From Ijebu to the World: All Eyes on the Dazzling Ojude Oba Festival

Tomorrow, the ancient city of Ijebu-Ode will once again awaken to the thunder of hooves, the shimmer of aso-oke, and the jubilant cry of a people bound by culture, heritage, and splendour. As the morning sun spills gold over the palace of the Awujale, thousands will pour into the historic square — not merely to observe, but to belong. This is not just a festival; it is a living archive of Yoruba resilience, elegance, and kinship. The Ojude Oba Festival, once a sacred show of loyalty to the king by Muslim subjects, has evolved into an awe-inspiring pageant of culture, fashion, and identity, drawing the eyes of the world to Nigeria’s southwest. It is here that tradition dances with modernity, where families parade not just their wealth but their values, and where even pain finds redemption—as seen last year in the dignified, defiant presence of Mr Steeze, a cancer survivor turned cultural icon. In 2025, Ojude Oba is poised to outdo itself, not with spectacle alone, but with a deeper narrative of global relevance, cultural diplomacy, and spiritual return, writes Adedayo Adejobi

Ojude Oba—literally “The King’s Forecourt”—is woven into the very soul of the Ijebu people. What began over a century ago as a devout Muslim homage to the Awujale has now evolved into a beacon of interfaith unity and Yoruba cultural pride.

At its heart lies the ‘regberegbe’ system—age-grade societies whose entrances, salutes, and declarations of loyalty form the festival’s rhythmic core. These groups, such as Egbe Bobakeye, Egbe Arobayo, and Egbe Gbobaniyi, are not merely decorative; they are custodians of history and harmony.

Standing at the spiritual and ceremonial centre of it all is Oba Sikiru Adetona, the revered Awujale. His modernising spirit has transformed Ojude Oba from a local thanksgiving rite into a continental phenomenon.

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State captured it best during the 2024 festival, saying, “Ojude Oba is not only a cultural heritage for the indigenes of Ijebuland, it has now become a significant event that attracts local and foreign tourists… a catalyst for development and a symbol of unity.”

To witness Ojude Oba is to see fashion become language. Each year, the square transforms into a sartorial battlefield, as families don custom-designed aso-ebi that blend heritage with haute couture. Sequins glint like dew in the sun, gele headwraps defy gravity and physics, and agbadas flutter like royal banners in the wind. “Name the popular fabric—from aso-oke, sanyan and alaari to damask, lace and cashmere—and Ojude Oba is there to show you the possibilities of grandeur,” says Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Hon Kayode Akinmade.

“Want to witness the best of Ijebu culture? Your destination is Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, and the dateline is Sunday, June 8. Held on the third day after Eid-el-Kabir, the festival, which means “The King’s Forecourt,” is famous for parades by various groups, including the Regberegbes (sons and daughters of the Ijebuland/age grades); horse riders, and cultural troupes, traditional dances, music, and fashion, and homage to the Awujale, the paramount ruler of the Ijebu Kingdom.

“To be sure, cultural festivals abound around the world, including the carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with its elaborate floats, costumes, Samba music and  street parties; Diwali in India with the lights, fireworks, lanterns, and decorations; the  Chinese New Year with its lion and dragon dances; the Tomatina Festival in Spain famous for its tomato-throwing battle, music, and feasting; the United States’ Mardi Gras in New Orleans with its colorful parades, costumes and Jazz music, or the Holi in Nepal and India, replete with  colors,  powders and water.

“Nigeria has its Durbar Festival with colorful display of horses and cavaliers paying homage to the Emir in Katsuba, Kano, and Kaduna; Eyo Festival in Lagos famous for its masquerades and traditional rituals; Osun Festival of fertility featuring traditional worship and offerings; the Argungu Fishing Festival,  a bare-handed fishing competition accompanied by water sports and wrestling in Kebbi State; and, of course, the New Yam Festival celebrated in Benue State (Ige-Agba Festival) and Enugu State (Mamanwu Festival).

“But Ojude Oba, the Ijebu festival of homage to the Awujale, is in a class of its own. It is, quite simply, Nigeria’s biggest festival of steeze, the dandiest exploration and presentation of royal couture marking the Ijebu homecoming, reunion and sheer majesty,” Akinmade added.

Here, top designers and stylists are booked months in advance. Tastes range from the demure to the daring, but all share a singular goal: to honour identity through elegance. In this, the festival becomes a cultural catwalk where tradition kisses modernity—where every thread tells a story.

From the dazzling gele skontolo headwraps that seem to defy physics, to the princely sweep of agbadas and the sparkle of luxury wristwatches, the fashion is more than style—it is narrative, legacy, and even subtle resistance.

As fashion historian Temitope Adeoti explains: “Ojude Oba is where you come to see African fashion not as costume, but as a living, breathing expression of culture.”

But fashion here is more than aesthetic—it is politics, power, memory, and even protest. It is how a people insist they are still here—unbowed, unapologetic, and irreplaceable.

At the arena known as the “Glass House”, the wealthiest participants shine, while the Awujale, dignitaries, and regberegbe groups command the main pavilion. It is a full-throttle showcase of elegance and identity—what Akinmade calls “a festival that many in Yorubaland envy because it is unmatched in splendour and glory.”

Last year’s edition delivered one of the most talked-about moments in recent festival history. Amidst the glamour, dazzling crowds, and booming horse displays rode Mr. Steeze —a man whose story quietly gone viral weeks before. That man was Farooq Oreagba.  Having survived a gruelling battle with cancer, he appeared not as a patient but as a prince. Draped in an emerald agbada and sunglasses, he waved from horseback like a man reborn.

It was not merely his defiance of illness that moved the crowd. It was the symbolism: that even pain could be adorned with dignity. That survival, too, is a kind of pageantry.

His appearance wasn’t just inspiring—it was iconic.

“Do you remember last year with Oregba and his steeze, the picture that became iconic, a reference point for those who love fashion and class?” Akinmade reminds us. #SteezeTheSurvivor trended across West Africa—a testament to how survival, like heritage, demands pageantry and presence.

Ojude Oba is no longer Nigeria’s best-kept cultural secret. It has captured international attention—from global tourism boards and documentary filmmakers to fashion magazines, travel influencers, and heritage tourists. According to cultural economist, Dr. Modupe Ajayi: “Ojude Oba is quietly becoming Nigeria’s most exportable cultural product… The tourism potential is enormous.”

 Foreign missions are now collaborating with Nigeria’s tourism board to spotlight the 2025 edition globally. Travel packages sell out months in advance, and hotels in Ijebu-Ode are already fully booked.

The festival also serves as a platform for creatives like Yusuf Dongo, whose three-year project—a sculptural metal horse—will debut this year.

“Ojude Oba is the perfect platform to exhibit this masterpiece,” says Dongo. “It’s a space for dialogue, networking, and creative exchange.”

All eyes are now on the 2025 edition, and expectations are sky-high. This year’s festival is primed to outdo itself.

From interactive livestreams and drone coverage to digital archives, organisers are merging technology with tradition. New age-grade societies will debut.

Traditional horse riders from neighbouring towns are expected. A special royal tribute—a fusion of spoken word, drumming, and Yoruba opera—will honour Oba Adetona’s decades-long reign.

 In a world grappling with fractured identities and fading traditions, Ojude Oba stands proud—radiant, rooted, and resoundingly relevant. It is more than a moment of colourful spectacle; it is a ritual of remembrance and rebirth—a gathering of souls who understand that culture is not inherited.

It is performed, protected, and passed on.

 As Lagos-based poet Remi Ayotunde eloquently puts it: “Ojude Oba is not about nostalgia. It’s about remembrance as resistance. It reminds us that Nigeria still has a soul—and that soul wears aso-oke.”

From the regal regberegbe processions to the shimmering gele crowns that defy gravity, from the Awujale’s blessings to stories like Mr. Steeze’s that stir the soul, Ojude Oba is both a mirror and a message. It tells us what it means to belong—to a place, a people, and a purpose. And as the world watches again this June, it won’t just be witnessing a Nigerian festival. It will be witnessing Africa in full regalia—proud, poetic, and powerfully alive.