Festivals

Obey thrills fun-seekers at Lisabi festival

Published

4 years ago

February 22, 2023

Veteran music icon, Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, thrilled participants and fun-seekers at the grand finale of the 36th Lisabi Festival held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The festival is said to be a cultural heritage event celebrated yearly by the Egba people in the state, in honour of the legendary Lisabi, a hero of the Egba liberation struggle from the dominance of the old Oyo Kingdom.

Speaking during the grand finale of the week-long cultural festival, the Category Manager, Schnapps, Intercontinental Distillers Limited, Tofunmi Opaleye, said the eagle aromatic schnapps was associated with cultural celebrations.

“We are excited at the opportunity that Lisabi Festival provided for the brand to promote culture, offer prayers, and create some pleasure for Nigerians,” Opaleye said.

The chief host of the festival, the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, while also speaking at the event, expressed appreciation to the IDL for consistently supporting the festival yearly.

He said, “I thank IDL for always being a friend of the Egba people, which you have always demonstrated as a major partner of the Lisabi Day celebration. Your support over the years is very commendable.

“On behalf of all Egba sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora, I seek the blessings of Almighty God and those of our forefathers on you and your brands. We shall continue to pray for you,” Gbadebo said.

Dignitaries in attendance included the state Governor, Dapo Abiodun; the Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele and a former governor of the state, Olusegun Osoba, among others.

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Culture

OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

2 weeks 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.”