Often referred to as festival of colours, the 2025 edition of Ojude Oba took place in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State on Sunday, amid colours, glamour and flamboyant celebrations, Weekend Trust reports.
Ojude Oba, which literally means, ‘The king’s fore-court,’ remains an agelong festival in Ijebu Ode. It is known to the Ijebu as a major annual festival that brings them together. Age grade groups (Regberegbe) in Ijebu, their friends and associates from far and near gather at the palace of the Awujale of Ijebuland for the most colourful and flamboyant celebration.
The festival, which has traditional, cultural, religious, social and military significance, is celebrated on the third day after Eid-el-Kabir.
Except the interruption between 2020 and 2021 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 which held the world by the storm and prevented large gatherings, Ojude Oba has been celebrated for more than 100 years.
This year’s edition was titled, ‘Ojude Oba: Celebrating our roots, preserving our future.
And usual, the venue, Awujale’s palace, was filled to the brim as age grade groups clad in colourful and flamboyant native dresses took turns to pay homage.
Weekend Trust reports that the Awujale, who is the paramount ruler of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who has been presiding over the festival for decades, was absent at this year’s edition due to his health status and old age. The 91-year-old monarch has been on the throne for more than six decades.
Over 100 age grade groups of males and females paid annual homage to the traditional ruler, represented by his wife, Olori Kemi Adetona.
The horse riders, who are from the warrior families in Ijebu land, were also on hand to thrill fun seekers to various acrobatic displays.
The event attracted the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hanatu Musawa, a lawyer; Governor Dapo Abiodun; the governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, represented by his deputy, Dr Olayide Adelami; a former governor of Ogun State and senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel; the senator representing Ogun Central, Shuaib Salisu, and the deputy governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, an engineer, among others.
Speaking at the event, the minister expressed federal government’s commitment to tap into culture and tourism for economic expansion.
Musawa said, ‘President Bola Tinubu is strongly committed to making us the greatest black nation on earth and one of the strongest economies. One of the ways he wants to do it is for us to leverage and tap into the opportunities that abound in the cultural and creative landscape.
‘Recently, President Bola Tinubu announced a collaboration between the federal government and sub-nationals, whereby we will do a collaboration and partnership so that we will also work with the private sector to tap into the unique peculiarities of every state.’
The minister noted that Ojude Oba is a huge economic expansion, applauding the collaboration between the federal government and Ogun State.
‘We can increase our visibility and bring job creation by looking at what the culture and tradition have to offer. This culture is your ideal, it is your tradition, it is who we are as a people; and we are extremely proud.
‘This is a beautiful culture. This is a culture we must continue to export and use as a form of economic expansion
‘As a Nigerian, I am proud to be part of this community. I feel honoured to be here; and I am looking forward to enacting that important vision President Bola Tinubu has by tapping into the rich resource of Ogun State,’ she said.
Governor Abiodun also said the state aligned with Tinubu’s mission on inclusive growth, empowerment and cultural preservation.
He described this year’s edition of the festival as outstanding and the mother of all Ojude-Obas, saying it has continued to witness progress and improvement.
The governor said, ‘Ojude Oba is more than a festival, it is a living heritage. It connects us to our roots and offers direction in a rapidly changing world.
‘In an area marked by social fragmentations, this festival stands as a symbol of communal harmony, where religion, tradition and modernity coexist beautifully under the banner of a shared identity.
‘From regal parades of the Regberegbes to the majestic displays, Ojude Oba is a beautiful culture, our pride, our values and our continuity.’
What Ojude Oba means to us – Ijebu indigenes
Sharing his experience of the festival, Taiwo Adeniji, the Asiwaju of Egbe Bobagunte Okunrin, Akile Ijebu said, ‘Ojude Oba is an event that brings out the splendour and grandeur of Ijebu culture. It is something that all Ijebus are very proud of and want to sustain.
‘If you noticed, at this Ojude Oba, we have the younger generation of the Regberegbes who are the people born in early 1990s who are already members of this cherished tradition. So, it is something that all Ijebu people are very proud of.’
Niyi Osoba Bolaji, another Ijebu indigene said, ‘It is a cultural experience to witness firsthand, the fashionable culture of Ijebu and the skills of the Balogun family, cultural heritage, horse riding.
‘For me, it is a beautiful experience that every indigenous Yoruba, especially the Ijebu, should witness so that they will be educated and knowledgeable about their cultural heritage and roots.’
Dr Adesola Adewunmi of the Egbe Bobamayegun said Ojude Oba afforded the Ijebu the opportunity to pay homage to the Awujale for years of ruling in peace and harmony.
‘This has been going on for years. We have different colours and groups here, just to give thanks and pay homage to our Kabiyesi
‘The take-home is that we should keep our cultures together, keep it going and continue to be united like we see today so that we can continue to move forward,’ he said.
A fun seeker who attended Ojude Oba for the first time, Ms Gifty Helen Skyler said, ‘I am experiencing Yoruba culture to the fullest. It is my first time of experiencing it and I am excited. It is a nice one.
‘I feel like we are telling where we come from – we know our story, our roots. I feel it is beautiful and for generations to see that we are not leaving our cultural heritage behind. We are still very present in who we are; and it is our true identity,’ she said.
The making of a star
Last year, the managing director of NG Clearing Limited, Farooq Oreagba, suddenly became a star and the face of Ojude Oba, having trended online for months.
Oreagba warmed people’s hearts over his fashion taste and ‘steeze.’ A viral footage showed him on a horse making a grand entrance at the festival amid cheers from the crowd.
That earned him the name, ‘King of Steeze.’ Riding on the fame, Oreagba got a deal to become an ambassador of a telecommunications company.
This year, Oreagba, a businessman and cancer survivor, did not disappoint as he also stole the show alongside some prominent artistes and Nollywood stars who graced the occasion.
Following the media buzz it enjoyed last year, attendance at the 2025 edition of the festival appeared double amidst.
Due to the large number attending the festival yearly, the pavilion could no longer accommodate the crowd. The venue was so jam-packed that humans, alongside horses, struggled for space. About two dozen fun seekers reportedly fainted at the venue this year but were later revived.
‘The phones they stole at Ojude Oba 2025 today will be up to 40. They even had the audacity to steal two phones from a police officer with a gun,’ said @PoojaMedia, a content creator who covered the event.
This has reinforced the calls for crowd control, expansion or relocation of the venue in order to forestall an avoidable stampede in subsequent editions.
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