The ancient city of Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, Nigeria, became the cultural heartbeat of the Yoruba world on Sunday, June 8, 2025, as thousands of people—sons and daughters of Ijebuland, dignitaries, traditional chiefs, artists, tourists, and culture bearers—gathered for the annual Ojúde Ọba Festival.
Held on the third day after the Islamic Eid al-Adha celebration, this clássic event has grown far beyond its religious origins to become one of Nigeria’s most prestigious cultural festivals, attracting national and international attention for its grandeur, historical continuity, and unifying spirit.
This year’s festival, like those before it, was dedicated to honoring the revered monarch of Ijebuland, His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba II, the Awujale of Ijebu. For over six decades, Oba Adetona has stood as a symbol of dignity, modernity, and the preservation of Yoruba tradition. In his honor, the people of Ijebuland presented a living tapestry of culture, with processions, praise poetry, fashion, music, and ritual displays that reflect the values of identity, resilience, and sacred memory.
One of the most anticipated aspects of the festival was the majestic parade of the regberegbe, or age-grade groups, each displaying unity, creativity, and communal pride. This year, over ninety regberegbe groups participated, surpassing the numbers of previous years and signaling an increased commitment among younger generations to uphold cultural legacies. Dressed in intricately woven aso-oke, silk, lace, damask, and richly adorned accessories, the groups made their way to the palace courtyard with music, chants, and symbolic offerings. Some moved with choreographed dance steps, others with spontaneous eruptions of praise-singing. Yet all carried a single message: that Ijebuland is one, rooted, and radiant.
Amid the thunderous applause of the spectators, the Balogun families made their grand entrance on horseback. These are warrior lineages whose ancestors defended the land and upheld justice in precolonial Yoruba society. Riding magnificently adorned horses and accompanied by a retinue of praise singers, drummers, and gunmen firing ceremonial shots into the air, the Balogun procession invoked ancestral spirits and rekindled collective pride. Their presence bridged the past and present, showing that the stories of valor and heritage are not only remembered but enacted each year as a living ritual.
In his keynote address, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun described the festival as a “mirror of our shared identity and a powerful engine for cultural and economic tourism.” He reiterated his administration’s intention to continue supporting cultural events as part of the state’s broader development agenda. According to him, Ojúde Ọba has not only become a unifying force among the Ijebu people but also an economic lifeline for local artisans, hoteliers, food vendors, textile traders, and performers whose services surge during the season.
Among the special guests was Mr. Ladi Balogun, CEO of the First City Monument Bank (FCMB), a consistent sponsor of the festival. He emphasized the critical role of Ojúde Ọba in community development, economic empowerment, and youth engagement. According to him, “This festival is not just a celebration. It is a platform for enterprise, creativity, and continuity. When you invest in culture, you invest in the future.”
Representatives from the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy were also present and revealed that the Nigerian government is taking steps to seek UNESCO recognition for the Ojúde Ọba Festival as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. The move aligns with Nigeria’s “Destination 2030” initiative, which aims to harness the economic potential of culture and tourism to generate over $100 billion in revenue while also preserving indigenous knowledge systems and spiritual values.
Despite its spectacular aesthetics and festive atmosphere, Ojúde Ọba is more than just a cultural showcase. It is a sacred performance of identity and memory. The rituals, the poetry, the fashion, the drumming, and the symbolic tributes to the Awujale all function as acts of remembering and re-membering—retrieving the past, reactivating community, and renewing sacred bonds. It is at once religious, historical, political, and artistic. A multi-sensory archive where color becomes prayer, rhythm becomes testimony, and the public square becomes a sacred grove.
The 2025 edition reaffirmed that culture is not static. It lives in motion, in procession, in adaptation. While rooted in Yoruba tradition, the festival today embraces modernity and pluralism, welcoming Christians, Muslims, traditional worshippers, and global observers into the same ceremonial space. This is perhaps the most profound lesson of Ojúde Ọba—that cultural memory, when nurtured with dignity and vision, can become a path to unity, creativity, and national renewal.
As the sun set over Ijebu-Ode and the final horses rode past the palace gates, the spirit of the ancestors could be felt in the air—alive, celebrated, and reborn through every drumbeat, every bead, every bowed head of respect. The people did not merely watch a festival. They participated in a sacred covenant, one that transcends generations and speaks the language of honor, courage, and collective pride. Ojúde Ọba is not just an event. It is a shrine in motion.
