Introduction
Ojude Oba which means ‘The King’s Forecourt or Frontage’ is an aged-long annual festival celebrated in Southwestern Nigeria by the Yoruba people of Ijebu land. It is a yearly majestic outing of the Ijebu people which is no doubt a fascinating and elegant event that showcases the rich and exotic cultural heritages of the Ijebu people. This colorful event is often celebrated on the third day after Eid al Kabir. It is one renowned, sacred, and elegant feast that is celebrated in Ijebuland and by extension in Ogun State Nigeria.
Origin of Ojude Oba Festival in Ijebu-land
The Ojude-Oba festival has its root in Islam in the 19th century during the reign of Awujale Afidipote. It was gathered that the king permitted the new Islam converts to freely practice their faith without interference or persecution while these converts in return, as a show of gratitude to royalty, paid homage to the king for the religious liberty they enjoyed under his lordship. As years went by, this homage evolved into an annual event and, eventually what today is, the famous Ojude-Oba Festival. With time, this festival is not only celebrated by the Ijebu people alone, it usually hosts many prominent dignitaries from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, lovers of culture and traditions across the globe also join in this flashy festival to pay homage and show respect to His Royal Majesty, the Awujale of Ijebuland (King).
Cultural Display
The Ojude Oba festival can be described as an elegant cultural fashion exhibition of the Yorubas in Ijebu-land. This festival presents flamboyant displays of colorful and well-detailed traditional outfits from various age-grade groups known as rebbe-rebbes, showcasing the rich Ijebu culture. In the past, these groups were responsible for grassroots development of the Ijebu community and the preservation of its customs and traditions. The rebbe-rebbes (age-grade groups), consist of males and female who parade themselves in their attractive cultural attires, while the king showers them with royal blessings. The horse riders are not left out in this magnificent festival, as they ride majestically on their horses to pay homage to the King; in recent times, this has metamorphosed into a competition among the Ijebu-Ode Balogun (warlord) families.
Tourist Opportunities
As the Ojude Oba Festival attract local and foreign tourists to Ogun State and Nigeria at large, the Nigeria Government through The Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Creative Economy can innovatively seize this yearly golden opportunity to diversify the economy from being solely dependent on oil to generate more resources from the festival’s tourism potential. The Federal and State governments can leverage this festival to promote economic growth and sustainable development.
Conclusion
The festival promotes unity and peaceful coexistence among diverse groups thereby strengthening community bonds. No one could have ever imagined that what started as a mere tradition of the Ijebu Muslims paying homage to the King is fast becoming a global and unifying cultural event that unites all sons of Ijebu-land, both home and abroad across religion.