OWA AJERO PALACE COMMISSIONING CEREMONY HOLDS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2026
The Owa Ajero Palace Commissioning Committee, 2026, hereby announces the official commissioning of the New Owa Ajero Palace (Aafin Ajero), scheduled to hold on Monday, 23rd February, 2026, by 10:00 a.m., at Aafin Ajero, Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The historic ceremony will be graced by eminent royal and government dignitaries. The Special Guest of Honour is His Excellency, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, Governor of Ekiti State. He is billed to commission the new Palace. The Royal Guest of Honour is His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi Ojaja II Ooni of Ife
The event will be hosted by His Imperial Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Joseph Adebayo Adewole, JP, OFR, Arojojoye II, The Owa Ajero of Ijero Kingdom, in collaboration with the good people of Ijero Kingdom.
Earlier, Oba (Dr.) Joseph Adebayo Adewole, the Owa Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti and Paramount Ruler of Ijero Kingdom, inaugurated a distinguished committee of eminent sons and daughters of Ijero-Ekiti to oversee arrangements for the commissioning of the new palace. This development was made public in a release issued by the Chairman of the Central Caretaker Committee (CCC) of the Ijero Development Association (IDA), Dr. Oladipo Adebowale,FCA.
Members of the Owa Ajero Palace Commissioning Committee
- Barrister Adekunle Obasa – Chairman
- Hon. Femi Alufa – Secretary
- Chief Sagbale Ayo Ilesanmi
- Chief Eyelofin Modupe Omodara
- Hon. Adekunle Ogidi
- Hon. Adeyemo Adeola
- Hon. Yinka Oluwole
- Princess Adebimpe Adeleke
- Princess Adetoun Agboola
The committee is mandated to work assiduously in designing and implementing modalities for a befitting and memorable commissioning ceremony, worthy of the historic and cultural significance of the Owa Ajero Palace.
Historically, the first Ajero Palace was initiated during the reign of Ajero Ogbe (1376- 1385) and completed under Ajero Atakumosa (1396 -1409). Ajero Atakumosa also established the palace’s first shrine, Esu Atakumosa, located within the palace grounds.
Oba Aderuku Arojojoye I was the first Oba to roof the Palace buildings with corrugated iron sheets.
Almost a century ago – precisely in 1934, during the reign of Ajero Anjoorin Atobatele – the palace, popularly known as Aafin Ajero, was rebuilt as a storey structure, marking the beginning of its modernization.
Oba Adeniran Eyeowa II (Odundun Asodedero) further contributed to this transformation by erecting contemporary modern buildings befitting the times.
The incumbent Owa Ajero,Oba Joseph Adebayo Adewole, Arojojoye II also built the first Owa Ajero Palace Chapel on ascension to the throne in December 1991 and since building the Aafin Ajero into a beautiful architecture to match the beauty and glamour of our modern time.
The Aafin Owa Ajero serves not only as the royal residence and traditional administrative headquarters of the Owa Ajero but also as the epicentre of authority, justice, heritage, and antiquities of the Ijero Kingdom. It remains one of the most prominent traditional institutions among the 16 primordial kingdoms of the Ekiti Confederacy before the British colonial era.
Covering approximately 22 acres of land, the palace comprises 16 courtyards and functions as a major venue for social, cultural, and ceremonial activities of the kingdom.
The new Owa Ajero Palace, constructed during the reign of the present monarch, Oba Joseph Adebayo Adewole, Arojojoye II, has undergone several phases of facelift and reconstruction over the past three decades. These have transformed the palace into a modern architectural masterpiece that harmoniously blends tradition with contemporary elegance.
The commissioning of the new palace marks a significant milestone in the cultural heritage, unity, and progressive development of Ijero Kingdom and Ekiti State at large. The event is expected to attract traditional rulers, government officials, community leaders, and sons and daughters of Ijero Kingdom at home and in the diaspora.
Members of the press, media organizations, bloggers, and online platforms are hereby invited to cover this historic royal event.
You are cordially invited.
Signed:
Femi Alufa, Esq.
Secretary,
Owa Ajero Palace Commissioning Committee, 2026
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