Sons and daughters of Ijebu land, Ogun State, from all over the world converged on Ijebu Ode for the prestigious Ojude Oba festival, which took place on Friday, June 30, 2023.
Usually held after the Eid-al-Adha celebration, it offers an avenue for indigenes of the ancient town to pay homage to the Aawujale of Ijebuland. The current monarch is Oba Sikiru Adetona.
This year, the theme of the festival was, Ojude Oba: A Lesson in Religious Harmony, and as usual, it involved different activities, performances and cultural displays.
One of the highlights of the event was the stylish display of different age groups known as ‘regberegbe’. The different age groups were dressed in different bright and colourful attire. There was also a horse-riding competition, as well as other cultural displays and performances.
The Egbe Obaneye Okunrin Asiwaju came first in the Regberegbe competition, winning N500,000, while Egbe Bobagunwa Okunrin and Egbe Tobalase Okunrin Isokan, which came second and third won N300,000 and N200,000 respectively.
Meanwhile, Egbe Gbobaniyi Olori Obinrin won the female category with a N500,000 prize, while Egbe Obaneye Obinrin Asiwaju and Egbe Bobamayegun Obinrin Asiwaju were runners-up with N300,000 and N200,000 respectively.
Another highpoint of the event was when a veteran fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, aka K1 De Ultimate, was named the Olori Omo-oba (head of royal children) of Ijebuland by Oba Adetona.
Beaming with pride over his new position, K1, who was also made the Mayegun of Yorubaland by the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, some years ago, posted a video of the audience paying homage to him on his Instagram page. He added the caption, “The Ijebus hail their illustrious royal prince, K1 De Ultimate at Ojude Oba festival.”
Congratulating K1, the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, said, “I congratulate my dear brother, Wasiu Ayinde, who was pronounced the new Olori OmO-Oba of Akilo Ijebuland by our highly revered father, Oba Sikiru Adetona.”
Long-standing sponsor of the festival, telecommunications company, Globacom, emphasised its resolve to continue supporting and amplifying the cultural values that bind Nigerians together.
Lauding the religious tolerance that is characteristic of the Ijebus and Yoruba people in general, the National Commercial Coordinator of the company, Yomi Ogunbamowo, said, “The natural tendency for religious tolerance among the Ijebus and indeed Yoruba generally, has made Ojude Oba to evolve into a social event uniting all Ijebu sons and daughters, regardless of religious inclinations, political persuasions or social class. There is hardly any Yoruba family today that is either totally Muslim or Christian.”
Esteemed guests at the event include billionaire businessman and Chairman of Globacom, Mike Adenuga; Otun Akile of Remoland and Managing Director of Adron Homes and Properties, Oba Adetola Emmanuel; and real estate mogul, Olu Okeowo.
