Chief Mrs Aderonke Adeyemi commends Chairman Pastor Alayande as “detribalized”; backs Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa language teaching in schools
Felix Mbata, Lagos state
When royalty speaks, the community listens. And on April 17, 2026, royalty did more than speak — she beamed.
Draped in elegant Yoruba attire that announced her heritage before she said a word, Chief Mrs Aderonke Adeyemi, the Yeye Bobaselu of Ajasaland, was among the dignitaries whose presence lit up Honeyland College’s 2026 Cultural Day.
“I came and I am impressed from what is happening,” she told The Unique Model, surveying a school compound transformed into a living museum of Nigeria’s tribes. From Isi Agu to Aso Oke, from Babban Riga to talking drums, the day lived up to its theme: “Our Culture, Our Pride.”
For Yeye Bobaselu, an Ile-Ife daughter married into Oyo royalty, the event was both revelation and affirmation. “I have not been in their culture programme before… I decided to come and see the way they do their own culture here.” What she saw, she said, was “wonderful, lovely and beautiful.”
‘I AM HERE FOR MY TRIBE’ — WHY CULTURE MATTERS
Chief Mrs Adeyemi was clear about her mission: “I am here for my tribe because I am a Yoruba woman and I am from Osun State, Ile-Ife precisely.”
Her verdict on Honeyland’s effort was emphatic: “Different tribe dressed on their tribe attire, customs, kids — everybody here looks lovely and amazing. I like the programme.”
But beyond pageantry, Yeye Bobaselu used the platform to address a crisis: the erosion of language and identity among youths who see culture as “old fashion.”
THE SOLUTION: SPEAK IT, NAME IT, WEAR IT, TEACH IT
Echoing actor Yemi Falade and other guests, she prescribed a home-first remedy: “In school they normally teach them English but at home, let us teach our children our language. So that when they represent us they will be able to speak our language fluently.”
On indigenous names, she was personal: “I prefer we answer our indigenes name… My middle name is Aderinte, everybody know that Aderinte is from Ile-Ife, so I marry to Oyo State, which is Adeyemi too. So our names should like our culture.”
She warned that the “mode of dressing is dying” because “some women dress the way they are not supposed to do.” As a titled chief, she added: “I don’t dress that way because I have a title that I am protecting. I do dress normal dress.”
‘SCHOOLS SHOULD START CULTURE DAY’ — AND USE TECHNOLOGY
Her message to schools without cultural programmes was direct: “They should start to do that, because culture is very important, whether you’re Igbo, Efik, Hausa, Yoruba, Calabar — you should make your children know your culture and tradition.”
She praised Eze Nicholas E. Njoku, Eze Ndigbo of Ejigbo, who pledged to bring an Igbo teacher to support language teaching. “I do support that,” she said.
On technology, Yeye Bobaselu offered a digital blueprint: “Anybody that wants to do something on internet should put it on his dialect, that people will understand his/her tribe and English version. Everybody will see it and culture and tradition will continue to grow.”
SALUTE TO A ‘DETRIBALIZED CHAIRMAN’
She reserved special praise for the host: “I appreciate the chairman so much. He is a Yoruba man but he put all his efforts to ensure that all the groups that are here today practice their culture and tradition. He doesn’t discriminate. He is a detribalized chairman. So I sincerely appreciate him so much. He is a very nice and gentle man.”
CONCLUSION –
For Honeyland College, Yeye Bobaselu’s endorsement is more than a compliment — it is cultural validation. When a Yoruba titleholder from Ile-Ife stands in Ipaja and declares your school’s Cultural Day “lovely and beautiful,” when she urges other schools to copy you, and when she calls your Yoruba chairman “detribalized” for honoring all tribes, you know you’ve done more than host an event. You’ve built a bridge. Honeyland College, Ipaja — where every tribe finds a home, and Our Culture truly becomes Our Pride.