By Ghazali Ibrahim 
Long before the Ojude Oba festival became the grand spectacle it is today dazzling with color, culture, and pageantry, it was the vision of one man, Balogun Kuku.
Balogun Kuku, whose origin name is Balogun Bello Odueyungbo Kuku is a shrewd merchant, political tactician, and custodian of Ijebu heritage.
Born into influence, Balogun Kuku was no ordinary man. His mother was a priestess of the powerful Osugbo cult, and he himself once served as a Regent of Ijebu Ode. But what set him apart was not just his pedigree, it was his ability to thrive in a time of chaos, war, and transition.
How He Got It Right
Kuku amassed considerable wealth by supplying arms to Ibadan, one of the most militarily dominant cities in 19th-century Yorubaland. Ibadan’s reputation as a virtually invincible force during decades of conflict troubled many, including Awujale Afidipote of Ijebu.
The Awujale feared Ibadan’s ambition, particularly that of Are Latosa, who sought to expand Ibadan’s territory all the way to the coast bypassing Ijebu middlemen and gaining direct access to European trade.
To frustrate this ambition, the Awujale closed the coastal toll routes and backed the Egba warriors, severing Ibadan’s access to arms via both Lagos and Porto Novo routes.
This blockade inadvertently alienated Ijebu’s elite merchant class, who relied heavily on trade with Ibadan.
Kuku, among other traders, openly criticized the policy. The Awujale responded with harsh reprisals banishing prominent merchants like Sibeluwo and Mayungbe**, and confiscating their properties. But the embargo backfired, throwing Ijebu into economic decline as goods piled up unsold, and access to European luxuries and weapons dwindled.
The Rise of Balogun Kuku
Seeing the danger, Are Latosa offered peace. He sent the Awujale lavish gifts of slaves, coral beads, fabrics, and farm produce as a gesture of goodwill, swearing never to invade Ijebu territory.
While the Awujale accepted the gifts, he refused to reopen the trade routes, deepening the region’s economic isolation.
Amid this political storm, Balogun Kuku rose as a stabilizing figure as someone who understood diplomacy and economics in equal measure.
His trade acumen and behind the scenes influence helped shape a more cooperative tone between Ijebu and its neighbors, even as official tensions simmered.
The Ojude Oba Festival
Out of this blend of political tension and social transformation emerged the Ojude Oba Festival, initiated by Balogun Kuku himself.
Originally conceived as a Muslim homage to the king, the festival became a symbol of cultural unity, where Ijebu’s Islamic converts including influential families like Kuku’s paid tribute to the Oba in a colorful celebration of heritage, peace, and royalty.
It is said that Kuku converted to Islam not purely out of spiritual conviction, but to protect his large harem after Christian missionaries arrived, insisting on monogamy.
His conversion gave the festival its Muslim character but over the decades, Ojude Oba has evolved into an inclusive celebration of Ijebu identity.
The Love for Architectural Design
Balogun Kuku’s opulence also found expression in architecture. In the early 1890s, he commissioned a mansion that rivaled European nobility a masterpiece built by Afro-Brazilian mason Balthazar Reis, complete with Victorian furniture and exotic wallpapers. No royal palace in Yorubaland at the time came close in grandeur.
A Lasting Influence
Today, descendants of Balogun Kuku still play prominent roles in the Ojude Oba Festival, and his legacy lives on not just in parades and fashion, but in the very soul of Ijebu culture.
He was a bridge between tradition and modernity, war and diplomacy, culture and commerce.
In a time when Yoruba history is often reduced to kings and wars, Balogun Kuku reminds us that merchants, regents, and cultural custodians also shaped the story.
