Awujale: A monarch of all times

A heavy cloud hangs over Nigeria. In a dramatic twist of fate that history will long remember, the nation lost two of its titans on the same day, Sunday, July 13, 2025. The great Iroko of Ijebuland, the Awujale, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba II, joined his ancestors at 91. On the same day, the nation received news of the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

And as these two giants departed, another, Professor Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Laureate and global conscience, marked his 91st birthday, creating a poignant tableau of life, loss, and legacy on a single day for the nation.

For the Ijebu people, and indeed for many across Nigeria, the departure of the Awujale feels like the end of an era. Oba Adetona was not just a king; he was an institution. Ascending the throne on April 2, 1960, as a dashing 25 year old, he became the defiant, modern, and fiercely independent monarch who would go on to redefine traditional leadership for over six decades. He was, in every sense, the monarch for all seasons.

Born to the Anikinaiya ruling house, his path to the throne was destined. After his education in Nigeria and further studies in accountancy in the United Kingdom, he returned to lead his people, armed with a global perspective and a deep love for his roots. His reign was a masterclass in visionary leadership. He championed education, believing it was the ultimate tool for liberation, and fostered a spirit of enterprise that is now synonymous with the Ijebu people.

One of Oba Adetona’s visible legacy is perhaps the transformation of the Ojude Oba festival. What was once a simple, local homage to the reigning monarch by his people after the Eid el Kabir festival, the Awujale, with his characteristic foresight, nurtured into a global spectacle of culture, colour, and commerce, drawing tourists and investment to Ijebuland. It became a powerful symbol of unity and pride.

But beyond the cultural renaissance, Oba Adetona was a political heavyweight, a king who understood the delicate dance of power. His palace was both a custodian of tradition and a crucible for modern Nigerian politics. He was a monarch who did not shy away from the national conversation.

His most profound political intervention came in the run up to the 2015 general election. It is a well acknowledged fact in the corridors of power that Oba Adetona was the royal glue that bound the alliance between General Muhammadu Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Action Congress (AC).

Witnessing the political drift of the time, the Awujale, who shared a deep and abiding respect with Buhari, convened the critical meetings. He brokered trust between the disciplined, austere former military head of state from the North and the master political strategist from the South West. It was in the revered presence of the Awujale that the foundational principles of what would become the All Progressives Congress (APC) were agreed upon, a political masterstroke that ended the Peoples Democratic Party’s 16 year rule and ushered in the Buhari presidency. He was not just a king of his people; he was a father of the nation, a stabilising force whose counsel was sought by presidents and paupers alike.

Beyond politics, Buhari made a private 20‑minute visit to Ijebu Ode to meet with the Awujale. He considered it an act of personal and political courtesy before statewide engagements during Ogun State’s 40th anniversary celebrations. Later that year, photos circulated of Buhari receiving both Tinubu and Oba Adetona in London, signaling the monarch’s place at the heart of the APC power triangle. Their passing on the same day is a poetic, if somber, footnote to the history they shaped together.

Oba Sikiru Adetona was the ultimate monarch for all seasons. He was a king through military coups and democratic transitions, through economic booms and recessions. He stood fiercely for his people, jealously guarded his throne’s independence, and had the uncanny ability to see tomorrow. His life was a testament to the fact that tradition and modernity are not opposing forces, but can be powerful allies in the quest for progress.

The Iroko has fallen, the Ogbagba II has taken his rest. But the seeds he sowed in Ijebuland and the political landscape of Nigeria have grown into mighty trees that will stand for generations to come.