The General Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has paid tribute to the late monarch of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.
He described him as a patriot, mentor and elder statesman” whose death marked the end of an era in Nigeria’s political and cultural history.
Naijaonpoint reports that Adetona passed on Sunday, July 13, 2025, a date which Bakare said holds deep personal and national significance.
In a tribute titled, “Tribute to a Patriot, Mentor and Elder Statesman, The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebu Land”, Bakare expressed sorrow at the monarch’s passing, while thanking God for a life he described as “well lived.”
He said, “It is with profound gratitude to God for a life well lived and yet with deep sadness at the loss of a father figure that I pay tribute to Kabiyesi Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.”
The revered pastor also noted that the monarch died the same day as former President Muhammadu Buhari, adding, “This coincidence is deeply significant to me.”
The cleric revealed that Oba Adetona played a critical role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that, “What many Nigerians may not know is that without the Awujale’s pivotal intervention, the APC might not have emerged as a political party.”
Recounting events after the 2011 general elections, Bakare said he met with the monarch in London and urged him to initiate talks between the CPC and the Action Congress of Nigeria, led by President Bola Tinubu.
“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,” Bakare stated.
He said that despite this monumental role, “Kabiyesi was nonpartisan, supporting any course he thought would facilitate good governance, strengthen the national interest, foster peace, and further the course of building a united Nigeria.”
Describing Oba Adetona as “a man of uncommon wisdom and a strong sense of justice,” Bakare recalled a dramatic encounter in the early 1990s during a crusade in Ijebu Ode. According to him, “Our gathering was suddenly invaded by an angry mob led by a masquerade named Obirin Ojowu. The masquerade was knocked down by the power of God.” Bakare said the Awujale refused to interfere when his supporters ran to the palace. “He said, ‘If the organisers did not push the masquerade down, but the power of God did, then these are the kind of people we need in Ijebu Ode.’”
The clergyman highlighted the monarch’s personal spirituality, noting, “Kabiyesi was open-minded and had a heart for God. With his granddaughter, he watched my television broadcast The Moment of Truth without fail, almost throughout his life. He would often call to appreciate my commitment to speaking truth to power.”
He added that their relationship was cordial, deeply personal, and enduring.