The late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, ascended to one of the highest traditional titles in Yoruba land in a grand ceremony that took place at the historic Mapo Hall on July 12, 2024.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde handed Olakulehin the staff of office to be the new Olubadan, and the event was attended by the crème de la crème and influential personalities from within and beyond the country.
The late Olubadan of Ibadanland is the second Olubadan to rule from a befitting palace, after the famous Olubadan Yesufu Oloyede Asanike, who first lived in the old palace at Oja’ba. The ultramodern historic palace, situated magnificently on Oke-Aremo, was inaugurated by Governor Seyi Makinde on Wednesday and is set to become the new official residence and palace of subsequent Olubadans, starting with Oba Olakulehin.
Hitherto, the personal residence of the succeeding Olubadan had always served as the palace upon ascension to the throne.
To ascend the throne of Olubadan, you have to be a member of the two high-ranking principal chieftaincy lines consisting of the Balogun and Otun.
The Balogun (warrior) line consists of the Ekarun Balogun, who is the sixth in command; the Ekerin Balogun, who is the fifth in command; the Ashipa Balogun, who is the fourth in command; and the Osi Balogun, who is the third in command. Otun Balogun, who is next in rank to Balogun, and the Balogun himself, who is the highest member of the line.
While the Otun (civil) line consists of Ekarun Olubadan, Ekerin Olubadan, Ashipa Olubadan, Osi Olubadan, and the Otun Olubadan as the highest-ranking member in the line.
The late Olakulehin was from the Balogun line, and he waited 38 years to ascend the throne after becoming Jagun Balogun.
The next Olubadan will now ascend to the Otun line, where the former Oyo State governor, Rasheed Ladoja, holds the highest rank.
Meet Oba Rasheed Ladoja
The emerging Olubadan, Oba Ladoja, governed Oyo between 2003 and 2007.
Ladoja was born on September 24, 1944, in the Gambari area of Ibadan.
He attended Ibadan Boys High School between 1958 and 1963 and Olivet Baptist High School between 1964 and 1965. He further studied at the University of Liège, Belgium, between 1966 and 1972, where he earned a degree in chemical engineering.
He was elected to the Nigerian Senate in 1993 during the short-lived Nigerian Third Republic, where he was a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party during the Abacha Political Transition.
In 2000, Ladoja was appointed Director at Standard Trust Bank Limited.
On 12 January 2006, Ladoja was impeached by Oyo State legislators and forced out of office. His deputy, Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, was sworn in as the new governor.
On 1 November 2006, the Appeal Court in the state capital, Ibadan, declared the impeachment null and illegal but advised waiting for confirmation of this decision by the Supreme Court. However, the apex court upheld the decision on 11 November 2006, and Ladoja officially resumed office on 12 December 2006.
In the next election, Ladoja failed to win the PDP nomination as a candidate for a second term. He chose to back the Action Congress candidates for 33 local council chairmanship elections.
On 28 August 2008, Ladoja was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of non-remittance of the proceeds of the sale of government shares totalling N1.9 billion during his administration.
He was briefly remanded in prison by the Federal High Court in Lagos on August 30, 2008, and was granted bail on September 5 in the amount of N100 million, with two sureties for the same sum.
Again, Ladoja was the governorship candidate for the Accord party in Oyo State during the April 2011 and 2015 elections, and he lost to Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
He took a break from politics after defecting to ADC and finally to ZLP in 2018 to face his traditional chieftaincy.
On August 12, 2024, the late Olakulehin formally presented the ceremonial beaded crown to High Ladoja, a crown he had formerly rejected during ex-Oyo governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration.
