Mammoth crowd defy downpour to attend Ojude-Oba festival

By Daud Olatunji

ABEOKUTA—Despite the early morning heavy rainfall,many illustrious Ijebu sons and daughters and their guests converged on Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State to grace this year’s  edition of the annual Ojude Oba festival.

The Ojude Oba celebration in Ijebuland is an annual event when indigenes of different age groups, their friends and associates from both far and near throng the palace of the Awujale, for the carnival-like celebration.

Some of the dignitaries in attendance at yesterday’s fiesta included governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and his state executive cabinet, a former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Otunba Olasubomi Balogun, the proprietor of First City Monument Bank, Chief Kola Banjo and many others.

The early morning down pour forced the organizers to start the programme one hour behind schedule making it to start at 10:am instead of 9:am.

 Awujale expresses happiness

The Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, expressed his happiness for the grace in participating in this year’s edition of the Ojude-Oba celebration.

Adetona, who showed much vigour at the event, thanked the people for their prayers and support while delivering his speech at the festival.

The monarch extolled the grandeur of the event which he said had continually put Ijebuland in the limelight of tourism.

“I want to thank the people who have contributed to the success of this programme which has been made possible by their support and benevolence.

“I am happy that the Almighty God in His blessings and grace gave me the strength to witness this day with you all despite the rumours about my health and life.

“What we are doing today is made possible by God, and I will also appreciate the state government, Globacom and others for the success of this event.

“This festival has been around for centuries, being unique in its organisation, which makes it difficult to be emulated elsewhere,” Adetona said.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun, on his part, congratulated the monarch for witnessing another Ojude-Oba event, a programme he said had surpassed others of its kind in splendour.

“I congratulate all of us here who have been able to see this event once more and above all I thank God Almighty for preserving our Kabiyesi’s life.

“From his speech, we can all see there is no need for us to fear or be anxious for him. He displayed much dexterity by his presence here.

“I congratulate the Awujale and the entire people of Ijebuland,” he said.

Otunba Subomi Balogun, the Otunba Tunwashe of Ijebu and founder of First City Monument Group, said the event meant a lot to the people.

“It gives the opportunity for us to pay tribute to the Ijebu throne and forefathers and to thank God for what he had done in bringing prosperity to Ijebuland.

“We have many reasons to be particularly grateful for this year’s event as we are all glad that the Kabiyesi is with us despite all the frivolous stories around.

“It gladdens the heart of all Ijebus. The Ojude-Oba is a festival that has surpassed anything like it all over the world,” Balogun said.

In his goodwill message, the Ojude-Oba Chief Guest of Honour, Dr Sulaiman Adegunwa, thanked the people for always coming out to extol the king.

Adegunwa, a renowned businessman and former chairman of Sterling Bank PLC, said the Ojude-Oba had cemented its place as the envy of other cultural festivities.

 Woman delivers baby girl at ceremony

Meanwhile,Ijebu indigenes raised chants of praise to acknowledge the presence of the gods as a baby girl was delivered at the basement of the arena where the festival held yesterday at the Awujale’s Courtyard in Ijebu Ode.

Vanguard gathered that the new mother, in her late ’30s, was said to be a member of the Regberegbe age group in Ijebuland.

According to Janet Adekemi, a cleaner at the courtyard, in the heat of the Ojude-Oba celebration, a lady screamed in pain and knelt down at the basement of the arena.

She recalled that onlookers had no idea about what she was going through until she raised her wrapper and the head of a baby could be seen.

“It was a few minutes to 1:00 p.m. when I heard a lady shouting not too far away but many ignored her.

“No one knew the magnitude of what the woman was going through until she started crying with all of her strength.

“All I saw was the head of her baby and other women immediately rallied around her to help.

“A few skilled traditional birth attendants came to her aid and assisted her to deliver the baby, just as onlookers prayed in their mother tongue, while some traditionalists chanted incantations,” she said.

Adekemi told newsmen that both mother and baby were immediately moved to the Ijebu-Ode General hospital for proper medical attention.

Abayomi Oke, younger brother to the Head Queen, told newsmen that the new baby was a gift from the gods to mark the celebration of 2017 Ojude-Oba festival.

“Only special children are born at such events and of a truth, I know that the 16 Alagemos (gods that protect the land) will always be with that baby.

“We will do everything possible to send words across to Gov. Ibikunle Amosun and the Awujale, that a child was born during the 2017 celebration,” he added.

The Ojude Oba is a Yoruba festival held in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

The festival started over 100 years ago, is held annually on the third day after the Eid el-Kabir.

Yesterday, the festival was attended by over 250, 000 people from across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and it involves the parade of age grades in Ijebuland and some horse riding before the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, Oba Sikiru Adetona.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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