…To Take Part In This Year’s Ojude-Oba Festival
Hurray! The 2022 Ojude Oba Festival is here after it was put on hold for 2 years, following the COVID 19 pandemic. The Ojude Oba is an age-long festival celebrated by the Yoruba across Ijebuland. The annual festival takes place on the 3rd day after Eid-il-Kabir (Ileya), to pay homage and show respect to Royal Majesty, the Awujale of Ijebuland. It is one of the most spiritual and glamorous festivals celebrated in Ijebuland and Ogun State.
Ojude Oba, which means king’s forecourt in the Yoruba language, is usually celebrated with pomp and pageantry by about 1,000,000 people from different parts of the world and Nigeria, especially those from Yorubaland and most especially by people of Ijebu descent all over the world.
It is a festival whereby different cultural age Grade groups are known as regberegbe, indigenes, their friends, and associates far and near parade in front of the king on the third day of Eid-il-Kabir festival popularly referred to as “Ileya” in the Yoruba language. Oba Sikiru Adetona, the present Awujale was the one who brought back the age groups of the 18th century to the Ijebus, and this has become an integral part of the yearly Ojude Oba festival in Ijebu. The age groups were instituted to bring development and progress to the community.
This year’s edition of the annual festival will be held in grand style as it’s going to feature 10 new and highly stylish age-grade groups in Ijebuland. These groups recently got the Awujale, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona’s royal blessings and as a result, they now qualify to partake in the annual celebration. With this, the groups are going to spice up the day. They will storm the field for the first time as a full-fledged group. They have longed for this since 2020 when the Ojude Oba couldn’t hold due to the pandemic. Their debut appearance and parade at the event will be great and eye-catching. The new groups are made up of trendy and fashionable members and they would be showcasing all of these on the day. You need to see how they all showcased their love for fashion when they visited the Awujale’s palace a few days ago to get their endorsement. They were looking radiant and elegant in their respective outfits. You need to be at the venue of this year’s festival to see for yourself. You need to pay attention to them once they file out to have their display on the D-day.
The newly endorsed age grade groups comprise 7 female groups and 3 male groups. Each of them boasts of notable and highly influential members. Their leaders are made up of personalities of proven integrity. All these were showcased at the palace before the king endorsed them.
Below are the new groups as they make the 2022 Ojude Oba fun for themselves and on-lookers. Leading their groups out are the Iyalodes and Giwas. They include the likes of Iyalode Oyindamola Rashidat Okebunmi for Egbe Obaneye Obinrin Akile Ijebu, Giwa Oluseye Yusuf for Egbe Obaneye Okunrin Akile Ijebu, Giwa Taiwo Okuselu for Egbe Gbobaniyi Okunrin Global Akile Ijebu, Iyalode Alhaja Selimot Yetunde Rasaq for Egbe Bobamayegun Obinrin Akile Ijebu, Iyalode Hajia Ajarat Omolara for Egbe Obayori Obinrin Akile Ijebu, and Giwa Olasunkanmi Lawal for Egbe Obayori Okunrin Omooba Akile Ijebu.
Other groups are Egbe Bobagunwa Obinrin Omoba Akile Ijebu, Egbe Bobagunwa Obinrin Akile Ijebu, Egbe Obayori Obinrin Idris Temitope Akile Ijebu, and Egbe Gbobaniyi Olanrewaju Akile Ijebu led by its Iyalode Egbe, Niyi Hon. Olajumoke Dairo.
 -Jamiu Abubakar
READ ALSO: WHEN YEWANDE ODUWOLE MARRIED AARON KYRON PATERSON
Send Us News, Gist, more... to citypeopleng@gmail.com | Twitter: @CitypeopleMagz
