Carnival is a public celebration of a people with the purpose of showcasing their persons, culture and heritage of excellence in all raminification in a convivial mood.
It however incorporates street parade, fashionsence, dancing, parties and other forms of entertainments.
Ojude Oba Carnival in Ijebu-Ode is, of course, the most glamorous event celebrated in the historical city annually since 1896.
It is a well organised event as packaged by the Central Working Committe as approved by the Awujale-In-Council.
Each of the recognised participating Balogun and other approved families exhibit between 15-50 gogeously dressed horses in their entourage displaying good horsemanship amidst pomps and pageantry entertaining the estimated one million sons, daughters, dignitaries and visitors from different parts of Nigeria and countries around the world in attendance.
Furthermore, the beauty of Ojude Oba is not complete without highlighting the role, glamour, beauty and candour of the Regberegbe (age grades) at the carnival.
In the present circumstance, the carnival has witnessed a tremendous transformation under the Awujale and the paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba ll.
The innovations are beyond the imagination of the forebearers that has resulted in the attraction and goodwill in form of endorsements, support and corporate sponsorship from the likes of Globacom, First City Monument Bank, Rites Foods, Nigerian Brewery, Nigerian Distilleries, Council of Otunba, Council of Traditional Council, Ijebu Heritage Club, Age Grades, Social Clubs, high networth sons and daughters at home and diaspora and other organisations as part of their Corporate Social Responsibilities to the annual celebration of elegance and excellence.
Furthermore, with modernisation, the 70 Regberegbe with an average membership of 150 each are indeed a force to reckon with in terms of their attendance with pomp and pageantry while showcasing the best and latest fashionsence as their inborn traditional heritage at the Palace Pavilion to receive traditional blessings from the Royal father, Alaiyeluwa.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Kabiyesi’s motivation and encouragement have turned the Regberegbe into a formidable vanguard for the socio-economic development of Ijebu-Ode and its environs. Moreover, the active participation in the carnival has become a unifying factor that creates an avenue for enduring peaceful co-existence irrespective of the faith and social status of the members, and by extension, the entire Ijebu people.
Perhaps, one may add that the fashionsence as displayed by the Regberegbe is second to none in Yorubaland nay the nation at large reinforcing the general notion that: “If dressing well is wrong, the Ijebu people can never be right”.
Meanwhile, as a rider to this celebration of splendour, an opportunity to debunk and thus put in a proper perspective the diverse misinformation and misconception of non-Ijebu on the concept of the celebration vis-à-vis the role of Regberegbe in the socio-economic development of the Ijebuland in general becomes sacrosanct.
It is, however, important to educate those who overtime has characterised the annual event as a jamboree of ostentation and wasteful resources. Ridiculously, it is a recurring insinuation that such resources should be deployed to rehabilitate the badly maintained roads in Ijebu-Ode which are nothing but portholes ravaged by flood and erosion, provision of world class hospitals and other healthcare facilities of their imagination to the citizens.
Emphatically, the comments and observation are well-known but it is not the absolute duty of the Ijebu to take over the responsibilities of the government. All these observation are recurring electioneering campaign slogans and promises of the politicians to attract sympathetic votes from the people.
It is indeed a statement of fact that Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Port Harcourt and all the cities of Nigeria are not built and maintained by the indegines of the areas but by the federal, state and local government over time. Of particular reference, painfully state that Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State is not built by the Egba but with the resource allocations from the revenue allocation of the federal government, Internally Generated Revenue, various taxes, and other streams of income generation by the government.
It is therefore unfair to label the Ijebu as spendthrifts while at the same wasteful who cared less about the infrastructural development of Ijebu-Ode in particular and its catchment areas in general. The past successive governments of Ogun State should be held liable and culpable for the negligence or perhaps deliberate policy to denigrade Ijebuland because of societal rivalry.
The challenge is therefore put in the corridor of power in order to address the obvious case of the negligence and unjustifiable imbalance and inequity in spreading the dividends of democracy across the three senatorial districts of the State and Ijebu-Ode, the second largest city in the State in particular.
Historically, since inception, the Regberegbe is the commercial arm of the Administrative set-up of the Awujale-in-Council that complements and supports the royal father in the areas of community development, unity and economic intervention that have become the heritage of the Ijebu to the envy of other ethnic nationalities over the time.
Successive governments in Ogun State, either delibrately or otherwise, have neglected the road network in Ijebu-Ode and its cashment areas for no justifiable reasons but lack of respect to the principle of equity, fairness and justice.
Nevertheless, within a twinkle of an eye, the present state administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun is revisiting the injustice of the past administrations by extending the dividends of democracy to every parts of the state with Ijebu-Ode Local Government inclusive. This is indeed commendable.
Methinks, a Daniel has indeed come to judgement with the ongoing repairs, rehabilitation, completion of abandoned and construction of new roads. The ongoing road projects include but not limited to the major township roads:
1. Ondo Road
2. Imoru Road
3. General Hospital Road
4. Awokoya-Tam Balogun Road
5. Moborode Road
6. Igbeba-Yidi Road.
7. Completed road network at Porogun
8. Completed Molipa dual carriage road/ Otunba Subomi Balogun road
9. Refurbishment and upgrade of the Carnival Parvillion
During a recent inspection of the above-listed projects, the Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo described the roads as a transformative infrastructural project. He highlighted their potentials to significantly boost the state’s economic landscape.
He said that the roads would enhance connectivity, promote trade, and strengthen social ties within the local government, ultimately improving the lives of our people. He also classified them as impactful projects that would enhance the well-being of the people and drive sustainable development across the state.
No doubt, the project will promote the image of the Ijebu often judged by the condition of the roads against the content of their character, lifestyle and glamour of Ojude Oba in particular.
The carnival is awaiting been listed by UNESCO, like the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and Notting Hill Carnival in London as Ojude Oba Carnival 2025 is streaming for a blast unprecedented in 129 years of history of the carnival.
Engr. Sote writes from Galleria Casablanca
