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Rite Foods Limited, Nigeria’s leading food and beverage company says its partnership with the Ojude Oba Festival is a testament to its commitment to promoting and preserving the rich cultural heritage of its communities.
The Ojude Oba Festival is an annual cultural display of the array and various dances, troops, and gallantry of the Ijebu people – at the King’s Court. This year’s edition themed: “Ojude Oba: Peace, Unity and Harmony, Our Gifts” was celebrated on Tuesday, 18th June 2024. The Festival which spans about two centuries fosters unity and peaceful co-existence in Ijebu-land.
At the Ijebu Ode Pavilion where the festival was held, the Company’s Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Mr. Ekuma Eze, said that the continuous sponsorship of the cultural event stems from Rite Foods’ commitment to promoting the age-long tradition and legacies that have been bequeathed to the Ijebu people and the ties that unite them.
“Rite Foods Limited will continually support worthy initiatives, like the Ojude Oba Festival, that represents cherished norms and values of the Ijebu nation, a collective endeavor of their tradition and cultural activities that bind them together. With a world-class factory at Ososa, in Ijebu-land, with many contributions to the development of the area, the company is committed to enriching the lives of the people in many ways, as demonstrated with the Ojude Oba sponsorship”, he said.
Eze added, “We are excited to be in the vanguard of preserving the identity and civilization of the Ijebu people, and to refresh participants at the Ojude Oba festival with our array of unique brands comprising the 13 variants of the Bigi Carbonated Soft Drink, the Bigi Premium drinking water, the high-quality Sosa Fruit Drink with its five variants, the number one Fearless Energy Drink, as well as Rite Spicy Beef and Bigi Beef Sausage Rolls that are produced with the state-of-the-art infrastructure and modern technology.”
While addressing the mammoth crowd at the Festival, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, said, “The festival is a bond that unites Ijebu people and will always be held as it is one of the traditions that dates back two centuries ago, and a reflection of the cultural ideals that advances the development of Ijebu-land, hence his administration’s support to its observance.”
This year’s edition lived up to billings. The highlight was the age-grade “Regberegbe” parade that saw about 90 Age Grade performances both male and female march out vivaciously showing off their culture with music, dance, and bright outfits to pay homage to the Awujale of Ijebuland, and 25 families of warlords, showcasing their dexterity in a peaceful and orderly manner that depicts their experience in warfare.
The Royal Father of the day, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayọde Adetọna, CFR, J.P, stated that the event which attracts the sons and daughters of Ijebu-land across the country, and in the diaspora, also boosts the tourism potentials of the land, as foreigners throng Ijebu-Ode annually to witness it, and help tell the good story of the area abroad.
