Ooni of Ife to lead S-West monarchs to Ekiti community festival

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The Owa Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adebayo, has said the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, will lead scores of traditional rulers from the South-West to celebrate the Ita Ajero Festival in the ancient community in Ekiti State.

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Adebayo said the festival was designed as a platform to promote Yoruba unity, history and cultural identity.

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The monarch, who spoke with journalists in Ijero Ekiti on Monday while unveiling activities for the 2026 edition of the festival, said the event was rooted in the shared ancestry of the Yoruba people.

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“Ita Ajero Festival is more than a cultural celebration, but a historic gathering rooted in the shared ancestry of the Yoruba race,” he said.

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He said the presence of the Ooni and monarchs from across Yorubaland underscored the growing significance of the festival as a platform for promoting Yoruba unity, history and cultural identity.

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He said, “Ita Ajero has its origin in the ancient relationship between Ijero and Ile-Ife, where descendants of Oduduwa traditionally gathered to deliberate on matters affecting their people.

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“Ita Ajero is not just a festival. It is our history, our culture and the place where the children of Oduduwa gathered to deliberate and take decisions. That is why we associate it with the beginning of democracy,” the monarch said.

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Adebayo recalled that the Ooni personally took Ijero representatives to the original Ita Ajero site in Ile-Ife, an experience which he said reaffirmed the historical importance of the festival.

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The Ajero urged sons and daughters of Ijero Ekiti, both at home and in the diaspora, to return home for the celebration, assuring them of adequate security throughout the festival.

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According to him, the modern festival emerged from a 2023 summit of Ijero indigenes held in Texas, United States, where participants from North America, South America and Europe resolved to reconnect with their ancestral homeland through an annual cultural celebration.

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The first edition of the festival was held in 2024, followed by the second in 2025, while this year’s edition, billed for August 21, will mark the third edition.

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Oba Adebayo said the organisers deliberately aligned Ita Ajero with the traditional Ogun Festival because of Ogun’s revered place in Yoruba civilisation as the deity of warfare, protection, farming and craftsmanship.

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He added that the kingdom’s four traditional masquerades would also feature prominently in the festival, which he described as an opportunity for Ijero indigenes to return home and reconnect with their roots.

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The Secretary of the Ita Ajero Festival Foundation, High Chief Ayo Afolabi, said activities would begin on August 18 and run through August 21.

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He said programmes for the 2026 edition would include the Miss Ita Ajero Pageant on August 19, Shugudu Night on August 20 and the grand finale on August 21 at Erekesen Market Square.

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The foundation scribe, who disclosed plans to launch a N2bn Ita Ajero Festival Pavilion, appealed to individuals, corporate organisations and well-meaning indigenes to support the cultural project.

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The Director-General, Ekiti State Bureau of Development and Investment Promotion, Lanre Ojo-Lanre, described Ita Ajero as one of the fastest-growing cultural festivals in Yorubaland and pledged continued government support.

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The Secretary, Ijero Youth Association, Pastor Akin Alufa, urged young people in the community to participate actively in the celebration and community development.

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