FCMB Group Plc is deepening cultural engagement at Nigeria’s Ojude Oba festival by collaborating with finance professional and cultural figure Farooq Oreagba, whose appearances have helped propel the centuries-old celebration into global social-media and fashion conversations.

The partnership comes as Ojude Oba, a Yoruba cultural festival held annually in southwestern Nigeria, gains international visibility. Fashion platforms, diaspora communities, tourism stakeholders, and global media are paying increased attention to the festival.

FCMB has supported the festival for over two decades, noting that the initiative reflects its ongoing investment in cultural institutions that shape identity, foster enterprise, and boost local economic activity.

“Ojude Oba represents continuity, enterprise and community,” the financial services group said in a statement. “The festival has, for generations, connected people and created value across tourism, hospitality, fashion, media and commerce.”

Held in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, the festival draws thousands each year, including regberegbe age groups, horse-riding families, business leaders, and visitors from Nigeria and the diaspora.

In recent years, the event has grown from a regional gathering into one of Africa’s most recognisable festivals, driven in part by the viral spread of photographs and videos online.

Oreagba became a prominent festival figure after images of him in layered traditional attire, coral beads, and sunglasses, riding through the grounds, spread widely on social media and in style publications.

This imagery amplified global interest in Ojude Oba’s visual culture—horse processions, elaborate Yoruba fashion, and multigenerational displays of status and identity.

Despite this recent digital attention, FCMB said both the festival and Oreagba’s association with it have a much longer history.

“What the world is witnessing now is increased visibility around a longstanding cultural institution,” the Group said. “Ojude Oba has always carried cultural depth, sophistication and economic significance.”

This year’s festival, themed “Celebrating the Legacy of Oba Sikiru Adetona,” honours the late Awujale of Ijebuland, credited with making Ojude Oba one of Nigeria’s leading cultural events.

The festival has become an economic driver for Ogun State. It generates activity across hospitality, transportation, fashion, photography, media, and tourism.

FCMB said rising international interest in Ojude Oba shows how cultural institutions can serve as platforms for economic visibility, community engagement, and global cultural influence.

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