Ojude Oba Festival In Ogun State Boosts Nigeria’s Tourism

The annual Ojude Oba festival celebrated by the people of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State South west Nigeria has remained a boost to tourism development in Nigeria.

The Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Olusegun Runsewe, stated this at the 2023 Ojude Oba festival.

Runsewe noted that the festival had contributed immensely to development of culture and tourism in Nigeria.

He said that the festival had remained a brand for Ijebu people both home and abroad, saying the festival had continued to bring development and growth to the community and had impacted positively on the socio economic growth of the state.

“Today marks a new brand for the entire Ijebu people both at home and diaspora . Ojude Oba has become a brand of developing culture and tourism in Nigeria.

” Yesterday, I was so happy that at the airport over 3,500 Nigerians came back home because of Ojude Oba festival . This has continue to make the festival a global one,” he said.

The Director General described the Ojude Oba festival as the new brand of culture, experience and tourism of peace in Nigeria.

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State described the festival as a beautiful experience and a historic event of global reckoning.

According to the governor, the festival had brought about cultural values of the ijebu people into limelight, saying it was a unifying factor to the entire Ijebuland.

“It is an opportunity to display our hospitality to the world. It promotes our tourism sector.

“We are going to look at having a state owned festival like this which will bring overall growth to the state,” the governor said.

The Ojude Oba celebration is an annual event celebrated annually by the Ijebu people to pay homage to the Paramount ruler and Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.

There are over one hundred peer groups, known as the” Regbe-regbe” in Ijebu Ode, who pays homage to the traditional leader .

The groups both male and female clad in colourful traditional attire, parade themselves to pay homage to the Paramount ruler.

The colorful occasion celebrated on the third day after the Muslims Eid Al- Adha celebration is also to showcase culture displayed with much joy and funfair.

The annual event attracts thousands of indigenes both home and abroad, tourists, Politicians, government officials and other traditional rulers.

Confidence Okwuchi