Nigerian king visits Calgary in search of investment

Travellers were treated to a colourful spectacle on Wednesday as royalty from across the Atlantic arrived at Calgary International Airport. 

Ogiame Atuwatse III is king of Warri, an oil-rich region in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria that is home to the Itsekiri people. The visit is part of a two-stop Canadian trip that also includes Toronto.

Motola Dawodu, pictured below, is the artistic director for Afrikadey! an arts and culture society in Calgary that facilitated the Calgary leg of the trip.   

"It's a chance to have a cultural exchange and learn from one another, and I think that it will shed a new light on what Nigeria has to offer for Canadians and help bridge gaps for both of our cultures," said Dawodu.  

While the king and many members of Calgary's Itsekiri and larger Nigerian community arrived in traditional regalia, organizers say the trip is about much more than fanfare. 

The visit is a strategic one for the Olu of Warri, as he looks for economic investment in Warri's energy sector. He will be part of a round table with Calgary Economic Development and meet with local politicians.

Prince Onuwaje is the president of the Calgary Itsekiri Association.

He says the "progressive and educated" king is making moves to better the lives of his people while sharing their culture. 

"Coming here to visit and build a relationship with the economic council of Calgary, as well as the Tsuut'ina Nation, trying to woo investment to Itsekiri land and also to showcase the Itsekiri culture, it is a thing of joy." 

During his trip, Ogiame Atuwatse III will tour Tsuut'ina Nation's community and meet with Southern Alberta First Nations chiefs. Drummers, dancers, and delegates from the Tsuut'ina nation were on hand at the airport to welcome the king at the airport. 

Members of Tsuut'ina Nation also presented Ogiame Atuwatse with a buffalo hide.

Tsuut'ina councillor Ellery Starlight, pictured below, says forming relationships like this is what they have done for centuries. 

"We always try to improve our relations everywhere … whatever we form improves our state, our economy, the way people view us."  

Starlight believes tribe-to-tribe relations like this, outside of nation-states, can show what First Nations have to offer.  

"It's very important that the world knows that Canada is not the only one with strength. We have a lot to offer, we have a lot to give: a rich culture, a strong land base."

Ogiame Atuwatse will finish the Calgary leg of his trip with a tour of Banff National Park on Saturday.