2026 Ojude-Oba Festival Showcases Ijebu Culture and Unity

By Joseph Sunday

Ijebu-Ode came alive on Friday as thousands filled the ancient town for the 2026 Ojude-Oba Festival, turning the city into a sweeping display of culture, colour, and heritage.

The annual post-Eid celebration featured grand horse-riding processions, intricately embroidered aso-oke, pulsating traditional drums, and coordinated parades by the Regberegbe age-grade groups.

Sons and daughters of Ijebuland, alongside tourists, dignitaries, and cultural enthusiasts from Nigeria and the diaspora, gathered to witness one of Africa’s most celebrated festivals.

Speaking at the event, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun described the Ojude-Oba as “a powerful symbol of peaceful co-existence, communal harmony, and cultural sophistication.”

He said his administration has made the festival a cornerstone of the state’s tourism agenda to unlock its cultural and economic value.

“We are building a state that honours its heritage because culture is not only our identity, but also a source of social cohesion and economic opportunity,” Abiodun said. “Today, the economic impact of the festival is visible everywhere — hotels are fully occupied, businesses are flourishing, artisans are engaged, and our youths are being productively empowered.”

This year’s edition held deep significance as the first since the passing of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who reigned for 65 years. Governor Abiodun paid tribute to the late monarch, noting that he had insisted Ojude-Oba must continue as a unifying cultural institution for future generations.

The governor thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting Ijebuland during the transition period, saying the President’s solidarity helped maintain peace and stability.

He also asked Nigerians to remember victims of insecurity nationwide.

Chairman of the Ojude-Oba Planning Committee, Chief Olu Okubadejo, described the festival as “a celebration of unity and continuity” that reconnects Ijebu sons and daughters to their roots.

He noted the emotional weight of hosting the first edition without Oba Adetona, whose reign brought global recognition to Ijebuland.

Dignitaries in attendance included Deputy Governor Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele; Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hajia Hannatu Musa Musawa; Minister of State for Health, Dr. Isiaq Kunle Salako; former Ogun Governor Chief Olusegun Osoba; traditional rulers; religious leaders; and industry leaders.

Governor Abiodun said Ojude-Oba has grown from a post-Eid homage ceremony into a global cultural showcase embraced across faiths and generations.

He urged young people to preserve the heritage while allowing it to evolve, linking the festival’s spirit to his administration’s “Building Our Future Together” agenda through investments in infrastructure, education, health, youth empowerment, and tourism.