Being A Press Release of Sola Odumosu, Father of Celebrology and the World Leading Celebration Thinker on the 15th of June, 2025.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press,
It has come to my notice how some criticise His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Executive Governor of Ogun State over his “princely” cultural performance at Ojude Oba 2025, calling it a political manipulation of Ojude Oba. I urge members of the public to refrain from this defamatory statement. I am not a politician neither am I a sychophant of the Abiodun-led administration. I am simply a global celebrations thinker May I make it known that like every one of us, the governor has the right and he deserves to showcase his “princely” enigmatic personality at Ojude Oba.
- The Cultural Celebration Right of A Sitting Governor
A sitting governor by apexiomic status has the cultural celebration right to fraternize with the people as a detribalised number one citizen of his state. A governor can play a crucial role in promoting culture within his state through various initiatives by supporting cultural festivals, exhibitions, and workshops, as well as encouraging the preservation of traditional customs and languages. He has the freedom to participate by actively engaging in such celebration, not as a guest or spectator, but as a performer, thus indulging in its many feats .
He can also advocate for the development of tourism and the creative economy by highlighting cultural heritage sites and partnering with various organizations.
In supporting cultural celebrations, he could initiate funding and sponsorship, thus allocating funds and providing sponsorships for cultural festivals, carnivals, and other events that showcase the state’s rich heritage. He complements this by pomoting and publicising the cultural celebration through various media channels, ensuring that they attract local and international attention. He collaborates with traditional leaders and community groups to organizing and implementing cultural initiatives that typify the celebration. He goes out of his own way to preserving cultural heritage through
documenting and archiving traditional knowledge, artifacts, and historical sites to ensure their preservation for future generations. He protects cultural assets from damage or destruction, ensuring that they remain accessible to the public. He revitalizes traditional practices: the traditional arts, crafts, and other practices that are at risk of disappearing. He pomotes tourism and the creative economy. He highlights cultural attractions by leveraging his position to promote the state’s cultural attractions as destinations for tourism.
He supports cultural tourism by developing and implementing tourism programs that focus on cultural heritage and allows visitors to experience the state’s unique traditions. He fosters the creative economy by supporting the development of the creative economy by investing in artists, artisans, and other creative professionals. He advocates for policies that support cultural preservation and promotion even beyond his State at the national level. He works to educate the public about the importance of cultural heritage and the value of protecting it. He engages the communities by ensuring that cultural initiatives are aligned with their needs and interests. thus playing a significant part in preserving and promoting his state’s cultural heritage for future generations. Governor Dapo Abiodun fulfils and implements all on Ojude Oba, perhaps why during his tenure as a sitting Governor Ojude is placed as No.1 in Africa and 4th in the world. The adoption of Ojude Oba as a very important national cultural celebration happens during the tenure of Governor Dapo Abiodun, a feat no other governor has ever achieved before him. A governor possesses the cultural celebration right of showcasing himself as a cultural enthusiast by actively participating in a given cultural celebration, putting on an attire that befits the celebration, displaying the elegance of fashion, flaunting his idiosyncrastic personality, his unique trait, behaviour, and habit that are distinctive and often unusual, highlight hiis quirks and characteristics that set him apart from the norm. Governor Dapo Abiodun is entitled to his right of performance and indulgence on Ojude Oba and he can not be restricted.
- The First Governor To Ride A Horse on Ojude Oba
- Understanding the Symbolic Meaning
The sitting Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun has set a record as the first governor to ride a horse on Ojude Oba. Over the years the governor has been attending Ojude Oba in his official capacity as a hosting governor, sitting on the VIP section of the pavilion, occupying the high-ranking row where Awujale usually sits with the nobles. However, this year, Governor Dapo Abiodun decided to descend the ladder of social-hierarchy, in the spirit of cultural flavour, humbly associating with the Ijebus.
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2.1 The Basis of His Dressing
-Making intention clearer
Dressed elegantly in maple brown “aso oke”, which translates to “top cloth” in Yoruba, is a high-status fabric historically worn by royalty and used in significant ceremonies. Capped in “abeti aja” which means ears of a dog, the fila symbolizes alertness and courage, as dogs are known for their attentiveness and bravery. The royal red neck-beads worn by the “Prince -Governor symbolize passion, love, and strength, and in particular are associated with life, vitality, and even protection signifying grounding, security, and stability.
Governor Dapo Abiodun, an Ijebu-born political figure of Iperu extraction makes his intention clearer in Ojude Oba 2025 as a culture- enthusiast. His dressing represents cultural pride, status, and tradition of Ijebu people. It signifies the importance of Ojude Oba as Ijebu’s foremost cultural celebration and
tribal connections within its folds and ethnic bond. It embodies Ijebu cultural heritage as well as other Yoruba groups and is a source of pride for the people. Different types and colors of aso-oke are associated with various life stages and occasions.The cloth is more than just material; it symbolizes status, tradition, and communal identity.
In its very all-round sense, the maple brown aso-oke symbolises warmth, stability, and nature of immense ceremonial function, evoking feelings of elegance, tradition, and simplicity. Brown, in general, is often considered a warm and comforting color, and maple brown in its exquite form shares these qualities due to its association with wood and natural elements. As a color derived from the earth, brown is often linked to stability, grounding, and reliability. Maple brown is directly connected to the natural world, particularly the maple tree, making it symbolic of nature, autumn, and the outdoors. The smooth grain and fine texture of maple wood contribute to the color’s association with elegance, simplicity, and even a touch of sophistication.
2.2 The Horseriding Phenomenon
What is wrong in a Governor riding a horse on Ojude Oba and actively engaging himself in the culture of his own people, the Ijebus?
Prince Dapo Abiodun has a strong interest in and appreciation of Ijebu’s culture. He enjoys learning about and experiencing its various customs, traditions, arts, and ways of life, exploring its song of hope, solidarity and fraternity, dance, dialectal expressions, functions, history and actively participating. The governor’s open-mindedness is a plus, stepping outside his own comfort zone and actively participating in Ojude Oba 2025 should not be miscalculated or used against him as political manipulation.
Making a grand entrance into the celebration ground in “carriage of horses”, is a thing of personal choice, indeed a preference. Generally, carriage of horses is associated with status and elegance, symbolizing journeys, both literal and metaphorical, as well as the harnessing of wild spirit for service. The elegance and style of carriages, as well as the harmonious presentation of the horses, driver, and passengers, were all part of this status display, symbolizing the journey of transformation and awakening, both physically and spiritually.
Such polished, elegant carriage in the peaceful Ojude Oba setting represents the harmony achieved through this transformation. In furtherance, the carriage itself portrays the physical body, with the horse representing the spirit or will. In harnessing this wildness, horses, in their wild spirit, are controlled and brought into service to pull carriages.This represents the domestication and control of nature’s powerful forces, often for the benefit of humans.
- He Deserves Commendation, Not Condemnation.
As a culture enthusiast and lover of tradition, the Executive Governor of Ogun State deserves commendation, not condemnation for his strong interest and appreciation for the arts, customs, traditions, and social structures of Ijebu within a broader human culture for actively participating in Ojude Oba.
His commendation should be considered from the angle of a political leader’s freedom to participate in celebrations which is generally protected by the right to freedom of assembly and expression. Although may be subject to limitations based on public safety, national security, or other legal restrictions, they, like any other citizen, have the right to participate in public events and express their views, display their steeze, flavours and glamours which are fundamental aspects of a democratic society and this should not be misintrepreted for political manipulation as to generate any controversy or condemnation. The specific context of a given celebration and the nature of the leader’s participation are crucial in determining the extent of their freedom. For example, participation in a peaceful, non-political celebration is generally less likely to be restricted than participation in a protest or rally.
In conclusion
The freedom of a governor to participate in a celebration is his right and ability as an individual in his inclusive choice to freely engage in festivities and events that mark a special occasion or commemorate a significant moment. This freedom is often tied to broader rights like freedom of assembly and association, which allow people to gather and express themselves collectively. In essence, the freedom of any public servant to participate in a celebration is a fundamental aspect of a free and democratic society, allowing individuals to express themselves, connect with others, and participate in the cultural life of their community. Any restrictions on a leader’s freedom to participate in a celebration must be carefully balanced against their fundamental rights.
[ Sola Odumosu is the Father of Celebrology who propounded the celebration theory and is the Leading Thinker on Celebration in the World. He is the author of the book ” Ojude Oba In My Wild Imagination – A Celebrological Exploration Into The Biggest Celebration In Ijebu Kingdom”. He can be contacted via fatherofcelebrology@yahoo.com or enganimnofcelebrology@gmail.com and on SMS only 08021238523 ]