•Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke
A recorded remark by Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, suggesting that the Adire textile craft originated in Osun and was later “stolen” by the Egba people has drawn sharp criticism from Adire traders in Ogun State.
Speaking from Abeokuta, the Iyaloja of Kemta Adire/Kampala Market, Somodale Akamo, dismissed the governor’s claim and called for a retraction and public apology, reports The Guardian.
“We are no doubt shocked by the statement credited to His Excellency, the governor of Osun State, Sen Ademola Adeleke, that Adire (tye and dye) is originally from Osun State and that the Egba people stole it,” Akamo said.
Governor Adeleke had made the comments during a conversation with the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila. In the video, Adeleke is seen asserting that Adire began in Ede, his hometown in Osun State. When Gbajabiamila responded that he thought Adire was from Ogun, Adeleke replied, “They stole it.”
Akamo said the remarks were both “offensive and insulting” and misrepresented a long-established cultural history.
“We reject this offensive and insulting statement because the Egba people are a set of noble and hardworking people,” she said.
“The truth is that Adire is from Egba land. It is the craft and trade that our forbears had been doing as far back as the 13th century.”
She traced the modern popularity of the craft to the Egba people’s settlement in Abeokuta in 1830, and credited figures like Madam Jojoyinola, the second Iyalode of Egbaland, with expanding its reach and empowering local artisans.
“The trade became more popular and prosperous when the Egba came to present-day Abeokuta in 1830, and the second Iyalode of Egba land, Madam Jojoyinola, did a lot to empower many people with this trade. Since then, Adire has gone global.”
Calling the governor’s claim “false,” Akamo urged Adeleke to “withdraw this statement and tender an apology for calling us what we are not.”
The controversy comes amid renewed attention to Adire as a symbol of cultural heritage and economic livelihood for communities across southwestern Nigeria. Both Osun and Ogun states have historically played active roles in Adire production and promotion.
