Ijebu Ode’s Ojude Oba Festival

Abstract

Yoruba festivals are numerous and multifarious. For this reason, some are of the view that the Yorubas are deeply spiritual. In addition to the generally celebrated festivals among the Yorubas, each Yoruba tribe has its own festivals. A series of these festivals called the Ojude Oba festival is celebrated by the Ijebus who are renowned for both their enterprise and affluence. This article examines the cultural and spiritual significance of the Ojude Oba festival. It analyzes the early beginnings of the festival while providing insights into the epoch of the Ijebus. The festival constitutes a major commercial activity that brings about economic integration and development of the Ijebu community. This article argues that the Ojude Oba festival should not be seen simply for its entertainment value, but as a manifestation of Yoruba cultural, socio-economic, and spiritual values.

Evaluation of Land Cover Dynamics and Landscape Fragmentation in Ijebu Ode, Nigeria

“…As such, the study used satellite imagery data to evaluate the nature and extent of urban land use change in Ijebu Ode, Nigeria between 1986 and 2021 and assessed the changes in landscape structure in the study area. Ijebu Ode is the traditional and cultural headquarters of Ijebuland, the only kingdom that survived the political turbulent and anarchy that destroyed many Yoruba settlements during the inter-ethnic rivalries of the 18th and 19th centuries [36,37]. The Ijebus are found in the south-central part of south western Nigeria.…”

“…The Ijebus are found in the south-central part of south western Nigeria. Whereas the largest part of Ijebu land is in Ogun State, modern Nigeria political division has placed three Ijebuspeaking Local Government Council Areas (Epe, Ibeju-Lekki and Ikorodu) under Lagos State [37,38].…”