A glorious pathway for Olubadan Ladoja

Per the Bard of Avon, all the world is a stage, and all the men and women are merely players. As the people of Ibadan await the next Olubadan, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, to mount the city’s ultimate throne, this statement rings loud and clear once again. The Incoming Olubadan had greatness thrust upon him by the circumstances of birth, but he achieved greatness by rising above many obstacles. And it is finally time for the man simply known as Ladoja, billionaire businessman and politician, to become the Ibadan Numero Uno, a position which, like almost any other inheritor, he has waited decades for. Ladoja, a candidate from the civil line of succession, became Mogaji in the 80s and, as he foresaw when he became an Oba after receiving a ceremonial beaded crown in August 2024, the Olubadan throne is finally his. One of his predecessors, the late Oba Saliu Adetunji, once prayed fervently for him to live long enough to ascend the throne, and when the recently deceased Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, mounted the throne, he reportedly requested the Oyo State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, to install him (Ladoja) as Kabiyesi-in-waiting. The Kabiyesi-in-waiting is now Kabiyesi-elect. And Ibadan is ensconced in song and drum.

Although like all mortals, he has his shortcomings, Ladoja’s credentials are fairly stellar. And he will be the first Olubadan to have had the privilege of ruling Oyo State, a state headquartered in the same Ibadan that has now beckoned on him to be its liege lord, as a democratically elected governor. Born on September 25, 1944, in Gambari village near Ibadan, Ladoja attended Ibadan Boys High School (1958-1963) and Olivet Baptist High School (1964-1965), then studied chemical engineering at the University of Liège, Belgium (1966-1972). He worked with Total Nigeria, an oil company, for 13 years, then went into private business in 1985 with interests in shipping, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and transportation. Ladoja was elected to the Senate in 1993 during the aborted Third Republic, and became a director of Standard Trust Bank Limited by 2000, just a year into the current democratic experiment.

In April 2003, Ladoja made a record that now uniquely adorns his preparation for the Ibadan throne: he was elected Governor of Oyo State. Although controversially impeached in January 2006, he was reinstated in December 2006 and would go on to run for governor again in 2011 and 2015, but Oyo State had slightly different ideas. But on July 7, 2025, following the death of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, Ladoja was announced as the incoming Olubadan. And so it is from Government House to the royal palace, as culture triumphs over politics.

But is Ladoja the first personage here to tread this path of royal and political honour? The answer lies in looking backward to look forward. Enter Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the 49th Ooni of Ife and head of the Oduduwa household. Although the details are contrasting, Ladoja has a predecessor in the bigger king. In the pantheon of traditional rulers in the Oduduwa world, it is difficult to find a more distinguished name. Born on November 15, 1889, to Prince Osundeyi Gbadebo and Madam Adekunbi Itiola, Aderemi was foreordained a king from his childhood. He joined the Nigerian Railway Corporation in 1909 and rose through the ranks, resigning in the early 1920s to set up his own businesses in transportation and agriculture. Aderemi indeed became so financially successful that he was nicknamed “Atobatele”, meaning that he was already of royal stature even outside the throne. His reign as the 49th Ooni of Ife, beginning in 1930, spanned 50 solid years, and at his demise in 1980 he had etched his name in pure gold.

Today, the Obafemi Awolowo University, an institution widely known as Africa’s most beautiful campus, stands as a powerful testimony to the depth and breadth of the Ooni’s vision. He supported the university to no end. The man who championed education and founded Oduduwa College in 1932, brought telephone services to Ile-Ife in 1938 and established the Ife museum of antiquities, will never be forgotten for his giant strides. He was, at various times, a member of the Legislative Council of Nigeria (1946-1951); member of the Nigerian Federal House of Representatives (1952-1954); Minister in the Central Government (1952-1954); and President of the Western House of Chiefs (1952-1960). He was the first Black African Governor of Western Nigeria (1960-1962) and Permanent Chairman of the Western/Oyo State Council of Obas (1966-1980). Ooni Aderemi transformed Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race, into a modern town and inspired economic growth through agriculture. He is fondly remembered for playing a key role in Nigeria’s quest for independence, a uniquely gifted royal father who combined traditional and modern leadership styles.

In a eulogy delivered after Aderemi’s transition on July 3, 1980, the best president that Nigeria never had and first Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, gave this tribute to his genius: “He must have felt gratified that though the administrative power of traditional rulers in Nigeria had been much curtailed, his own children are among those who now manage the affairs of the country. During all our innumerable meetings, discussions and conversations, the late Ooni did not, even on a single occasion, raise any issue of personal benefit to himself. His sole concern at all times was the welfare of his dear people in Ile-Ife, and in Nigeria as a whole.” Oba Aderemi saw today before yesterday, and espoused progressive ideas with gusto. Television came to Nigeria early, but Oba Aderemi would never allow any of his children to sit by the tube when it was time for bed, or when it was time to read, someone who has now faded from memory once told this writer in Ile-Ife.

In this land, there isn’t often a king. A king should not take instructions from strangers and spurn his own people, battling the father of social transformation. He should not claim to be descended from distant lands in order to rival his own father, nor lie with two blood sisters and boast about it. He should not wine and dine under the earth, then issue ultimatum to demons never to dare his dream. I have seen would-be kings and never-should-have-beens, rogues caught rolling up a joint and garlanding themselves with alien titles. Often, this land puts a crown on clowns, enthroning ex-convicts. One huffs and puffs daily, constituting a nuisance, displaying boxing ambitions, embarking on romantic projects beyond his purse and asking for bailouts, and making utter mockery of his ancestors. A king should not be a retired fraudster smiling at everybody and speaking like a misfit. Who but a rogue sells antiques and ancient landmarks, mints noisemakers around creation, and barks crude orders at palace guards?

May the reign of Oba Ladoja prosper Ibadanland, like Aderemi’s reign prospered Ile-Ife and the length and breadth of the space now known as Nigeria’s South-West. Amin.

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