The Ijero Kingdom will use the 2026 edition of the Itajero Festival to harness Yoruba heritage for community development, with a deliberate focus on empowering women, youth and vulnerable groups in Ekiti State.
The Owa Ajero of Ijero Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Oba Joseph Adebayo Adewole, made the declaration at the weekend during a press conference held at his palace to unveil activities lined up for the festival.
According to the monarch, this year’s celebration will not only showcase the rich traditions of the Yoruba people but also serve as a platform for sons and daughters of Ijero, both at home and in the diaspora, to reconnect with their roots for unity and progress.
“Itajero is the original meeting place of the sons and daughters of Oduduwa. They met there, deliberated and reached consensus. That is why we say it represents the beginning of democracy,”Oba Adewole said.
He explained that the festival has deep historical ties with Ile-Ife.
“The Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, had taken us to the original Itajero site in Ile-Ife,” the monarch added.
“This is our heritage, our history and our common identity. Ijero is ready to receive her sons and daughters,” he said, while formally declaring the 2026 Itajero Festival open.
Oba Adewole disclosed that the modern Itajero Festival was conceived during a 2023 summit of Ijero descendants in Texas, USA, where indigenes from America, Canada, South America and Europe met to discuss reconnecting with their ancestral home.
The first edition held in August 2024, followed by the second in August 2025. The 2026 celebration, scheduled for Friday, August 21, marks the third edition.
“We thank God for what is happening at the Itajero Festival. It is already going places,” he said.
The monarch noted that the festival has been incorporated into the traditional Ogun Festival due to Ogun’s significance in Yoruba history. He explained that Ogun is associated with warfare, protection, farming and craftsmanship, while masquerades remain central to preserving ancestral memory. Ijero, he said, has four masquerades used for that purpose.
The Ogun Festival will run for 10 days, with Itajero holding on August 21 and the Ogun rites concluding on August 22.
Secretary of the Itajero Festival Foundation, High Chief Ayo Afolabi, said activities will run from August 18 to 21.
“August 19 will feature the Miss Itajero pageant at Adebomi Hall by 4 p.m. August 20 will be Shugudu Night at Adebomi Hall, where sons and daughters will move around the town with candles, flashlights and mobile-phone lights before returning to the palace for the Royal blessing,”Afolabi stated.
He added that the grand finale on August 21 at Erekesan Market Square from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. will bring together traditional rulers, government officials, associations, clubs and Ijero indigenes.
A major highlight will be the official launch of the Itajero Festival Pavilion, a project with a N2 billiontarget.
*“Whatever you have contributed will go into the pavilion. We want the pavilion to become the best among the Southwest,” Afolabi said.
The Yeyelua of Ijero, Chief Yemisi Atilola, said this year’s festival will deliberately create opportunities for women, young people, widows and other vulnerable groups.
She highlighted the role of the Obakeye of Ijero women’s group, noting that an empowerment programme will hold during the festival at Royal Hotel.
On the Miss Itajero initiative, she said: “Last year’s winner also carried out an empowerment programme for elderly people.
“Many members of the women’s group were born outside Ijero but maintain strong ties because their parents consistently brought them home from childhood. We will continue to bring our children, mothers and women back home. This is taking effect, and we will keep moving forward,”Chief Atilola said.
The Director-General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism, Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, commended the Ajero’s leadership, describing Itajero as one of the emerging major cultural festivals in Yorubaland.
“Itajero is one of the best festivals among the Yoruba. Ijero has made itself one of the best, and we are working towards the progress of the community,” Ojo-Lanre said.
Oba Adewole appreciated Governor Biodun Oyebanji for electricity, upgrading the College of Technology to a polytechnic. He also lauded Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, for road, health and market projects.
However, the monarch appealed to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company to ensure the new transformer functions effectively, stressing that “reliable electricity remains essential to development.”
He further urged contractors to improve project quality and called for greater community involvement in government projects: “Residents should be carried along when projects are awarded and executed in their communities.”
The organisers said the 2026 Itajero Festival will go beyond entertainment to promote Ijero’s history, culture, women and youth empowerment, and its enduring relationship with Ile-Ife.
The Ajero concluded with prayers for the safe arrival of guests from across Nigeria and the diaspora, declaring: “Ijero is ready to receive its sons and daughters. Nobody should be discouraged from coming home.”