Whether you’re an Ijebu Ode indigene or not, you’ve probably witnessed the display of cultural excellence that is the Ojude Oba festival on social media.
Every year, after the Eid al-Adha celebrations, Ijebu people from around the world return home to pay respects to the Awujale of Ijebuland and show off their ancestral pride in a regal display of colour, tradition and bold fashion.
Ojude Oba is THE event of the year for the Ijebu people, and they spare no expense for the festivities. But how far does this cost go? What does it take to show up in matching outfits, ride out on horses, and give the world a show?
We spoke to Oladayo Kuku, a member of Ijebu Ode’s prominent Balogun Kuku family. He talked about the extensive planning and heavy financial obligations that go into a successful Ojude Oba outing.
As told to Boluwatife
Oladayo Kuku at Ojude Oba 2024
To my family, Ojude Oba is beyond a festival; it’s our legacy. My great-grandfather, Balogun Kuku, is known for rebranding the Odeda festival to Ojude Oba. In all the years since then, the Balogun Kuku family has never missed a festival.
Ojude Oba starts early in the morning, with different groups coming to show themselves to the Awujale. The age groups (regberegbe) are first in the procession. Most people, including me, belong to an age group, and we come out in matching outfits to pay respects to the king.
Next are the 16 Eleshin (horse-rider) families. They come out on their horses, dressed in beautiful attire, with drummers, and display before the king. Then we have the Baloguns (the warlords). This is where my family falls, and there are 8 Balogun families in Ijebu Ode. We also come out on horses, but the difference between us and the Eleshins is that we come with guns due to our war privilege. We add ceremonial gun salutes to the drumming and horse display.
The Eleshin and Balogun families have five minutes for their displays and are judged by our coordination, composure, dressing, and even the crowd in our processions. The best three families get the first, second, and third position awards. The Balogun Kuku family has come first eight times in the last nine years.
When we came first in the 2024 festival, the award came with a ₦500k cash prize. It’s a good thing we don’t participate for the prospect of winning money. The prize doesn’t come close to the time, effort and costs of preparing for the festival.
Planning takes up to a year
Planning for the following year’s Ojude Oba festival starts as early as two months after the festival. This is especially necessary for my family, as we’re the largest family in Ijebu and have family members worldwide.
We divide ourselves into factions in the different cities we live in, and hold multiple meetings to discuss our plans. Every single aspect of our outing is discussed, from the number of horses, the horse riders and those who will come in as foot soldiers, to the clothes we’ll wear.
The clothes are particularly a closely guarded secret. No family knows what colour another family is wearing until the festival day. In fact, not everyone within a family knows the colour to prevent leaks. You just show up and collect your clothes.
The endless meetings and discussions help us have a clear picture of what we need in advance. For instance, we often have to rent horses because not every rider has one. This year’s display will include 100 horses, but we only own about 20, so we rent the rest at ₦200k each. We’re also using a chariot, so our discussions also cover our entry style, the number of guns and drummers and everyone joining the procession.
Then, there are the rehearsals. I live in Lagos, but I’m a rider for my family, so I’ve had to travel to Ijebu Ode almost every weekend in the last two months to rehearse and ensure everything is set.
I believe the intensity of our planning is part of what sets my family apart from others. Some people just come into the arena on the festival day for their display, but we meticulously plan to execute something extraordinary. Our numbers also favour us.
Other families often have to rent flag boys or get friends to join their procession, and while this isn’t wrong, my family never has to because of our massive numbers. We have at least two thousand people following the riders on foot, and these are family members who understand our tradition, why we do this and what it means for our family. They undoubtedly put more energy and enthusiasm into the display, which is why we always deliver.
The Balogun Kuku family at Ojude Oba 2024
When it comes to finances, it’s all hands on deck
A big part of delivering our best every year involves finances. Planning a successful outing requires a lot, and budgets are a major agenda item in many of our meetings.
Several factors take money during Ojude Oba, and as a member of a prominent participating family, the family factor is very important. My family organises parties in Ijebu during Ileya and Ojude Oba, and everyone contributes to the budget for DJs, food, logistics, decoration, house maintenance, and other associated costs.
We also have a foundation through which we support Ijebu Ode indigenes with scholarships, medicals and packaged food items. These outreaches are done about twice a year, and Ileya/Ojude Oba is one of those periods. Some of the money raised from the contributions goes toward this as well.
Everyone pays through their branch for easy collection of these contributions. For instance, people living in Lagos pay through the Lagos branch of the family. The same goes for people in the UK, Canada, America and other parts of Nigeria. Then the branches pay to the national to get everything we need in Ijebu Ode.
There’s no minimum amount of money to contribute. The main planners just tell us how much they expect from each of us and encourage us to contribute as much as we can. I contributed ₦100k and paid another ₦150k for my clothes. Some of my uncles contributed in the range of ₦500k – ₦10m.
I don’t have the specifics of what my family spent in total this year, but it’s definitely above ₦30m. This includes the cost of bringing in horses from the North, feeding them, parties, and other personal expenses incurred by family members. It may not even cover the travel costs of people coming in from the diaspora.
We have about 50 family members travelling down from other countries, and I can’t even imagine what the cost of their flights and other personal arrangements would amount to. So, if we add everyone’s personal expenses, the total budget is almost infinite.
Personal financial cost: A total breakdown
Beyond my obligation to my family, I also have to handle personal expenses like contributions to my regberegbe, renting and dressing my horse, hotel accommodation, and entertaining my friends. My total expenses this year will likely exceed ₦1m.
- Horse (renting and dressing) – ₦250k
- Family (clothes and contribution) – ₦250k
- Regberegbe (clothes, accessories and contribution) – ₦400k
- Riding boots – ₦70k
- Hotel accommodation – ₦25k/night for seven or eight days
This breakdown doesn’t include entertainment because I can’t put a number to it. I’ll buy drinks for my friends coming to Ijebu to celebrate with me, and maybe even book extra rooms and sort out transportation for them. There are also miscellaneous expenses — like the ₦150k I sent to someone a few days ago to help me arrange mint cash.
Cultural pride outweighs any cost
Ojude Oba is time, energy, and money-consuming, but we don’t focus on that. What matters most is keeping our culture and legacy alive. It’s who we are as a people. Every year, everyone comes home, and it’s beautiful to see. It’s easily my best day of the year.
Also, Ojude Oba isn’t just a show; its impact brings development to Ijebu Ode. You’ll see people renovating their homes, and the streets of Ijebu burst into colour. Businesses also thrive.
There’s currently no available hotel room in Ijebu because it’s all booked. These hotels usually cost ₦15k or ₦17k, but Ojude Oba weekend allows them to increase prices to around ₦25k/night. Companies see this opportunity and keep entering the town. Photographers and makeup artists are booked and busy.
It’s a full-on celebration that touches every aspect of life in Ijebu Ode, and I’m proud to be a part of it.
If you enjoyed this, you’ll love our Ojude Oba documentary:
ALSO READ: Don’t Attend Ojude Oba 2025 Without Reading This First
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