Mobolaji Olanike Akinrelere has been nominated for the New Daily Prime 2025 Cultural Promotion Excellence Award in recognition of her distinguished service in promoting Yoruba culture, particularly Ekiti heritage, across the world. Her content is highly educational and impactful.
New Daily Prime is a UK-based newspaper with a strong focus on Nigeria and global affairs, and a growing readership across Europe and the United States. The publication celebrates leadership that promotes unity, cultural preservation, peace, and societal stability within Nigeria and across the diaspora.
The nomination places her alongside senior political figures and public personalities whose influence has been built not through public office, but through culture.
For nearly two decades, Akinrelere worked in Nigerian broadcast media, becoming a familiar voice to listeners of Yoruba-language radio and television. At the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State, she presented news, moderated discussions, reviewed national newspapers, and anchored cultural programmes that centred local traditions at a time when indigenous languages were increasingly marginalised by English-dominated media.
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“I always believed that language is more than communication,” she once reflected during a cultural forum. “It carries values, history, and identity. When a language disappears from public life, something deeper is lost.”
Born in Osi-Ekiti in the early 1980s, her grounding in history began early. She initially trained in theatre arts and music before completing a degree in History and International Studies. That academic background, combined with her media experience, shaped an approach that blended storytelling with documentation—explaining customs while situating them in a wider social context.
Her work extended beyond the broadcasting studio. In Nigeria, she became widely known for her role as an Alaga Ijoko, a cultural custodian who presides over traditional Yoruba marriage rites. She is also prominent as a Master of Ceremonies (MC) and presenter, with engagements across Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Her activities, rich in symbolism and oral performance, are increasingly sought after by diaspora families attempting to reconnect with traditions that risk dilution abroad.
Since relocating to the UK, Akinrelere has consistently showcased her talents within diaspora networks and on diplomatic platforms, promoting Nigerian culture by supporting cultural events and mentoring younger Yoruba speakers. Her efforts reflect a broader pattern among African migrants who view cultural preservation not as nostalgia, but as continuity.
According to cultural historians, such efforts play a critical role in sustaining intangible heritage. “Diaspora communities often become unexpected archives,” says one UK-based African studies scholar. “People like Akinrelere translate culture across generations and geographies.”
The New Daily Prime nomination followed a selection process involving editorial review and public input, with participation from Nigerian stakeholders at home and abroad. While awards alone do not measure cultural impact, the recognition highlights a growing awareness of culture as a form of public service, particularly when it is carried beyond national borders.
For Akinrelere, the work remains ongoing. “Culture is not something you finish promoting,” she has said. “It lives as long as people practise it.”
For more details, visit www.newdailyprime.news
