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Ogoga celebrates Odun Oba with pomp, pageantry

By Ayodele Afolabi, Ado-Ekiti
13 August 2017   |   3:48 am
I appreciate your encouragement and support. We continue to give glory to God that despite machinations of those tiny evil group, which think it can, through lies and propaganda, disrupt the peace of this kingdom in their delusional...

Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Adejimi Adu, recently celebrated the annual Odun Ijesu, which has now been rechristened Odun Oba.

One of the foremost monarchs in Ekiti State, the Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Adejimi Adu, recently celebrated the annual Odun Ijesu, which has now been rechristened Odun Oba.

The Odun Oba was essentially designed to felicitate with the king, and appreciate the supreme deities for granting him the privilege to see another Calendar year. This year’s Odun Oba attracted many illustrious sons and daughters of the ancient town, who graced the event to felicitate with their monarch.

A day preceding the festival, there were all night shows, where artistes and people in show business entertain people with pomp and pageantry. On the appointed day, the Monarch’s palace, venue of the event, was already filled to capacity very early in the morning.

Various associations, including those that are non-Ekiti, but who are residents of the town, danced in various costumes to the palace, where they paid homage to Oba Adu, bearing various gifts.

In his address, the Ogoga, one of the 16 First Class Obas in the state said: “I salute all sons and daughters. I appreciate your encouragement and support. We continue to give glory to God that despite machinations of those tiny evil group, which think it can, through lies and propaganda, disrupt the peace of this kingdom in their delusional devilish plot to rewrite history, they continue to fail. They have continued to heap ridicule on their own heads.

“They failed before and will continue to fail because we stand on truth and God is with us and the world is seeing through all their shenanigans. I enjoin our people to ignore their provocation, because it will not be long before they fizzle away. If the long arm of the law does not catch them earlier for their criminality, they will not escape God’s judgment.

“They deliberately create distractions. But we remain focused in our pursuit of peace, progress and good image for Ikere kingdom.”

In his remarks, the lawmaker representing Ikere Constituency 1, Wale Ayeni, said the people’s support has earned them Governor Fayose’s developmental activities in Ikere in the form of roads, water and other infrastructure.

Chief Babatunde Olorunfemi, Akogun Ikere-Ekiti, explained the significance of the New Yam festival to the people. In his view, it was the best New Yam Festival celebration Ikere has witnessed in many years.

He said: “We now call it Odun Oba, instead of Ijesu Oba because the latter, as a name for festivals like this across the nation, has become too common. The Ijesu Oba Festival has its origin in a traditional practice or ritual, whereby the monarch eats the new yam of each year’s harvest season, and ensures that the yam tastes good before other people follow to celebrate it.

“Last week, our monarch, Ogoga of Ikere land, Oba Adejimi Samuel Adu Alagbado, Agririlala 11, ate the new yam and up till now, it hasn’t given him ill-health, so we are celebrating this new harvest season, as symbolised by the new tubers of yam.

“Therefore, we have invited all Ikere indigenes, home and abroad, as well as our friends and associates to rejoice with us and the Kabiyesi, the Ogoga on this day.”

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