The Ofokutu Royal Hall, Iroye Street, Ilesa, Osun State, on Saturday, December 27, 2025, became a hub of cultural reflection and intellectual engagement as the Oba Titus Folorunso Adewale Foundation (OTFAF) hosted the second edition of its Annual Lecture, a family-focused convergence aimed at preserving heritage and entrenching multi-generational legacy.
The event, themed “Honoring Our Heritage as Foundation for Multi-Generational Legacy,” was deliberately structured to place children and grandchildren of the royal family at the centre of proceedings, underscoring the Foundation’s vision of grooming future custodians of culture, values, and identity. While elders and selected guests were present, the strong turnout of younger family members highlighted the intergenerational nature of the gathering.
The lecture was held under the royal presence of Oba Adewale Oluwabukunmi Sunday, the Ajemba of Ijemba, who served as Royal Father of the Day, alongside Prince Victor Adewale the Olori Ebi, family members, and other respected elders. In her welcome address, the Olori Ebi stressed that the annual convergence was designed primarily for the younger generation, describing it as a living classroom where children and grandchildren could learn firsthand about their ancestry, responsibilities, and the values that define their lineage.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Architect Segun Babs Babalola presented a rich and engaging discourse that blended Yoruba philosophy with contemporary development thinking. His lecture explored the place of Ifa in Yoruba philosophy, emphasizing its role as a comprehensive system of knowledge that guides ethics, governance, medicine, and social organization.
Architect Babalola noted that Ifa represents an indigenous intellectual tradition comparable to classical Western philosophy, remarking that “while Socrates is celebrated globally, the Yoruba also have Orunmila as a profound philosophical authority.” He stressed that such knowledge must be consciously passed down to children to prevent cultural erosion.
A major highlight of the lecture was the examination of the Yoruba concepts of Ori and Iwa, presented as twin pillars that shape human destiny. Ori, he explained, represents a person’s spiritual destiny chosen before birth, while Iwa signifies character and moral conduct. According to him, destiny finds fulfillment only through good character.
In his words, “Ori opens the road, but Iwa determines how far one goes,” a message particularly directed at parents and guardians to intentionally instill virtues such as humility, patience, truthfulness, and respect in children and grandchildren.
The lecture further emphasized the role of the family in building multi-generational wealth, urging families to prepare younger generations through quality education that blends tradition with modern competencies. Participants were encouraged to expose children to emerging fields such as coding, artificial intelligence, and innovation, while also drawing value from indigenous knowledge systems in cuisine, traditional medicine, and local technology.
Architect Babalola also called for a reawakening of Yoruba socio-economic principles, identifying the Oja (market) as the ideological base of enterprise and the Aafin (palace) as the symbol of civilization and governance. He noted that Ifa offers enduring principles for leadership, accountability, and communal development, which remain relevant in today’s society.
The annual lecture ended with a renewed commitment to placing children and grandchildren at the heart of cultural transmission, reinforcing the belief that heritage survives only when younger generations are deliberately taught, inspired, and prepared to carry it forward—an objective firmly aligned with the vision of the Oba Titus Folorunso Adewale Foundation.
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