Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, who blended centuries-old royal heritage with the pulse of modern governance, died on July 13, 2025, at the age of 91. His 65-year reign stands as one of Nigeria’s longest and most influential traditional tenures — a legacy steeped in splendour, turbulence and the audacity to defy even the most powerful.
Born to destiny
Born on Thursday, May 10, 1934, to Omo Oba Rufai Adetona and Wulemot Ajibabi Adetona (née Onashile) of Ijebu Igbo, Sikiru’s royal path seemed carved from birth. His father, a contender for the Awujale stool, would one day surrender his own claim so that his son, studying accountancy in the United Kingdom, could ascend the revered throne of Ijebu Ode.
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Sikiru’s early life traversed the bustling classrooms of Baptist School, Ereko, Ogbere United Primary School, and Ansarudeen Primary School, all in Ijebu Ode. His formative years at Olu Iwa College (now Adeola Odutola College) prepared him for an initial career in the civil service, first with the Western Region Ministry of Finance in Ibadan, then onward to the United Kingdom to study as an aspiring chartered accountant.
But destiny intervened.
Crown across the sea
In an unprecedented twist, the Western Region Government, led by Governor-in-Council Sir John Rankine, approved his appointment in January 1960, effectively summoning him from his British classrooms to the throne.
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On April 2, 1960, at just 26, Sikiru Adetona was crowned the 57th Awujale of Ijebuland — Ogbagba II — He was presented with the staff of office by Premier Samuel LadokeAkintola of the Western Region.
On that memorable day, the new premier, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, who had assumed office on December 15, 1959 and the former premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, then leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives, Lagos, with their wives, HID Awolowo and Faderera Akintola, were present.
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Royalty in politics
With his accession, Adetona joined the Western Region House of Chiefs, under the presidency of Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife. He was named a minister without portfolio in the regional government — a remarkable feat for a monarch, serving alongside other eminent traditional rulers like the Olubadan of Ibadan and the Olu of Warri.
The defiance of a king
Perhaps nothing illustrated Oba Adetona’s unbending spine better than his bitter clash with the Ogun State civilian governor, Olabisi Onabanjo. When a minor protocol disagreement over a thanksgiving service snowballed into a test of wills, Adetona’s refusal to bend led to his controversial deposition in 1982 by a hastily assembled Commission of Enquiry.
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He fought back — and won. Justice Kolawole’s 1984 ruling restored him to his ancestral stool, and the military government under Brigadier Oladipupo Diya enforced it. It was a watershed moment that reaffirmed the judiciary’s role in protecting Nigeria’s ancient monarchies from the overreach of transient political powers
A modern custodian of tradition
Beyond defiance, Oba Adetona will be remembered as a visionary bridge-builder between tradition and modernity. He revitalised the Ijebu age-grade system — the Regberegbe — giving young Ijebus a sense of cultural pride and structured communal service. He championed the Ijebu Development Board on Poverty Reduction, which created economic opportunities for indigent citizens.
Under his watch, the annual Ojude Oba festival, once a modest Muslim homage, became a world-renowned cultural carnival, drawing tourists and uniting the diaspora. He modernised the Ijebu palace with the iconic Ojude Pavilion and used his influence to push for infrastructural development across Ijebuland.
A champion of education, Oba Adetona served as the Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University and endowed Nigeria’s first Professorial Chair in Governance at the institution — a gesture that cemented his commitment to nurturing ethical leadership.
He earned national recognition when President Bola Tinubu conferred upon him the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), acknowledging both his philanthropic and educational contributions
Reign in context
For six and a half decades, Oba Adetona watched Nigeria’s evolution from colonial rule to independence, military coups to fragile democracy, oil booms and busts — yet he held firm to the dignity of his people and the sanctity of his crown.
His death on July 13, 2025, closes a chapter of Ijebuland’s royal history that spanned some of Nigeria’s most defining moments. He leaves behind not just a throne, but a blueprint for how royalty can evolve yet remain rooted.
May history remember him as he lived — bold, defiant and devoted to the people whose crown he wore with uncommon grace.
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