Why Adeladan should be next Alaafin without delay—Oyo indigenes in diaspora

Clearly worried by the delay in the appointment of the next Alaafin and the various disturbing news being passed around, Oyo indigenes in the diaspora have advanced reasons Prince Dr. Ajibade Adeladan should, without delay, be made the new occupier of the stool of the Alaafin in Oyo town. 

This is coming from the background of what many watchers have described as unnecessary delays and subterfuges in the appointment process of the next Alaafin of Oyo.

Abisoye Bello, an Oyo indigene in Mississippi, United States of America, told the media that what is expected in the choice of a leader is transparency and the general good. He stated that for any Oyo indigene, the goal should be the development of the town. “There are many reasons we should be worried about the delay. The new Alaafin that will emerge has a lot of work to do. Oyo needs a leader that will prioritise its development. This is what the people equally want. There is already a very competent person that can fill that stool. Sentiments should be pushed aside. This is the truth and nothing but the truth. We know what we want as a people. Prince Ajibade Adeladan’s resume ticks all the boxes and this is very crucial. Oyo needs someone like him. The time is now.”

Nurudeen Ajisafe, another Oyo indigene in New York, wondered why the delay in the appointment process is being witnessed, saying that it would have been a different story if there were no competent person to occupy that stool. “I am worried and I believe many others are also worried. I saw that one of the candidates is an old and retired man who is vying to occupy that position. Age and competence are very crucial. We want an Alaafin that will embody the advantage of age, experience, expertise, competence, passion and love for his people. This is none other than Prince Adeladan. His antecedents speak volume and this should be considered. We are waiting but the wait should not be too long and indefinite,” he said.

In his response, Sunday Filani, an Oyo indigene based in Germany, pleaded with the Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, to ensure that Prince Adeladan emerges the next Alaafin considering the needed consolidation of the achievements so far recorded by the governor in Oyo State. According to Filani, “For the ongoing successful efforts of the Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde to be consolidated, he needs traditional rulers that would always complement his strides. Traditional rulers are very important. We all must know this. If a state must develop, it is not only the state governor that should bear that burden. When a traditional ruler dies, it provides a golden opportunity for the governor to look for competent hands that would be saddled with the responsibility of augmenting the developmental efforts of the government. This is what I am advocating for Oyo State and Oyo town at this crucial time. Prince Ajibade Adeladan can complement the efforts of the state governor. He should be made the next Alaafin of Oyo. He is the kind of person that Oyo needs now. This is very important.”

In his reaction, Ebunolu Adegbite, another indigene of the town in Spain, said he has been an active observer in the goings-on within and around his hometown of nativity, saying that he wants an Oyo town that he could be proud of. “I have every right to be concerned about who occupies the throne of the Alaafin. Oyo town is not developed and this is disturbing. I, like others, have been following what is happening at home. We need a developer, someone driven by the passion to bring Oyo to the centrestage of development. Prince Adeladan can do this. He should be made the next Alaafin without any further delay,” he pleaded.  

Born to the family of Prince Samuel and Mrs Rachel Adelada in Oyo town on January 4, 1961, Prince Dr Ajibade Adedayo Aremu Adeladan spent his growing-up years in Lagos where his parents resided at the time.

His father, who worked as the national manager of Pfizer at some point, travelled a lot. During one of his trips, he came across an elementary school in Ibonwon, Epe, where Prince Adeladan and his siblings were later enrolled. After graduation from the elementary school, the Prince then started secondary education at the Olivet Baptist High School in Oyo town in 1973, and was there till 1977. Afterwards, he proceeded to the Federal Government College in Ijanikin area of Lagos State, where he was from 1977 to 1999, and got his Higher School Certificate (Advanced Level).

Upon getting his Higher School Certificate, he got admission into the University of Ibadan in 1979, and was there till 1984 when he graduated as a medical doctor. He had his housemanship (internship) training at Adeoyo Hospital in Ibadan between 1984 and 1985, after which he went to Borno State for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. For the NYSC programme, he served at the Kukawa Community Hospital located in Kukawa LGA and was the only doctor in the Local Government Area at some point during the service year.

As a doctor, the Prince worked across hospitals in Lagos, including the Ajayi Memorial Hospital and Alalade Memorial Hospital. He afterwards went for training as a specialist in General Surgery at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). In 1995, he became a Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons.

Between 1995 and 2003, he worked in several countries, including Jamaica, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Virgin Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands, after which he moved to the United States and got a specialist training in Psychiatry ay Columbia University, Manhattan, New York. He was later named a Chief Resident at this medical institution.

Prince Adeladan got his board certification in Psychiatry and Neurology in April 2009, while the certification for Addiction Medicine was in 2012. Among states in the US where he has worked include New York, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, and California.

Another foreign-based Nigerian of Yoruba extraction, Kumuluyi Adesafe stated that Oyo deserves an Alaafin who is under 70 and devoid of the shortcomings that plague leadership today. He argued that Prince Dr. Ajibade Adeladan parades a rich blend of integrity, communication, self-awareness, gratitude, learning agility, influence, and empathy. “With Prince Dr. Adeladan as the next Alaafin of Oyo, the job of the Oyomesi is done,” he said.