Senate Honours Late Awujale: Monarch to Be Immortalized Nationally

The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday held a solemn session in honour of the late Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who passed away recently at the age of 91.

According to reports, the motion was sponsored by Senator Gbenga Daniel of Ogun East, who praised the revered monarch for his significant contributions to Nigeria’s traditional, cultural, and political heritage. Senator Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State, described the late king as a beacon of unity, wisdom, and progress whose influence transcended Ijebuland and Nigeria at large.

In his tribute, Daniel highlighted Adetona’s transformative role in elevating the annual Ojude Oba festival into a global cultural attraction. He further acknowledged the monarch’s philanthropic legacy, including a poverty alleviation fund that expanded from ₦500,000 to over ₦100 million—benefiting thousands of people across his kingdom.

The Senate was also informed of the monarch’s major investments in education, most notably a ₦1 billion endowment that established a professional chair in governance at Olabisi Onabanjo University. This initiative culminated in the founding of a School of Governance Studies named in his honour.

Oba Adetona was widely respected for his principled leadership and fearless advocacy for justice and good governance, according to lawmakers who spoke during the session.

Senator Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West) also paid glowing tribute, emphasizing the late king’s deep Islamic faith and integrity. He described the monarch as a spiritual leader and voice of reason, adding that “he lived and was buried as a devout Muslim.”

The Senate subsequently adopted several resolutions: a minute of silence was observed in his memory; a high-level delegation will be dispatched to condole with the royal family, the people of Ijebuland, and the Ogun State Government; and an appeal was made to the Federal Government to immortalize the late king by naming a national monument in his honour.

In closing remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended Senator Daniel for moving the motion and lauded Oba Adetona as “an icon and a towering figure in Nigeria’s historical landscape.”

Born on May 10, 1934, into the royal House of Anikilaya in Ijebu Ode, the late monarch ascended the throne on February 2, 1960, just months before Nigeria’s independence—marking the beginning of a reign that spanned over six decades.