Protocols
My good people of Igbara-Oke kingdom, I welcome you all. I am happy to witness another Orikadun Celebration this year, the first that I am celebrating as a monarch, the Olowa of Igbara-Oke kingdom.I am most grateful to God Almighty for keeping us alive to witness this day. Let me first appreciate Almighty God for His faithfulness, protection, provisions and for keeping us united as one family in this town.
Also, for His unending love towards us and our loved ones. I am not surprise with the crowd of people here today, because I know we are all celebrating the faithfulness of God in our lives. I thank you for honouring me again today, and this shows that you indeed supported my ascension to the throne of my forefathers. I thank everyone present here today. The Lord will honour you.
I want to also express my gratitude to Igbara-Oke Council of Chiefs for standing by me at all times. They have been supportive in the process of directing the affairs of our town. To all the Baales in our 13 satellite towns too, I say thank you. To our youths, who we all believe are the leaders of tomorrow and the inheritors of today’s institutions, I acknowledge them. Youths are the leaders of tomorrow, and I believe our youths in this town will not disappoint us in any area. I commend them for their peaceful conducts and for being a good ambassador of our town in every facet of their lives.
I cannot but thank also, the pillar behind all the developmental projects you and I are seeing today in Igbara-Oke, the Igbara-Oke Development Council, IDC, both the Executives and Members, for their show of love at all times and for championing infrastructural development of our land. You and I have seen their hands in the constructions of our proposed higher institute of learning, the on-going Road Rescue Project among other works being carried out by them.
To our sons and daughters in Diasporas, words alone cannot express how grateful I am for being a worthy ambassador of our town, Igbara-Oke, in every part of the world that you presently reside and settled. The good Lord will continue to prosper your ways, (Amen). I will not also forget to mention the Omowas and the Oloris from the Ruling Houses in Igbara-Oke, I hold them also in high esteem, thank you all.
To all the non-indigene residents, I greet you. I never see or treat you as a stranger in our land, I see you as one of us, our brothers, sisters, in-laws and friends, and I commend you for the good conducts you have been exhibiting, and your industrial prowess. I will always remain grateful to you all for all the supports you have given me thus far, since I ascended the throne of my forefathers.
Let me begin by welcoming everyone to this year Orikadun Celebration. It is our end of the year celebration to thank God for seeing us through another year, and to celebrate with one another as a family bonded in love.
Igbara-Oke O! “Omo Eleye ise Weye Weye.” We are always on top, as our town is strategically located on the upland, I salute you once again on this memorable occasion, andI am proud to have you around me.
Before I move on, I want us all tohave a minute silence in honour of my predecessor, Late Oba Venerable John Adebimpe Adepoju JP, who had gone to join his ancestors… may his soul continue to rest in peace, (Amen).
It will not speak well for the uniqueness of this year’s ‘ORIKADUN’ being my first, since I ascended the throne of my forefathers this year in February, 2017 not to have one or two things to say to the good people of Igbara-Oke kingdom. I thank God for this privilege and for your adherence.
Without gainsaying, Igbara-Oke had for long been in topmost position in Ifedore Local Government Area and this position has to be sustained. In maintaining this status quo, it requires the contributions of all and sundry. This, I cannot do alone, because, one thing I know is that, “there is no me without you.” Our fathers would say “Agbajowo la fi n soya, ajoji owo ko gberu dori.” Your maximum support with me will no doubt propel me to forge ahead in the realization of our dream for a united and progressive Igbara-Oke.
I want to enjoin the Chiefs to continue to put in their best in the service of our land, the Baales in their respective satellite towns to continue to help build on the existing peaceful communities, coupled with the Oloriomo’s efforts in sustaining unity and progress in their individual quarters; the good people of the town to engage in productive enterprise; the youths pursuing their academic vigorously and daily activities and not criminally minded, all the aforementioned are indeed good road maps to success and progress of our beloved Igbara-Oke.
I beseech us to relate as brothers, and be our brothers’ keeper. We don’t need to take each other to court before we can settle an issue, because, our elders say “A kii ti ile ejo bo ka di ore.” In the interest of peace, let us embrace dialogue. Let us bring every matters before the elders of the town to help resolve them, rather than creating enemy between ourselves. We need bridges, not fences.
With peace, love and harmony, we will be able to rise to the task of taking our country home to an enviable height, and we will be able to leverage on this status at attracting potential investors.
I would want parents to work towards giving their wards quality education, for this helps in no small measure in building a virile community that can compete favourably with other neighbouring communities. They should instill good morals into their children for them to detest hooliganism, and other social vices in all its entirety.
In doing all these, let us not forget to seek God’s face, because with God, all things are possible. I therefore enjoin both Christians and Muslims to continue to intercede for our land in prayers, and all the traditionalist to continue to work for the progress of our land.
This may sound somehow to some people, but I will say it. Igbara-Oke has always been a partner in progress in supporting good governance, and administrations that value humanity. It is to this, that I would want to encourage our people to participate in politics. They should engage in the business of politics, not that of bitterness or character assassination, but of developmental and progressive ideology. This will in no small measure help us in diverse areas, both in human and infrastructural development.
We need good roads, modern schools and market, government institutions, employment for our teaming youths, loans for our farmers and traders, and so on. We cannot have all these done, if we have no representative at the helms of affairs in government.
In the recent times, I have had the opportunity to host potential investors, and have received proposal from business men and women who have shown interest to invest in our town. I know this is the beginning of good things to come. Their interests are genuine, but one of the challenges we may have is the allocation of landed properties for them to develop their business ideas.
At this point, I want to use this medium to appeal to our chiefs and all land owners in the town to help us reason together in order to know how we can attract and accommodate these business ideas brought by these investors, and offer them a viable locations for their business enterprise.
There is need for us to make sacrifice, and it will gladdens our heart to see our town industrialized, and our youths to be gainfully employed.
Today, I want to plead for one thing from us all. In case your land is the preferred by these investors for the reason of its viable location, let us endeavor to release if they are willing to pay. This is not only applicable to the chiefs, even myself, I am ready to sacrifice also for infrastructural development in Igbara-Oke.
Many of them have seen the economic viability of Igbara-Oke, and this is attributed to her uniqueness in Southwestern Nigeria, as she borders two states, Ekiti and Osun, an entry point into Ondo State from Ekiti or Osun State.
Also, to as many that have bought landed properties and are yet to develop it in the town, I implore you to do something good on the land on time.
I want to also, encourage the youths to take advantage of various empowerment programmes of government at helping reduce the rate of unemployment in our community.
In conclusion, I want to commend our sons and daughters, both at home and abroad, all notable clubs and associations of Igbara-Oke Descendants, for their tireless efforts at answering our calls at all times, and for not been tired to our various request at home. For the constructions of our roads and championing a good cause at rebuilding our town, I cannot thank them enough. They sent money from far and near to help rebuild our roads in the town. My prayer is that God will continue to bless every of their endeavour, and His presence will continue to abide with them all.
I will not end my speech without expressing my profound gratitude to our amiable Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN, for honouring us by appointing one of our sons, Barr. Tobi Ogunleye, as Special Adviser on Transport.
Once again, today, I congratulate you all. May it pleases God to enable us to witness many more of this season in Jesus Name, Amen.
Thank you and God Bless

His Royal Majesty,
Oba (Dr.) Francis Adefarakanmi Agbede FCIM, MBCIM
Ilufemiloye, Ogidi III
Paramount Ruler and Prescribed Authority,
Olowa of Igbara-Oke kingdom