Orangun, Odun state, and has expanded to over 150,000 volumes.
He added that the centre hosts cultural troupes and masquerades that reflect African heritage, and at the end of the meeting, he presented his latest book, “Up from the Cornerside,” to the Commissioner.
