Nigeria’s longest reigning monarch, the Onigede of Igede Ekiti, Oba James Adelusi Aladesuru II, has dismissed claims that the community’s Ake festival has its roots in idol worship.
Addressing journalists at his palace as part of the week-long event marking “Òdùn Àkè” 2025, Oba Aladesuru said the festival is the celebration of history, culture and the unique heroes who founded the ancient city.
According to him, the founding fathers of the city were sixteen years old, lived and ruled the surrounding area from the Ake Hills, but noted that disagreement over who should be the leader led to each of the brothers turning to notable deities such as sacred streams, trees and groves throughout the city.
He maintained that only the youngest of the boys who went hunting when the brothers had a heated disagreement was automatically named leader by the people who witnessed the event.
According to him, “the Àkè festival is therefore a celebration of the legacy of our ancestors, our root and how Ìgèdè came to be. Here it is taboo to say “Ogede”, what we say here is òfò because ogede are the sacred words used during heated discussions of the brothers and that is what became “Ìgèdè”, which is the name of our city today.
“So it has nothing to do with idolatry, in fact, everyone will join in the celebration of this wonderful festival. So anyone who says that the “Àkè” festival is related to the idol is definitely uninformed.”
The monarch also read out the various activities planned for the celebration which include; cultural exhibition, indoor games and launching projects in the community.
“There will be a cultural exhibition, fashion show and fundraiser on Saturday with a thanksgiving service at Christ Apostolic Church Igede-Ekiti on Sunday to close the event.
“Our city is progressing, but I encourage our good sons and daughters abroad to return home and invest here. We need your support because this is our home and we must join hands to ensure that it competes with the modern world,” he concluded.
Earlier, officials of the Ido-Ekiti Federal Medical Center offered free medical services to residents of the community.
Consultations, tests and medications were provided free of charge to the beneficiaries. In addition, more than 500 glasses were also distributed free of charge to elderly men and women.
Oba Aladesuru, who has been on the throne since 1959, is recognized as the longest-reigning traditional monarch in Nigeria and one of the longest-reigning monarchs in Africa.
He ascended the throne at the age of 26 and celebrated his 66th year of reign in July 2025.
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