The 2025 Ojude Oba Festival will serve as a powerful platform to amplify the longstanding demand for the creation of Ijebu State, with its proposed capital in Ijebu-Ode.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Ojude Oba Festival Organising Committee, Chief Olu Okuboyejo, during a press briefing at Awujale’s palace, Ijebu-Ode, on Monday. Represented by the festival’s coordinator, Dr. Fassy Yusuff, Okuboyejo emphasized that the call for the establishment of Ijebu State had reached a decisive moment, urging collective efforts to realize the goal.
“We are most probably aware of the persistent clamour for the long overdue creation of Ijebu State, with the capital in Ijebu-Ode,” he said. “Ijebu remains the only oldest province yet to be transformed into a state, aside from its strategic location, land mass, population, accessibility, peacefulness, hospitality, and rich cultural heritage that has always singled us out amongst the crowd.”
He noted the ongoing progress of legislative processes toward the realization of this goal, expressing hope that the dream would soon become a reality. He further highlighted that the 2025 Ojude Oba Festival would be an opportunity for various cultural and traditional groups in Ijebu to amplify their voices in support of state creation.
The festival, themed “Ojude Oba: Celebrating Our Roots, Preserving Our Future,” is expected to draw over two million visitors to Ijebu land and attract a global audience of about 200 million through live streaming. It will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Ijebu people while emphasizing their unity and resolve.
The Ojude Oba Festival, rooted in the advent of Islam in Ijebu land, has evolved into a vibrant cultural celebration. Its origins lie in the homage paid to the monarch by Muslim adherents three days after the Eid-el-Kabir festival, a tradition that has grown to symbolize religious tolerance and coexistence.
The festival has gained global recognition as a model of harmony and cultural preservation, with dignitaries such as Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Minister of Arts and Culture Hannatu Musawa, and other esteemed guests expected to attend the 2025 edition, scheduled for June 8, 2025, subject to the sighting of the moon.
Okuboyejo assured that this year’s event would be another milestone in showcasing the unity and cultural wealth of the Ijebu people while rallying support for their collective aspiration to achieve statehood.
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