For stealing the show at the 2024 Ojude Oba in Ijebu Ode, thereby setting social media ablaze, the National Council for Arts and Culture confers on him the title of Honorary Ambassador
ADEMOLA ADEGBAMIGBE
With a cheroot dangling in his mouth, a no-nonsense visage and an equestrian display, he cut the picture of Hollywood legend, Clint Eastwood, sans the cowboy hat, fighting the bandits and carpetbaggers of the oil fields of Texas.
What happened on the third day of Id-el-Kabir, known as Ileya, however, had nothing to do with any Western movie. The man in question is Mr Farook Oreagba who came along with his age grade, known as regberegbe on Ojude Oba day in Ijebu Ode in Ogun State.
His agbada which had vertical green, grey and white was made of aso ofi. He wore a white danshiki under it. He complemented these with maroon beads, a black pair of Sani Abacha goggles and a cap made of the same fabric which he wore at a jaunty angle. He wore a grey scabbard the ropes of which crossed his back like a Middle Eastern man, ready to fight with a Saracen sword. Intermittently, he would jack up the arms of his agbada, even as his well-decorated horse moved with measured, graceful steps. His light complexion, conspicuous tattoos, big cigar and the velvet folds on the back of his neck made his mafia boss image complete.
Oreagba, however, does not have anything to do with the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. He is an Ijebu man who has had his difficult times like any other man but is having fun. He came home for the annual Ojude Oba.
The investment banker is currently the managing director of NG Clearing Limited, a position he was appointed in September 2023.
That was after over five years he quit the financial sector due to health challenges. Oreagba once explained: “I have several tattoos, most of which are badges of honour and nostalgia. I got three for each of my sons and one Maori tattoo in honour of the All Blacks of New Zealand. Because of my cancer, I lost 80% of my circle of friends, but I found my real friends. Sometimes having an ailment like cancer makes you think like a mad person. I now appreciate life more and run awareness campaigns, including one on Parkinson’s.”
According to Esther Ijewere, a social media content creator, “When you survive skin and bone cancer and get a second chance to live life to the fullest in your 50s, that’s the inspiring story of Mr. Farooq Oreagba, the man who stole the show at Ojude Oba Festival in Ijebu Ode. On the side, he counsels cancer patients and encourages them to live life positively.”
Oriyomi Ajoke, a Human Resources expert and public affairs analyst, also submitted: “I have been reading a lot of hot takes since this picture debuted, from the ones who are awe-struck by the man’s resplendent aura and charisma to the ones who suddenly became moral compasses and want to tell an adult how to live his life. You may not agree with whatever he tried to represent at the festival but in your heart of hearts, you know the man’s steez na faya but your stone heart no go gree you admit. Take it or leave it, he stole the show and has become the face of Ojude Oba 2024. So, stop hating on him. Hate the game, not the player.” A puritanical section the Nigerian society frowned at Oreagba’s tattoos.
Oreagba was among the people who added fanfare, grandeur, and cultural glamour during the Ojude Oba (The King’s Forecourt) Festival on June 18, 2024 at the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona’s pavilion in Ijebu-Ode. Its theme was “Ojude Oba: Unity and Harmony, Our Gift”.
Among the side attractions were the parade of the ‘Regberegbe’ known as the age groups, horse riding, and colourful dances. This year, over 90 age groups turned up.
Present at the occasion were the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, Chief Executive Officer, Metropolitan Motors Limited, Olutoyin Okeowo; Group Chief Executive Officer, FCMB Group Plc, Ladi Balogun; and Non-Executive Director of FCMB Group, Prof Oluwatoyin Ashiru.
In early July, the National Council for Arts and Culture conferred the title of Honorary Ambassador on Oreagba.
Obi Asika, the Director General of NCAC, praised Oreagba’s energy, spirit, and dedication “to promoting Nigerian culture, describing him as a true Nigerian original.”
Ojude Oba has, over the years, undergone some metamorphoses. It was first the Odeda festival, which was also, according to cram.com, an annual event in which the worshippers of several traditional religions such as Sango, Egungu, Osun, Ogun and so on came together to showcase their identities by dancing in turns to drums and songs in front of the Awujale, Olisa, various other important chiefs and the people of the town.
Later this “Majestic outing” became a small gathering of the people of the Islamic religion which started over 100 years ago, “when the earliest Muslim converts in Ijebu-Ode paid homage to the Awujale of Ijebu-land, showing their appreciation for granting them the liberty to practice and observe their religion.”