FCMB Group Plc has deepened its cultural engagement for the forthcoming Ojude Oba festival as it collaborates with finance professional and culture advocate, Farooq Oreagba, whose appearances helped propel the centuries-old celebration into global social-media and fashion conversations.

The partnership trails the annual Ijebu, Ogun State festival, which has gained global visibility.

Following the recognition, fashion platforms, diaspora communities, tourism stakeholders, and global media are paying increased attention to the festival.

The FCMB, which has supported the Ojude Oba festival for over two decades, noted that the initiative reflected its ongoing investment in cultural institutions that shape identity, foster enterprise, and boost local economic activity.

The bank said in a statement  “Ojude Oba represents continuity, enterprise and community. The festival has, for generations, connected people and created value across tourism, hospitality, fashion, media and commerce.”

The festival which holds draws thousands of Ijebu indigenes home and abroad each year, including regberegbe age groups, horse-riding families and business leaders.

In recent years, the event has grown from a regional gathering into one of Africa’s most recognisable festivals, driven in part by the viral spread of photographs and videos online.

Mr Oreagba became a prominent festival figure after colourful images of him in layered traditional attire, coral beads, and sunglasses, riding a horse, spread widely on social media and in style publications.

His imagery amplified global interest in Ojude Oba’s visual culture—horse processions, elaborate Yoruba fashion, and multigenerational displays of status and identity.

Despite the recent digital attention, FCMB said both the festival and Mr Oreagba’s association with it have a much longer history.

“What the world is witnessing now is increased visibility around a longstanding cultural institution. Ojude Oba has always carried cultural depth, sophistication and economic significance,” the bank said.

This year’s Ojude-Oba festival, with the theme, “Celebrating the Legacy of Oba Sikiru Adetona,” honours the late Awujale of Ijebuland, credited with making Ojude Oba one of Nigeria’s leading cultural events.

The festival has become an economic driver for Ogun State. It generates activity across hospitality, transportation, fashion, photography, media, and tourism.

FCMB said rising international interest in Ojude-Oba shows how cultural institutions can serve as platforms for economic visibility, community engagement, and global cultural influence.