Festivals

FCMB Group boss hails Ojude Oba festival economic value

Published

2 years ago

June 24, 2024

FCMB Group boss hails Ojude Oba festival economic value

The Group Chief Executive of FCMB Group, Ladi Balogun, has hailed the economic value of the annual Ojude Oba Festival, which recently took place.

Balogun disclosed this in a statement made available to Akonitv on Sunday.

He noted that the festival attracts visitors from across Nigeria and the diaspora, contributing to the growth of trade and tourism in Ijebuland, Ogun State and Nigeria.

The FCMB Group Chief Executive urged Ijebu people to embrace the festival’s spirit of togetherness and use it as a springboard for further development and inspiration for younger generations.

FCMB Group has been supporting the Ojude Oba Festival for over 20 years.

This year’s Ojude Oba festival witnessed the participation of 90 Regberegbe groups, a significant increase from 76 in 2023.

Also, speaking on the festival’s economic impact, the CEO of Blooms Hotel in Ijebu-Ode, Adewale Adenugba, said, “The festival has significantly boosted business activities across Ijebuland over the years, coinciding with the Muslim Eid-el-Kabr celebration when many Ijebus and their friends return home.

“During this period, hotels in Ijebu-Ode and surrounding towns experience full occupancy, and relaxation centres also see increased activity. Artisans, traders, and vendors of various items, including festival paraphernalia, food, drinks, and transportation services, enjoy brisk business and substantial income. If we aggregate all these, the festival generates billions in revenue, benefiting not only Ijebu-Ode and Ogun State but also Nigeria. I urge the government to leverage this platform to promote tourism further.”

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Governor, Adedapo Abiodun, has affirmed the economic and social development potential of the festival and committed to elevating the Ojude Oba festival to a global stage.

The annual Ojude Oba festival is a celebration of Ijebu culture and tradition.

Up Next

Osun First Lady, Dabiri-Erewa, others to attend Pan-Afrika Drum Festival

Don't Miss

Ojude Oba Festival: FG’s Ambition To Enlist On WHS Rests On 10 Selection Criteria

Click to comment

Culture

OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

2 hours ago

October 5, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Halima Adaba,

It was a featubal if the people. It was for the anciebt town of Ile Ife, which the Yoruba race refards as the Source.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

And ut was a festivsl for the King, Arole Oduduwa, Oonirisa, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

And so between September 24 and 28th 2026, the annual featuval dazzjed in all its white glory.

Tge Monarch paid the traditional ancestral homage and offered propitiation as part of the sacred rites of the Olojo Festival.
It was a powerful expression of Yoruba heritage, spirituality, and enduring tradition.

Call it a collection of beautiful moments, faces, colours and cultural expressions.

Every frame tells a story.

Every face carries the energy.

Every moment keeps the heritage alive.

Undoubtedly one of the most sacred cultural celebrations in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. It marked a day associated with creation, thanksgiving, ancestral heritage, and the sacred appearance of the Ooni of Ife wearing the revered Aàrẹ crown.

There were also the devotees of the famed god of thunder – Sàngó who were hardly conspicuous at the festival.

Many other traditional groups came out with candor, showing a powerful expression of Yoruba cultural identity, spiritual devotion, and respect for the ancient traditions of Ilé-Ifẹ̀.

Devotees of Sàngó bekieved the ‘appearance’ of the god of thunder on Seotember 26th could be understood as a symbolic meeting of ancestral heritage, spiritual devotion, and the celebration of creation.

It was a moment when the sounds of drums, chants, and traditional praise poetry brought the history of the Yoruba people to life.

Although Olojo is closely associated with Ogun, the god of iron, and the sacred traditions of Ile-Ife, the presence of Sàngó devotees reflected the rich diversity of Yoruba spiritual heritage.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

As a participant enthused at the festival, “To witness Sàngó Olúkòso emerge on Olojo Festival day is to witness a living expression of history, identity, and ancestral pride.”