Nigeria’s history would have been incomplete if I failed in my 2023 presidential bid, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said.
The president spoke at the eighth-day prayer held Sunday for the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba II, at the Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium in Ijebu Ode, Ogun state.
Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, passed on July 13, 2025 at the age of 91, and buried the next day, according to Islamic rites.
The president, who landed at about 12:45pm at the Ogun state Agro cargo airport, Ikenne, proceeded to the Awujale private residence at the Igbeba Palace, where in company of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and others, he offered solemn prayers at the gravesite for the repose of the soul of the deceased.
Speaking during the prayer session, the president described the monarch as a pride of the Yoruba race, saying the late Awujale left behind legacies worthy of emulation.
He also recalled the prayers, counsel and support he received from the late Oba during his tenure as Lagos state governor and in the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election.
“Our history would not have been completed, carefully and richly, if I failed at the last election. I was successful because of your support and the blessing of late Awujale. I came to him, he blessed me. He said ‘you will win that election and you will win one more time. Go ahead.’ Today, he is no more. He is gone. But God has blessed us, especially if we heed the richness of his wisdom,
“I recall the June 12 episode, and many other moments in his palace—our resistance, our determination to reverse the annulment of June 12. Papa was steadfast, resolute, and very encouraging. That he lived to see the calendar as a 91-year-old, and to witness the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Niger at age 90, is a source of immense pride,” he said.
Also describing the late monarch as an embodiment of integrity, humility, culture, dedication, and service to humanity, Tinubu said: “Today marks a significant day in our nation’s history, particularly in the history of the Yoruba people. Nowhere will you find a better definition of our culture than in the life of the late Awujale.”
President Tinubu described Oba Adetona as a worthy leader—bold, courageous, and truthful—adding that “he would never deceive you.
“To honour this great man, we must be more united, bonded in the spirit he left behind, and appreciate his legacy, even in death. We have named institutions after him, and his legacy will endure. It is up to each of us to remember the values he represented. May God grant him Aljannah Firdaus.”
He commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for his exemplary relationship with the late monarch and for caring for him both in life and death.
“I have listened to Governor Abiodun and cannot express how much I thank you for caring for our father, a leader of our conscience. Before he died, he brought honour to the Yoruba race. I am extremely proud of him; he was always there for us in times of need,” he said.
The president offered prayers for strength and solace for the bereaved family and all those mourning the passing of the departed Oba.
…Ogun governor speaks
In his remarks, Governor Dapo Abiodun thanked President Tinubu for coming to commiserate with the family of the late Awujale.
The governor also highlighted the numerous contributions the late monarch made to Ijebuland, Ogun state, and Nigeria as a whole.
“Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona was more than a monarch. He lived a full life of 91 years, with 65 years on the throne. His reign brought development not only to Ijebuland, but across the Western region and Nigeria as a whole,” he said.
Muslim clerics, led by the Chief Imam of Gbagura, Prof. Kamaldeen Balogun, the Grand Mufti of Egbaland, offered prayers for the late monarch and reflected on the certainty of death.
The Imam reminded the gathering that “every soul shall taste death, only our good deeds while on earth will be of any worth upon our death.”
Among those who accompanied the president on the condolence visit were Chairman Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF)/ Kwara state Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, and Governors Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo state; and Lagos state Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.
Also in attendance were former Ogun state Governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel, representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the Senate, two other former governors of Ogun state, Olusegun Osoba and Ibikunle Amosun, the First Lady of Ogun state, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, the First Lady of Kwara state, Mrs. Olufolake Abdulrazaq and former First Lady of Ogun state, Mrs. Olufunke Daniel.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Chairman Senate Appropriations Committee Solomon Adeola, Member House of Representatives Olumide Osoba, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo (SAN), Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Bosun Tijjani, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake and Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, also accompanied the president on the condolence visit.
A cross-section of mourners, including political and religious leaders, commended President Tinubu for attending the eighth-day prayer in honour of the late monarch.
Senator Gbenga Daniel said the president’s presence greatly excited the entire Ijebu community, noting that it underscores the strong relationship between President Tinubu and the Awujale of Ijebuland.
The Grand Mufti of Yorubaland, Sheikh Abdulrazaq Abdul-Azeez Ishola, observed that the late Awujale demonstrated his commitment to President Tinubu’s administration by mobilising his people to support him.
…Bakare on monarch’s role in APC formation
Also extolling the monarch’s virtues, the serving overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), Pastor Tunde Bakare, provided some insight into how Awujale was instrumental to the formation of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and the eventual emergence of late President Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s candidate in 2014.
The cleric spoke at a special service in honour of both Buhari and Oba Adetona Sunday in Lagos.
Bakare, whose theme was: ‘A major shift in the national landscape’, called on the nation’s leaders to reflect on the legacy left behind by the duo.
He said: “What many Nigerians may not know is that without the Awujale’s pivotal intervention, the All Progressives Congress, APC, might not have emerged as a political party. After the 2011 general elections, in which I served as running mate to then-General Muhammadu Buhari under the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, I approached Kabiyesi in London. I urged him to speak with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was then the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, about the possibility of a merger between our political platforms to form a united and formidable opposition to the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
“Upon his return to Nigeria, Kabiyesi convened a key meeting at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island and brokered the agreement that led to the formation of the APC. Even at that, Kabiyesi was non-partisan, supporting any course he thought would facilitate good governance, strengthen the national interest, foster peace and further the course of building a united Nigeria. He remained, to the very end, an elder statesman, a patriot, a mentor, a loyal friend, and a rare gift to this nation. He was a man of uncommon wisdom and a strong sense of justice.”
Recalling how he received the news of the demise of the duo, he said: “On Sunday, July 13, 2025, I received the shocking news of the passing away of Nigeria’s former president, my former principal and dear friend, elder statesman and compatriot, President Muhammadu Buhari. Just as I was processing the sad news and solemnly reflecting on his life and times while trying to manage the flurry of calls from various stakeholders, including the press and political associates, I received the equally painful news of the passing away of Kabiyesi Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebu Land.
“I found myself pondering the fact that both leaders exited the same day. The moment became even more significant when I considered the fact that the Awujale played a facilitatory role in the process that eventually enabled General Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence as Nigeria’s president after many unsuccessful attempts.”
“I found it deeply telling that these two leaders, having been, in a manner of speaking, partners in destiny on this side of eternity, exited the planet on the same day. It became even more personally significant for me because both leaders died on July 13, 2025, exactly 52 years from July 13, 1973, the day I left Abeokuta with my portmanteau on my head, enroute to Hughes Avenue in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, in search of the Golden Fleece.
“The passing of these two great men on July 13 became personally significant for me because it reminded me that, years after taking that step of faith, at various points in my life, God strategically positioned destiny facilitators in line with His plans for my life, and by extension, for our nation. At various points and in diverse ways, these two men became instrumental in facilitating my journey through the path that God mapped out for me,” he said.