Late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona
Elegbede Abiodun
Prof. Yusuf argued that history already provides clear precedents showing that the festival is not dependent on the physical presence of a reigning monarch.
The Secretary of the Awujale Council of Chiefs and Baagbimo of Ijebuland, Prof. (Chief) Fassy Yusuf, has declared that the 2026 Ojude Oba Festival will hold as scheduled despite the vacant stool of the Awujale, insisting that the cultural celebration is rooted in institutional tradition rather than the personality of a reigning monarch.
Speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Prof. Yusuf dismissed growing public speculation that the festival could be suspended following the transition period created by the passing of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona.
According to him, Ojude Oba remains a permanent cultural heritage of the Ijebu people and cannot be halted because of a temporary vacancy on the throne.
“Once again, I confirm to you and to the whole world that the Ojude Oba Festival is holding in May,” he said. “That’s on May 28 or 29, depending on the official signals. We are talking about institutions, not individuals. The annual Ojude Oba Festival will go ahead in 2026 despite the absence of a newly installed Awujale of Ijebuland.”
Prof. Yusuf argued that history already provides clear precedents showing that the festival is not dependent on the physical presence of a reigning monarch.
“There were times in the past when a late monarch or revered monarch was unavailable for one reason or another, yet the festival still took place,” he said.
He warned against what he described as unnecessary agitation over the matter, stressing that those calling for the suspension of the festival were misinterpreting both history and tradition.
“It is inconceivable that anybody will be clamouring for the cancellation of the Ojude Oba Festival until a new Awujale is installed,” he stated.
He further described such calls as uninformed and potentially destabilising to cultural continuity.
“All those talking about cancellation are people who lack self-identity,” he said. “They are rabble-rousers fishing in troubled waters.”
According to him, the festival transcends individual reigns and periods of interregnum, noting that Ijebu cultural identity cannot be suspended because of royal transition.
“We, the founders and custodians of this culture, cannot sit back and allow the shine to be taken off us,” he said.
Prof. Yusuf cited historical examples to reinforce his argument that Ojude Oba has consistently survived periods of uncertainty in royal leadership.
“In 1959, the Ojude Oba Festival was held after the demise of Oba Robertson Adesanya Gbelegbuwa,” he recalled.
He explained that the transition period preceding the emergence of Oba Adetona also witnessed uninterrupted celebration of the festival.
“Oba Adetona’s appointment was approved in January 1960, and he was crowned on April 2, 1960,” he said. “That means Ojude Oba was held for about one year without a king on the throne.”
Prof. Yusuf also referenced another instance during a period of royal illness when the festival still proceeded.
“In 1995, the Ojude Oba Festival held despite the fact that Oba Adetona was critically ill and flown abroad for treatment,” he said.
According to him, respected cultural and community leaders stepped in at the time to ensure continuity.
“It was the late Ogbeni-Oja Bayo Okuku who stood in for him, supported by eminent sons and daughters of Ijebuland such as Otunba Subomi Balogun and Papa Chris Okunbadejo,” he added.
He rejected suggestions that the current situation was unprecedented, insisting that Ijebu history provides sufficient examples of continuity during transitional periods.
“That is an illogical argument. It cannot withstand the test of logic. It is nonsensical,” he said in response to claims that the festival should be suspended until a new Awujale emerges.
Prof. Yusuf stressed that governance and cultural expression cannot be frozen because of leadership transitions.
“Nature abhors a vacuum,” he said. “Somebody has to stand in.”
He disclosed that an Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council had already been constituted to oversee transitional responsibilities and ensure institutional continuity.
“We have an Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council in place,” he said. “The chairman may not occupy the seat of the Awujale, but he is standing in as acting Awujale.”
He urged critics not to overdramatise the situation, insisting that adequate administrative structures were already functioning.
“Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill,” he cautioned.
When asked whether the absence of a monarch diminishes the essence of the festival, Prof. Yusuf maintained that the symbolic role of the Awujale does not invalidate the cultural significance of Ojude Oba.
“The interregnum structure is there to fill that symbolic gap and ensure continuity of tradition,” he said.
He also acknowledged that his personal recollection of some older historical events was naturally limited by age but insisted that the institution’s historical memory remains intact.
“I was a young boy then, so I may not know exactly what happened in 1920 or 1930,” he said. “But I have not come across a situation where the festival was abandoned because of a vacant stool.”
According to him, the rarity of the current situation does not invalidate the arrangements already put in place to preserve one of Nigeria’s most celebrated cultural festivals.
