Sunday, June 8, was a memorable day in global Christendom; it was the celebration of Pentecost, the birthday of Christianity. It was also the 56th anniversary of St Sebastian’s Catholic Cathedral, Ijebu-Ode. However, in Ijebuland, these religious anniversaries paled into insignificance because it was the period of Eid el Adha, Ileya and Ojude-Oba, a three-in-one celebration, which fell on a weekend. In my 34 years of sojourn in Yorubaland, I have observed that they do not allow religious differences to ‘put asunder’, as they ‘flow’ seamlessly, sharing each other’s joys and sorrows, without attaching weight to religious inclinations. My very good friend and late Bishop of Ijebu Ode, Ayinde Fashina, was fathered by an Alfa! My landlord, a core Catholic, slaughtered a +size ram to celebrate the Ileya.
Awujale is a Muslim, but he is the Oba of Christians, Muslims and traditionalists. Ojude Oba is a day when Ijebu people worldwide come to pay homage to their king, and this is done on the third day of Ileya, which falls on Sunday, 8/6/25. Thus, all over Ijebu-Ode, it was partying, wining, dining and socialisation nonstop for three whole days! There were canopies, limitless booze, dancing and gyrating everywhere. Houses that hitherto appeared ‘abandoned’ came to live, and rams were mercilessly executed. Sons, daughters, and in-laws of Ijebuland returned in droves, executive convoys with their alarms filled everywhere as ‘big men’ overwhelmed the sleepy town with all the paraphernalia of bigmanism. The entertainment headquarters of Nigeria relocated from Lagos to Ijebu Ode, and you know what it meant when Ebenezer Obey and Kwam 1, among others, stormed the town simultaneously.
On my way to 8am Mass, the town was already agog, with major streets decorated in colourful branded materials, with ‘sons of the soil’ Glo and FCMB taking the lead. The Catholic Bishop of Ijebu Ode started the Mass by praying for the king, the town and its people at the beginning of Mass and also ended the Mass in the same tone. Every square inch of the town was occupied by one group or the other doing their own thing. Men and women dressed gorgeously in purpose-made attires, the best shoes, and bangles… Indeed, you would think that it was a traditional fashion parade. Clubs, age groups, societies and various dynasties strove to outdo each other with their packaging while individuals dressed to outshine others in elegance, panache, and general ‘denge’.
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The festivals were beyond social and cultural. With the eyes of an ancient economist, I saw more of economics. The influx of indigenes and non-indigenes, who lodged in hotels, led to 100 percent occupancy rates; the rental of canopies, chairs, and chillers; the sales of assorted drinks; general and unique cuisines; ram merchandising and butchering; event planners; advertisers; marketing communication and branding experts; videographers and photographers; the fashion industry; transporters; filling stations; road-side joints; and hawkers (favoured by the traffic snarl)… everybody made money. Even the ‘body no be wood’ experienced a boom because outside the royal vicinity, I saw some ladies decked in cyber-minis, flaunting some unmentionable things and exposing what should be hidden, all over the place. Local and imported area boys and petty thieves were also in attendance. Everybody and every group had a swell time, and as the big men enjoyed the luxury that their wealth could provide, the not-so-big men who came with them permeated the city at night, overwhelming the various local joints. And they all spent money, big money, in the process. In any case, if you doubt that it was an economic affair, ask the Governor of Kano, who was lamenting the economic losses that the state economy incurred due to the cancellation of the Durbar.
The morning after, everywhere was QUIET! All the guests and executive convoys had literally vanished; most of the canopies were dismantled, and by the time I went for the morning walk, it was not believable that this city was engulfed in riotous celebrations for three days. All the strange faces, security details and all that had disappeared, and we have gone back to our usual quiet Ijebu Ode lives.
Ileya & Ojude-Oba were primarily cultural, but the economics and economy of the events have overwhelmed the cultural and religious. I suggest that the state and federal agencies should throw in their weight to expand the width and depth of the celebrations. I also suggest that our economists and the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics should unravel the economic impact of the ceremonies on Ijebuo-Ode, Ijebu Land and beyond. To optimise the Ojude-Oba economy, we should have an Ojudu-Oba village, a cultural city for year-round entertainment, and expand the festivities to a weeklong event.
Ik Muo, PhD, Dept of Bus. Admin, Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-Iwoye. 08033026625
