History came alive in the ancient city of Ile-Ife as His Royal Highness, Oba Ganiyu Ayodele Obasoyin, the Olúkéré of Ìkere, Ọ̀dọ́-Ọjà, Ìkere-Ekiti, joined other royal descendants at the annual Odún Luwo (Luwo Festival).
The occasion was a significant celebration of the enduring legacy of Luwo Gbagida, the revered female monarch of ancient Ile-Ife and, according to widely preserved historical traditions, the first and only female to ascend the Ooni throne, luwo Gbagida was the 21st Ooni.
Luwo Gbagida remains an important figure in the history and royal heritage of Ile-Ife, with her lineage deeply connected to the Obaloran Quarters. Her descendants went on to establish and occupy important traditional stools across Yorubaland, leaving an enduring mark on Yoruba history and civilisation.
The festival brought together royal fathers and descendants of the illustrious Luwo Gbagida/Obaloran dynasty, including the Oluwo Oke of Iwo-Oke, the Asaooni of Igbomina in Kwara State, the Oniranikin of Iranikin, Sagamu and the Olúkéré of Ìkere, Ọ̀dọ́-Ọjà, Ìkere-Ekiti.
In a remarkable display of royal fellowship and ancestral unity, the royal descendants were received at the Ooni’s Palace, Ile-Ife, by His Royal Majesty, the Obalufe of Ile-Ife, representing His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife.
The delegation also visited the historic Luwo ancestral site at Owodo Compound, Okerewe, Ile-Ife, where they received a grand and befitting welcome from the traditional chiefs of Ile-Ife.
For the Olúkéré of Ìkere, this was far more than a ceremonial visit. It was a homecoming.
A return to the ancient land of his ancestors.
A reconnection with a royal lineage that has endured through generations.
A reaffirmation of the deep historical and cultural bonds linking Ìkere-Ekiti with Ile-Ife
From the sacred cradle of Ile-Ife to the historic kingdom of Ìkere-Ekiti, the story of Luwo Gbagida and her descendants continues to live.
This was ancestry meeting ancestry.
Royalty meeting royalty.
History meeting the present.
And a son of the ancient lineage returning home.
Ìran kì í parun; ilẹ̀ kì í gbàgbé ọmọ rẹ̀.
An ancestral lineage never perishes; the land never forgets its children.
Long live His Royal Highness, Oba Ganiyu Ayodele Obasoyin, the Olúkéré of Ìkere, Ọ̀dọ́-Ọjà, Ìkere-Ekiti.
Long live the Ooni of Ife.
Long live the Obalufe of Ile-Ife.
Long live the Royal Institution.
Long live Yoruba heritage and civilisation.
