Last week in Ijebu-Ode, the 2015 edition of the annual festival Ojude-Oba was held and the city throbbed with many celebrities who stormed Ijebu-Ode to celebrate. What really is this ‘Ojude Oba’ celebration all about? City People can authoritatively reveal that it is an old culture of going to the Aafin (palace grounds) to pay courtesy visit to the Oba. For the Muslims it is a special annual visit on the 3rd day after the Id-el-Kabir, popularly know as Ileya festival, to thank the Oba for the gift of the Ram (Agbo) slaughtered at ‘Yidi’ (Muslim praying ground) on Id-el-Kabir day. In Ijebuland it is known as ‘A Dupe Uru” visit (a Thank You Visit). On this special annual visit, the Muslims call to thank the Oba, to pray for him, his family, the town and the whole of Ijebuland. By 1904 half of the population of Ijebu-Ode was already Muslim including Balogun Kuku and a vanguard of notables and new Muslim elites. The Ojude-Oba became more regular under the reign of Oba Awujale Adeleke Ogbagba (1895). Awujale Ogbagba, after much pleadings, allowed the Muslim leaders to use small umbrellas to Yidi and back, but not to “Ojude Oba” and never when passing in front of his “House” or “Palace”.
However, during the reign of Oba Awujale Adetona Fusigboye (1906) the Muslim community in Ijebu-Ode requested land to build a Central Mosque and Awujale Fusigboye, himself a Muslim, granted them land in Oyingbo. “Ojude Oba” festival continued to flourish in Ijebu-Ode. The Muslim communities in the suburbs followed the Ijebu-Ode examples and began to pay “Ojude Oba” visits to their Obas, after Ileya festival day. In its earlier years. “Ojude Oba” consisted in special prayers of thanksgiving to Allah, prayer for the Awujale and for peace and harmony in Ijebuland. There were merriment’s music, dancing as the participations departed from the palace to their various quarters and homes. The glamour and popularity of the ‘Ojude Oba’ affair took an exciting turn when horse-riding was introduced. Horse-riding was not part of the early celebration of “Ojude Oba” event. Horse riding accompanied with drumming, music, songs, dancing and parades came on board in the 20s, 30s and particularly from early 40s during the reigns Awujale Adenuga Folagbade (1925) Ogunnaike Fibiwoga (1929), Daniel Adesanya – Gbelegbuwa (1933-59).
The festival started off as the Odela festival a pagan event which was formerly celebrated by all sections of pagan groups, whereby the Ijebu-Ode community paid their homage to the Awujale annually. During this occasion, every pagan group viz: Worshipers of Sango, Egungun, Osun, Yemule, etc. would display their identities by dancing to the instrument of the drums and songs one after the other in front of the Awujale, the Olisa and other prominent Chiefs and people in the town. Chief Odueyunbo Kuku had once been a party to this festival when he was a pagan but since he turned a Muslim and a leader at that time-he could no more join in this annual pagan festival. For this reason he devised a way to replace the annual festival with another that would be in conformity with his new religion. He established “Ita Oba” (now called Ojude Oba) festival and fixed the day of its celebration on the 3rd day after the Eid-el-Kabir.
Chief Odueyungbo Kuku made the occasion an important and colourful one. He would dress gorgeously, mount a very beautiful horse, preceded by his elderly sons in the persons of Chief Gbadamosi Tayo Kuku, Chief Akadiri Sonmori Kuku, Ashiru Kuku (Baba Ajashe), Salami Owo-Golu Kuku, Sunmola Giwa Kuku (Baba Idi-Aba) and Adelaja Kuku all on horsebacks, his drummers and singers in pomp and pageantry and singers in pomp and pageantry with several dane gun booming. The occasion was better seen than described. The groups would be met at the palace performing their usual dances but when they see the unprecedented pomp and pageantry of the Muslim community led by Chief Kuku, they all disperse in confusion. This signaled the end of Odela pagan festival which has since given way to Muslim (community annual “Ita Oba” which is now being witnessed annually by all the Ijebu’s. They have been celebrating Ojude-Oba yearly for almost a century. It is a day for exchanging greetings among friends and felicitating with the Awujale on the 3rd day of the Eid-el-Kabir festival (Ileya) which is often celebrated by the Muslims. Though the festival is predominant among the Muslim folks, every Ijebu family has both Muslim and the Christian members in either the immediate family or the extended family, so when the celebration goes on, all section of Ijebus usually participate.
In adding colour to the occasion various age group (Regberegbe) usually converge at the residence of their Baba Egbe now called Giwa and would pay homage to the Awujale at the Afin along Awujale Street. Prominent Balogun families usually ride horses along major streets in Ijebu-Ode decorating their horses with ornaments, notable families include Otubu, Kuku, Odejayi, Adesoye & others. Ijebus come from far away places across the country and overseas to witness the unique event which they believe, equals the Brazilian carnival in Rio De Jenero. Throughout the celebration most major streets in Ijebu-Ode like Awujale, Olisa, Folagbade, Alapo, Idepo, Ijasi, are usually centres of activities and merry making. The Ojude-Oba festivities in the past attracted notable musicians like the legendary Yusuf Olatunji and His Sakara Band which in the 60’s made an elpee record for the evergreen Ojude Oba carnival in a song “Mo ri Nkan Ara Ni ‘Jebu-Ode Ojoketa Odun Ileya Won Nfi Esin Dara L’afin Oba” which literally means I saw wonders at Ijebu-Ode on the third day of Odun Ileya. Horse riders were performing wonders with their horsemanship displays.
Others musicians who had played at Ojude Oba include King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Ligali Mukaiba, Haruna Ishola, Shina Peters, Adewale Ayuba Wasiu Ayinde Marshal who is a son of the soil. The Ojude Oba carnival has been a source of economic and cultural benefits to Ijebu because once in a while it brings a happy re-union and benefits for the individual and corporate personalities. But the last 44 years, notably during the present reign of Oba Awujale Sikiru Kayode Adetona – Ogbagba II, have transformed the “Ojude-Oba” event into a carnival and celebration of unprecedented grandeur, excitement, pomp and pageantry. The event has become a landmark of Ijebu culture sweeping the religious aspect to a side show. It has become the “Ojude-Oba” of Nigeria and the Black Race. The Awujale have from time immemorial received certain Chiefs and Prince in processions to “Ojude-Oba”. These processions to “Ojude-Oba”. These processions include horse riders (the Chiefs and Princess). From the 30s their numbers and protocol have become formalised. Today there are more than 20 group (Chiefs and families) in horse-riders processions to “Ojude-Oba”. How are the horse-riders chosen and graded, and which families are so honoured? The horse riders or pageantries have evolved over the years. So are the families who participate in the processions and/or sponsor horse riders. Formalised protocols have also been introduced. The protocol arrangement for their entry into Awujale’s Palace is that the non-Balogun families horse riders will first come in to pay homage to the Awujale followed by the past Baloguns, the immediate past Balogun, the Otun Balogun and lastly the current Balogun of Ijebu-Ode.
The ‘Ojude-Oba’ celebration has become a unifying ceremony of Ijebu irrespective of their religious faiths. And this has been exploited to create avenues for enduring peaceful relationships in Ijebuland. The active involvement and participation of the Regberegbes in Ojude Oba carnivals has had tremendous impact as members of the Regberegbes belong to different religious. They elect their officers without rancour and work (and play) together as genuine brothers and sisters. Also all Obas in Ijebuland and vast majority of Otunbas and Chiefs both Christians and Muslims participate in “Ojude-Oba festival. Non-Muslim citizens also join the carnival either as members of the families of horse riders, or spectators or invited guests of the Regberegbes. The result is the most enduring and friendly relationship which now reigns in Ijebuland. The Regberegbes have existed and functioned in Ijebuland for more than 200 years. Regberegbe’s play very important social, cultural and economic functions for the survival of the Ijebu society. From ages past, they cleared foot-paths, constructed bridges and markets, cleared rivers for drinking water and navigation to transport logs to Lagos. They also provided much needed security for the towns and villages. Regberegbes are consulted by the Awujale in important issues concerning the peoples welfare, their religious and cultural affairs. Leaders of the age-groups were appointed to serve on important bodies and / or committees in the old Native Administration. During the reign of the present Awujale, Oba (Dr.) S.K. Adetona, Ogbagba II, the calibre of the leaders of the aged-groups, the motivation and encouragement by the Awujale himself have turned the “Regberegbes” into a formidable vanguard for development and advancement in Ijebuland.
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