Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged the Awujale of Ijebuland, HRM Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, to declare the Ojude Oba festival a No-Smoking or Smoke-Free event, in the interest of public health.

CAPPA, in a statement, on Friday, by its Media and Communication Officer, Robert Egbe, appealed to the Awujale and the organising committee of the 2025 Ojude Oba festival to prohibit smoking, glamourisation of tobacco products and tobacco advertisements across all festival grounds, and establish designated health stations where volunteers can educate participants on the risks of smoking and vaping.

This year’s Ojude Oba festival, with the theme, ‘Ojude Oba: Celebrating Our Roots, Preserving Our Future’, is billed for Sunday, June 8, at the Dipo Dina International Stadium in Ijebu Ode.

Each year, the festival attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and tourists, as well as global attention and media.

The group tasked the revered monarch and the Ojude Oba organising committee to prevent the tobacco industry from using the event to target individuals and vulnerable groups with its products.

It said: “With this spotlight comes responsibility. Your majesty and the committee may recall that during last year’s Ojude Oba festival, which featured many colourful appearances, a notable occurrence involved cancer survivor, Farooq Oreagba, smoking on horseback.”

This image, which circulated widely, was also seized by the tobacco industry to frame and promote smoking as fashionable, and a cultural norm.

“Unfortunately, such portrayals of ‘smoking as a cool indulgence’ risk overshadowing the cultural significance of Ojude Oba and inadvertently endorsing harmful behaviours. This is true because medical evidence and the experiences of addicted victims make it clear that there is nothing good about smoking. Even second hand inhalation kills. Tobacco consumption is a leading cause of preventable cancers, respiratory disorders, and cardiovascular illnesses, and it places families and young people at grave risk.”

CAPPA also encouraged the organising committee to mobilise group leaders to reinforce smoke-free guidelines and ensure that every age group understands the stakes.