ABSTRACT
The Ojude-Oba festival is an annual Muslim celebration on the third day of the Ed-El-Kabir festivity of Muslims in Ijebu-Ode (Sote 2003, 29). Sote describes Ijebu-Ode as the gateway to the eastern part of Nigeria (2003, 1). Located in Ogun State, Nigeria, Ijebu-Ode is bordered by Oyo State in the north and Lagos to the south. It shares boundaries with Ondo State to the west and Remo Division of Ogun State in the east. The festival has no fi xed date on the Western calendar, because its timing is mostly determined by the Muslim calendar. The festival is the major Muslim ceremony celebrated within the palace of the Awujale, the ruler of the town. It is one of the most popular events that take place in the life of the community, and it draws overwhelming crowds to Ijebu-Ode (Sote 2003, 29). During the period of the celebration, the festival attracts a large number of visitors to IjebuOde and brings together sons and daughters of Ijebuland (Sote, 2003). This chapter will unearth the historical processes of the Ojude-Oba festival and shed more light on the history of some of its associated practices.
