Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has implored organisers of the Lisabi Pre-Festival Heritage Tour and Cultural Arts Exhibition to revitalise Egba’s historical sites and notable legacies as a strategy to reposition Egbaland as a global tourism destination.
He spoke at the weekend when members of the Lisabi Festival Committee visited him in Abeokuta ahead of the 2026 Lisabi Festival scheduled for March 16, his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, said in a statement on Sunday.
He emphasised the need to preserve, renovate and promote key heritage assets in the region, warning against their continued neglect and deterioration.
“There is no doubt that Egba is blessed with notable personalities and historic sites which must be preserved and given a facelift to enhance tourism. Their stories should be properly documented and projected to the world,” he said.
Those identified for urgent attention are the historic Iwe: Irohin House, home of Nigeria’s first newspaper; the old Abeokuta Prison at Ibara; the dilapidated Ibara Railway Station, Okeshoki residence of Efunsetan Aniwura; Madam Tinubu’s storey building and burial ground in Gbagura, as well as the first flyover in Abeokuta.
Obasanjo highlighted the need to showcase prominent Egba figures and institutions, including the Ransome-Kuti family, the Toye Cokers, the Majekodunmis, Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Abeokuta Grammar School.
The Lisabi Festival, held annually, celebrates Lisabi Agbongbo Akala, the legendary Egba warrior said to have disappeared into the Oba forest about 200 years ago.
Chairman of the Lisabi Festival Committee and Asipa of Egbaland, Navy Captain Rasheed Adisa Raji (retd), disclosed that the delegation briefed Obasanjo on plans for the 2026 festival and sought his blessings for the pre-festival heritage tour and cultural exhibition.
According to him, the programme would feature exhibitions of traditional herbs and medicines, with a request for the former president to deliver a lecture on the role of indigenous herbal knowledge in Egbaland.
Speaking, Coordinator of the Pre-Festival Heritage Tour, Olusanya John, noted that all sections of Egba would participate in hosting cultural tours and exhibitions during the festival period.
Obasanjo accepted the invitation to deliver the lecture and pledged his support for the success of the event, the statement quoted.
