Funtainment as Rite Foods spices up Ojude Oba Festival

It was all fun and funfair as the 2024 edition of the Ojude Oba festival was held in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, on Tuesday as the various Regberegbe (age grade groups) were resplendent in their colourful attire and majestic performances as they competed for the prizes.

Leading food and beverage company, Rite Foods Limited, as expected, added spice to the event, restating its commitment to preserving Nigeria’s cultural heritage through its sponsorship of this year’s edition of the festival.

According to the company, its partnership with the Ojude Oba Festival is a testament to its commitment to promoting and preserving the rich cultural heritage of Ijebu people.

Affirming the company’s continuous sponsorship of the festival, the Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Ekuma Eze, said that the continuous sponsorship of the cultural event stems from its commitment to promoting the age-long tradition and legacies that have been bequeathed to the Ijebu people and the ties that unite them.

The Ojude Oba Festival is a yearly cultural display of the array and variety of dances, troops, and gallantry of the Ijebu people – at the King’s Court.

Addressing the mammoth crowd at the event, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun said this year’s edition with the theme: “Ojude Oba: Peace, Unity and Harmony, Our Gifts” emphasised the values that the festival had espoused for over a century that it has been in existence.

“The Ojude Oba Festival is a bond that unites Ijebu people and will always be held as it is one of the traditions that dates back two centuries ago. It is a reflection of the cultural ideals that advances the development of Ijebu-land, hence my administration’s support to its observance,” he said.

Speaking at the event, the paramount ruler of Ijebu-land, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayọde Adetọna, stated that the Festival, which attracts the sons and daughters of Ijebu-land across the country, and in the diaspora, has the potentials to boost tourism and help in the diversification of the economy, which was why the Federal government and many governments across the globe have placed tourism on top of their development agenda.