The former Governor of Oyo State and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, has declared his intention to become a beaded crown monarch in Ibadanland, as stipulated in the revised Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration.
Ladoja explained that various Ibadan indigenes and non-indigenes had pressured him to accept the beaded crown to facilitate his ascension to the throne when the time came.
Speaking on a radio programme in Ibadan on Sunday, Ladoja, who is the most senior of the High Chiefs and next in line to become Olubadan, expressed gratitude for God’s mercy and stated his belief that he will become the Olubadan of Ibadan.
“By the grace of God, I will become Olubadan. God has been merciful to me. My blood pressure has been stable,” Ladoja said in Yoruba.
He added, “Anyone God destined to become Olubadan will become Olubadan. No matter the obstacles placed in their way.”
Regarding the beaded crown, Ladoja stated, “I’m ready to accept Ibadan’s ceremonial beaded crown if it’s the wish of God and the good people of Ibadanland. Only God knows who becomes Olubadan. I know by the special grace of God, I will become Olubadan.”
This move is seen by many as crucial to de-escalating tensions arising from the publication of the gazette showing the new amendment to the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration.
The Oyo State government recently revised the declaration, amending Section 4 to state that “the person who may be proposed as a candidate by the Line whose turn it is to fill a vacancy in the office of the Olubadan shall be the most Senior Beaded Crown Oba in that Line.”
Ladoja acknowledged the tough decision but emphasized the importance of the people’s wishes, stating, “I will do what the people of Ibadan want. God is determining everything.”
He also noted that historically, not all who became Balogun or Otun Olubadan ultimately ascended to the throne of Olubadan.
The revised declaration, passed by the state House of Assembly and signed into law by Governor Seyi Makinde, marks a significant change from the original 1957 declaration, which simply required the candidate to be “the most Senior (High) Chief in that Line.”
