Culture, Colours, Heritage Dazzle at 2026 Ojude-Oba Festival as Abiodun Celebrates Unity

Arrays of beautifully adorned men, women, youths, and cultural enthusiasts from all walks of life on Friday thronged the ancient town of Ijebu-Ode for the 2026 Ojude-Oba Festival, transforming the city into a vibrant panorama of colour, glamour, heritage, and tradition.

The annual cultural celebration came alive with spectacular horse-riding processions, richly embroidered attires, rhythmic traditional music, and elegant displays by the Regberegbe groups, reaffirming Ojude-Oba’s status as one of Africa’s most iconic cultural festivals.

Visitors, tourists, dignitaries, and sons and daughters of Ijebuland from across Nigeria and the diaspora gathered to witness the colourful spectacle, which combined tradition, fashion, unity, and cultural pride in grand style.

Speaking at the event, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, described Ojude-Oba as a powerful symbol of peaceful coexistence, communal harmony, and cultural sophistication.

Governor Abiodun said his administration has deliberately positioned the festival as a flagship of Ogun State’s tourism development agenda in order to harness its enormous cultural and economic potential.

According to him, the state government is collaborating with critical stakeholders to further expand the festival’s global visibility while preserving the authentic heritage and traditions of the Ijebu people.

“We are building a state that honours its heritage because culture is not only our identity, but also a source of social cohesion and economic opportunity,” the governor said.

“This is why we have positioned Ojude-Oba as a flagship within our tourism development agenda. Today, the economic impact of the festival is visible everywhere as hotels are fully occupied, businesses are flourishing, artisans are engaged, and our youths are being productively empowered.”

Governor Abiodun noted that the 2026 edition of the festival carries deep historical significance as it is the first celebration since the passing of the revered Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.

He paid glowing tribute to the late monarch, describing him as an institution whose 65-year reign transformed traditional leadership and elevated Ijebuland culturally, socially, and politically.