President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwakwanso are among the host of dignitaries expected at the coronation of the new Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Ladoja.
Both Tinubu and Ladoja served at the Senate during the aborted third Republic. Bedsides, Tinubu was serving his second term as Lagos State governor at the time Ladoja served as the governor of Oyo State.
The erstwhile Senator and governor of Oyo State is billed for installation as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland next Friday at the historic Mapo Hall in Ibadan.
Receiving some visitors who came to paid him courtesy visits at his Bodija residence, Oba Ladoja had hinted that President Tinubu and other top dignitaries had reached out to him and promised to be in attendance at his coronation.
Chairman of the Coronation Committee of the 44th Olubadan, Chief Bayo Oyero, speaking with journalists during a press conference held at the Olubadan Palace in Oke-Aremo, Ibadan, also confirmed that President Tinubu and other eminent personalities would be in attendance at the coronation.
Oyero described the installation of Ladoja as the new Olubadan as something of great cultural and historical significance, adding that the installation will not just be a coronation but also a reaffirmation of the unique and timeless chieftaincy system of Ibadanland.
He said Ibadan succession process is a testament to its democratic and orderly tradition; a system that has ensured peace and stability for generation.
He said: ‘The ascension of Oba Ladoja is a journey of many years back, a path meticulously followed and guided by the wisdom of the ancestors’.
He noted that Ladoja, being a former Senator, Governor, and now Olubadan, will be equipped with unique understanding of the grassroots to the corridor of power.
He said Ibadan people are confident that Ladoja would bring his wealth of experience to the throne, leading Ibadanland into a new era of progress, peace and prosperity.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters in the state, Hon. Ademola Ojo, described the Olubadan stool as a revered one and a source of cultural pride and identity not just to Ibadan but Yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole.
He said Ladoja’s coronation signified unity, peace and fundamental celebration of Yoruba heritage.
He thanked Governor Seyi Makinde for his exemplary leadership and respect for traditional institution.
In attendance at the event was the President General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Barr. Ajeniyi Ajewole; Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade; Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun; Ekeerin Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Hamidu Ajibade; Coordinator, Ibadan Compound Peace Initiatives (ICPI), Mogaji Nurudeen Akinade and media aide to the Olubadan designate, Adeola Oloko, among others.
How 12 June struggle crippled monarch’s business empire —Akintola
A legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Niyi Akintola, yesterday narrated how the Olubadan-designate, Oba Rasidi Ladoja, used his money to finance the activities of the 12 June pro-democracy movement and National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).
The support, he said, affected Ladoja’s businesses and made it suffer serious setbacks.
Akinola, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Deputy Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, said Ladoja’s financial contribution to the movement remains unknown to many people.
He spoke while featuring on a popular Yoruba programme known as ‘Gbagede Oselu’, monitored on the state owned Television station, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), Ibadan.
Ladoja, according to him, joined the pro-democracy movement after the late Gen. Sani Abacha led military junta seized power in 1983.
The monarch, prior to this time, represented Oyo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly
Akintola recalled that during the period, Ladoja had the largest palm plantation in Cross Rivers State, which was then adjudged to be the largest in the whole of West Africa, with the proceeds from the plantation and his other businesses used to finance the operation of the movement.
Akintola said: ‘Ladoja’s businesses suffered serious setbacks because of his support for the June 12 pro-democracy activists.
‘It is on record that during the period, Ladoja had the largest palm plantation in Cross Rivers State, which was then adjudged to be the largest in the whole of West Africa.
‘The proceeds from the plantation and his other businesses were being used to finance the operation of the Movement’.
He however lamented that many people who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s democracy are not the ones enjoying its dividend.
Akintola added that the likes of Comrade Mashood Erubami have nothing to show for the stability of governance in the country.
Comrade Erubami, according to him, had unsuccessfully contested for various political positions, saying ‘some politicians who are occupying various political offices in the country have no link with the struggle for democratic rule in the country.
‘People like Mashood Erubami went to prison several times during the NADECO days.
‘These are individuals who paid the price for democracy, yet their contributions are often overlooked’.
