From Ejirin road through Imepe, Olisa street, Arigbabu, Lafiaji, Ayegbami and Adeola Odutola Street among others in Ijebu-Ode,on Tuesday, one would marvel at the countless numbers of people on the streets arrayed with various attires, expensive garbs and headgear. Such scenario heralds the commencement of the popular Ojude Oba carnival which is observed two days after the Ileya festival. It is a dedicated day for residents and visitors alike to pay homage to the traditional ruler, Oba Sikiru Adetona and receive his royal blessings.The King's Arch-way was jam-packed with human traffic. Thousands, from within and outside Ijebuland, made their way to the palace. They were gaily dressed. On both sides of the road, one could see white canopies of various colours, shapes and sizes, all with white chairs arranged inside. The cacophony of noise also pointed to the fact that festivity was in the air. The festival has the panache of a fashion show. It was a time for men and women alike to flaunt their latest fabrics. From exotic lace attires to striking shoes, bags, jewelleries and other fashion accessories. There is always a new design of Etu and Aso Oke. Ditto for damask, guinea and other materials. They are always well cut and embroidered.The age-long ceremony which is rooted in religion and tradition however shifted from its original purpose to a political platform as members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) whose national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was made the special guest of honour denigrated the occasion with subtle campaign and campaign of calumny against the opposition party. Songs were rendered to taunt them by the visiting governors from other South-West states. It was indeed a deviation from the routine and many attendees were angry at the way the festival was turned into a political rally.The national leader ensured that virtually all local council chairmen were present at the ceremony and other elected national office holders. The popular Lagos Eyo Orisa festival was also imported to Ijebu land. Such was the depth of the changes that characterised the 2011 Ojude Oba festival to the annoyance of Ijebu residents . The highpoint was, however, the stern warning given to the governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to fulfil his electoral promises to the people or be booted out by their votes.The Awujale said that Nigeria needs consistent leaders who will turn things around for the people positively rather than playing politics with initiatives that would only retard the growth of the state. Oba Adetona added that the electorate are dynamic people who had already set standards for their leaders and when they fall short of the templates, they will incur the peoples wrath.He warned Amosun to fulfill all his electoral promises to the people of Ogun State or get booted by the people with their votes. He urged him to treat everybody equally without discriminating political affiliations or background. His words: 'I am so glad and honoured by your presence. Those who have come from far and near is a testimony that we can achieve a lot with unity. I want to use this opportunity to restate that what we need for development are consistent leaders. Those who will turn things around and not those who will play politics with development. The cultural and religious event was marked elaborately amid pomp and pageants by the various age grades and titled chiefs with the admiration of the visitors and indigenes of Ijebu land.The highpoint of the event, which was sponsored by telecommunication giant, Globacom and others, was the display by the Regberegbes (age grades) and the Baloguns (warlords) entertaining their guests with horse riding, among others.At the end of the parade, Egbe Bobagunte Obirin, came first with the Egbe Mafowoku second and Egbe Arobayo Obirin came third respectively. The winner got N1 million. The winners emerged by their unique attires, timeliness and orderliness.Without mincing words, It was a celebration of splendour, a gathering of glamour, a carnival of conviviality, a radiation of royalty, a festival of fashion, a parade of paragons, a durbar of distinction and a coronation of tradition. From the outlooks of the attendees, it was indeed fun. The poor forgot their poverty, the rich their wealth, the sick their malady, the entrepreneurs their businesses.Though it has its history in religion, the yearly event has transcended religion as it is a time for jubilation for all sons and daughters of Ijebuland. The festival was said to have started when the first set of Muslim converts in Ijebu-Ode decided to pay homage to the Awujale two days after their first Eid-el-Kabir in the town. They had gone to the palace to visit the Awujale, present him with festival gifts, which included part of the rams they had slaughtered for the celebration and to pray with him. The Awujale was said to have been so pleased with the gesture of the Muslims that he had asked for a repeat the following year. Thus, what was meant to be a one-off event turned out to be a recurring occurrence. Ojude-Oba has undergone a series of transformation since it started over a century ago. Now, it is not just an occasion for Muslims to pay an annual homage to the traditional ruler, though it is still observed two days after the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, but an opportunity for the people of the town to celebrate their king. The whole town moves in batches to pay homage to the king in his palace. As part of their homage to the Awujale, the batches, known as regberegbe (age groups), will dance before the king one after the other. The dance is not just a movement to the lyrics of the provided music but also an occasion to show off the latest wardrobe acquisition of the age group. Each group takes time to look for the best in the world of fashion to put on for the visit to the palace. This particular aspect of the celebration has come under severe criticism that the festival encourages ostentation, but the defence of the Ijebu has always been that coming before the king in a presentable manner is not an invitation to break a bank because being presentable and being ostentatious are miles apart. They also claim that there are groups that choose ankara for their visit to the Awujale and they are neither booed nor ridiculed.The parade of each group is usually spectacular. Each regberegbe usually puts up a display that will linger in the memory of the participants. Each of these groups is distinct from the rest, either in the manner of appearance, style of dressing or dance pattern.The story of regberegbe goes back to the 19th Century. It was established as an index of the growth and progress that had become the lot of the people. It is a system of delineating the population according to age (three years for each group) for the purpose of bonding and to encourage each group to contribute its own quota to the development of the land. The groups since the 19th century have constituted a major instrument of social mobilisation. The name of each group is symbolic and has a role to play in the guiding philosophy of the group. The approval for the name of each group resides with the Awujale. The first regberegbe group in Ijebu Ode was the one named Egbe Moradegun (taking pleasure in royalty), which was for people born between 1814 and 1816. The name is a reflection of the fashion consciousness of the people. Similarly, the choice of Egbe Mafowoku (never be in lack of money) as the tag for people born between 1846 and 1848, is a pointer to the extent of prosperity that the town experienced in that period.So, the choice of regberegbe when Ojude-Oba reached its present level of acceptance and importance is an attempt to bring everybody into the fold of the celebration, irrespective of their religious affiliation, and to re-enact the magic of bonding which the regberegbe brought in its wake when it was first introduced.Another frills of the event was the horse riding. But this is not open to everybody. Horse riding at Ojude-Oba has nothing to do with regberegbe or age group; it was strictly an affair for specific families; the Baloguns and Eleshins.The Baloguns and Eleshins are of the lineage of war heroes. These are people whose artistry in warfare led to the victory of the Ijebu nation over their adversaries during the internecine wars that ravaged Yorubaland in the 19th century. The descendants of these warriors that saved Ijebuland from being enslaved by others are usually recognised during the Ojude-Oba celebration and are allowed to give a tip of their skills in horse riding as a simulation of what their forebears did with the beasts on the war front.The display of the horse riders before the king was breath-taking. Accompanied with martial music and cheered by the crowd, the riders and their horses thrill the royalty and the people with chivalric moves that will not fail to hold a candle to any professional display anywhere in the world. The parade of the horse riders has never failed to attract appreciation from the crowd which rains applause on the horses and their riders ceaselessly.
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