I received the news of the passing of our highly reverred monarch, His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, GCON Ogbagba II, the Awujale of with great sadness and profound sense of loss.
His death was a personal loss to me because we shared a great deal of confidence and close relationships. Kabiyesi, was not just our traditional ruler in Ìjèbú land, but a father figure to many of us. His life exemplified the true core values of what the whole of Ijebu people represent; he was the moral compass of integrity, courage and wisdom. He symbolizes the full essence of our culture and traditional values.
In his 65 years on the throne, Kabiyesi, became the symbol and identity of progress, resourcefulness and enterprise earning the sobriquet as "Orisa Ijebu", an apotheosis of a god with spiritual authority and a dispenser of prosperity.
His exit marked a significant closure of an exciting era and the reopening of a new chapter in the history of Ìjèbú and Yoruba land in general. His long reign and ripe old age filled a void in our ancestry and common history. We mourn!
I extend my heartfelt commiseration to His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces , a personal friend and alter ego of Kabiyesi Awujale Adetona; to the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; to the good people of Ogun State and most especially every sons and daughters of Ìjèbú land at home and in the diaspora; my condolences to the Olorituns, the Council of Otunbas and Chiefs and to the immediate families of Kabiyesi Awujale on this loss.
I am personally comforted that Kabiyesi Adetona has just transitioned into the eternal realm of immortality and spirituality where he will forever superintend over the affairs of Akile Ijebu and its prosperity.
I wish his earthly family the guidance of the Almighty as I pray for their comfort to be able to bear the pains of this spiritual accension to the world of saints.
His Excellency, The Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel, FNSE, FNAENG,
Otunba Obalofin of Ìjèbú land,
Royal Court of the Awujale of Ijebuland.