The Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the Osile of Oke Ona Egba, Oba Dr. Adedapo Tejuoso and the creme de la creme of Egbaland on Tuesday unveiled a life size statue of the Egba legend at the Ake Palace roundabout adjacent the first church in Egbaland, St. Peters, Ake, Abeokuta.
Speaking at the unveiling, Pastor Tunde Bakare was excited that Sodeke was being given his pride of place in history as it was Sodeke who led Egba indigenes to Abeokuta in 1830.
He stressed that Lisabi who liberated Egba from the oppression of Oyo did not step on the current soil of Egbaland.
Reciting the cognomen of Sodeke, Pastor Bakare said inter alia “oyinbo pate ileke, Sodeke pate ibon…” and congratulated the Alake of Egbaland for having the statue closest to the palace donated by Prince Yemisi Shyllon.
Speaking earlier, the Head of Service, Ogun State, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, commended Prince Shyllon for adding to the aesthetics of Abeokuta. He said the Sodeke statue aligns with the vision of Prince Dapo Abiodun led government to preserve the highly cherished cultural legacies of Ogun State. He noted that Sodeke symbolised the values of courage, resilience, hardwork and industry.
In an address, the artist that designed the statue, Professor Funke Ifeta, said she spent three months designing the Sodeke statue estimated to cost several millions of naira. She said history described Sodeke as very tall and handsome adding “Sodeke carried Townsend on his laps in his old age to underscore his phenomenal strength”
Professor Ifeta urged indigenes to preserve Egba cultural heritages and asked for empowerment for the traditional ceramic factory in Ijaye, Abeokuta, pottery and mat weaving. Delivering a goodwill message, the Proprietor of Crescent University, Prince Segun Ajibola, SAN, described the donor as a mentor adding that he “is always learning from Prince Shyllon.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Culture, Prince Sesan Fagbayi represented by a Deputy Director, Mr. Abdulmalik said Sodeke, the third Seriki of Egbaland, was a hunter and hero who founded Abeokuta in 1830.
In an address, the donor, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, thanked all for gracing the occasion and promised to unveil more Tourism packages that will leverage on the over twenty sites in the capital city of Abeokuta.
