09/06/2025
The Return of Mr. Steeze at Ojude Oba
By
Omotomiwa Babalola
The name rippled through the gathering like a dropped pebble in water. For nearly a decade, Mr. Steeze had been missing from Ojude Oba. Once the undisputed style king of his regberegbe, he had vanished abroad in pursuit of dreams. Some said he’d made it big; others whispered he was lost to the Western world.
But then — just before the Balogun horsemen rode in — he appeared.
A hush swept over the palace square as a sleek, open-roofed vintage Benz rolled up, wrapped in green and white satin. Out stepped Mr. Steeze, clad in shimmering aso-oke laced with diamonds that caught the sun like stars. His cap was tilted just right, his staff carved from ebony, and on his feet — hand-beaded loafers with his initials: S.T.Z.
Cameras flashed. Jaws dropped.
He walked not like a man, but like a legend returned.
The crowd parted as he strolled toward the Awujale’s pavilion, offering a respectful bow. The monarch nodded in regal approval. Murmurs turned to cheers. Even the young boys mimicked his swagger.
But it wasn’t just the clothes. It was the grace — the humility in his smile, the Yoruba proverbs he dropped in conversation, the way he acknowledged elders with two hands and called every child “omo mi.”
When his regberegbe took the stage, he stood at the center — not as a leader above, but a brother returned.
That night, beneath a sky lit with fireworks and starlight, old friends toasted palm wine to his name. “To Mr. Steeze — the prodigal son with panache!”
And so, the tale of Ojude Oba 2025 would forever include the moment Mr. Steeze returned — not just in fashion, but in heart.
Ijebu-Ode will not forget.
