On Sunday, August 27, 2017, a drama began that will soon come to a close on March 11, 2022. The much-heralded Ibadan house chieftaincy system—which was egalitarian, cosmopolitan, and unique—was severely upended.
Still, it has made a nearly perfect survival. There was a strong tempest, but now it is quiet again.
Olubadan Adetunji, the late governor of Oyo State, and his Osi Olubadan, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, must be remembered.
Their brave, tolerant, and unyielding defense of Ibadan’s ancient traditions will live on in perpetuity. These two men have undoubtedly left their mark on Ibadan history.
A disclaimer needs to be added right away, right now. We must all pledge, no matter how strong the urge or provocation, to speak no evil of the dead.
This issue is a little bit outside the purview of small-time transient politics.
The late Abiola Ajimobi regime’s widespread and violent destruction of our stable system in the name of modernization was a grave miscalculation. He let loose a massive farce of mistakes.
It was always going to be a soggy squib. Most likely, our sad hero Abiola had no malicious intent. It needed a brave ‘Wolu Ladoja and the late Oba Adetunji to take up the mantle. The Olubadan-elect was first at a loss when it came to the honest minority. Later on, he broke his word.
After a long time, he has at last changed his mind. While the majority let themselves be guided along the primrose road, if not the garden walk, the minority refused to back down. To entice them, the tempter used crowns, cash, and cars. They were duped, but subsequently renounced it all.
All of the documents related to the Justice Boade Commission, including tons of rewritten reports, technical team reports, White Papers, gazettes on subsidiary and main laws, and court case records, are now confined to the government archives’ dungeons or, at most, the flames.
Something essential went awry. All of us need to go back on, consider, and assess what happened.
Where did the previous government make mistakes? We omit the reasons. In this audacious exegesis, I propose to list a few of the different places where Ajimobi made his mistakes.
First, one could be tempted to believe that traditional issues are still relevant in the present era. Additionally, he must have absorbed the Ibadan proverb, “Oloye Ibadan, bi Oba ibomi,” which goes.
This means, to put it roughly, that every chief in Ibadan is equivalent to an oba somewhere else. The Ajimobi extended exercise was the last of several previous upheavals of the Ibadan system, including Adegoke Adelabu, Lamidi Adedibu, the Seriki line, and others.
We have to give credit where credit is due. The exceptional Awolowo administration passed “The Chiefs Law,” Cap. 19, of the Laws of the Western Region of Nigeria, on June 20, 1957. With the skillful assistance of his Minister of Justice, Rotimi Williams, and a vibrant group of elite government employees, they created a succinct, snappy demonstration of skilled legal writing.
The spirit of that law is still evident in the later constituent areas of the former Western Region. Ibadan was uniquely taken care of in the contrast between the chieftains of the ruling family and the non-ruling house, as implied by the word “go.”
A cursory investigation into the history of the title Olubadan, or any of its variants, such as Aare, Bashorun, Bale, etc., reveals that one turning point was the separation between the two reigns of Abass Aleshinloye (Elelubo), which lasted from 1930 to 1946.
In the first, he served as Oyo’s Bale from 1930 to 1936! He was Olubadan proper, 1936–1946! Oyo lost its independence to Ibadan. But from 1946 till 1976, Ibadan did not receive a beaded crown. The jinx was broken by Major-General D. M. Jemibewon.
Despite Ajimobi’s useless effort, Ibadan received a beaded crown from David—the sole one, never before or after—until now.
One possible source of temptation for Boade and Ajimobi could have been the documentary evidence that was presented to the Judicial Commission of Enquiry. The mirage can be found in Boade’s Report, Volume 1, August 2017, Annexure VI. “List of Beaded Crown Obas in Oyo State” was the subject matter.
A mirage or optical illusion led the judge, his team, the governor, and his own team to believe that there should be an intrinsic relationship between the number of local governments and the number of beaded crown Obas in each local government.
Sometimes it’s really difficult to work with numbers. First, although housing maybe more than 50.2% of the state’s total population, Ibadan only has 11 local governments out of a total of 33.
Examine the ascent of Oke-Ogun’s top civil officers with a keen eye.
Back then, Ibadan served as the capital of the Western Region, Western Nigeria, Western State, Old Oyo, and New Oyo States. Suggestions were provided by a combination of military and civilian officials. The key to wit is brevity.
For this reason, the late Chief Richard Akinjide asserted that a governor candidate could win the popular vote in Ibadan alone due to the electoral laws’ required spread requirement, but that cultivating Oke Ogun’s favor for numerous good reasons is the first step toward wisdom!
Astute politicians understand this. In the past, Ibadan did not have beaded crowns. There won’t be any more once Jemibewon constructed the first one.
To the ongoing glory of Ibadan, the late Oba Adetunji and High Chief Ladoja acted honorably and intelligently.
This is a perfect example of a minority legitimately triumphing over a majority. We honor the collective efforts of the Ibadan historians, the Mabogunje pantheon, Lloyd, Bolanle Awe, Wale Oyemakinde, Toyin Falola, and chroniclers I. B. Akinyele and Kemi Morgan. We are all too aware that Ibadan people typically possess two distinct personalities.
Nearly all families own two properties: one in the city and one in a farmhouse known as “Less City.”
In actuality, the Olubadan-elect had a distinguished forerunner. Olubadan Memudu Alli-Iwo, who ruled in 1952, was his grandpa. I received my diploma from Government College, Ibadan, in 1952.
That year, Ibadan produced three Olubadan: Apete, Alli-Iwo, and Fijabi II. Lagun, located in Lagelu Local Government Area, is their homestead. Dr. Balogun would validate the astute choice I made on the Bale of Lagun, whom Boade suggested be given a coronet or crown. On the spurious pretext that Eddy Oyewole of the Foko fame was in the city, he absurdly refused to treat him the same way as Lekan Balogun!
However, we can’t hold the commission solely responsible. They were ignored, even when they once or twice cautioned against it.
Just one important example needs to be given in this exegesis. Commission’s Recommendation 9 was published on page 493 of Gazette No. 14 of August 23, 2017, Vol 42 (White Paper on Olubadan Declaration). It stated, among other things, that the High Chiefs should continue to use their titles of Otun Olubadan, Osi, etc., and refrain from prefixing their names with “Oba” to avoid any confusion that might arise from doing so. MIRABILE DICTU! On this count, Boade J. has to be released! The recommendation is rejected by the government.
The possible confusion was detected by the Commission. Unfortunately, their advice was ignored. This demonstrates how some, if not all, of the ensuing catastrophe may have been prevented.
This interpretation must not ignore a serious faux pas, a serious blunder in which the awarding of the aforementioned Beaded Crowns did not even comply with the provisions of Cap 28 Section 28. There was no umbilical cord used to connect Caps 28 and 37.
This voids every crown and, thus, every coronet! According to the law, the Alaafin of Oyo would have been involved in the “Beaded Crown” case! Regarding all these issues, there are a few more catches.
The statute book’s cover still bears the Seriki line. On December 1, 2011, a compelling appeal was submitted to Governor Ajimobi, and it was featured on page 48 of the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, December 13, 2011.
This concerned the non-application of a ruling that the Nigerian Supreme Court ultimately approved.
This issue is still unresolved as of right now. To get a sense of what’s involved, anyone with an interest in law might want to read Aare Afe Babalola’s wonderful book, “Enforcement of Judgements.”
According to the 1957 Declaration, which is still in effect today, Seriki is one of the kingmakers for the Olubadan of the Ibadan Chieftaincy! All things considered, during Oba Lekan Balogun’s rule, the Olubadan Declaration might require revision.
In the Ministry responsible for Chieftaincy Matters, it is customary to refrain from making any changes to Declarations during an interregnum, if possible.
People and governments have made many judgments throughout history that were not in their best interests. The American historian Barbara Tuchman established this more or less with her 1992 book “March of Folly.”
I must now turn my attention to High Chief (Dr.) Lekan Balogun, the Olubadan-elect and biggest beneficiary of the entire turn of events.
Despite his early hesitancy or mistakes, where he acted erratically toward the late Olubadan and Ladoja.
He has been duly NOMINATED, APPOINTED, and received government approval today, all due to Governor Makinde’s crucial and prompt action. Our admiration must go to the judiciary and attorneys.
The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, who is also a prince of Saki, has demonstrated exceptional leadership. He brought to issues pertaining to “the law” and “law” in general his unmatched grace, erudition, and audacious new jurisprudence.
In his court No. 1, he made prompt and skillful rulings regarding procedure, evidence, fair hearings, joinder, and third-party conundrums. He is not one to put up with bullshit, excessive pressure, or intimidation.
Even as a detached yet knowledgeable spectator, this writer is personally proud of him. I’m inspired by Justice Abimbola in a lot of ways. He sealed off a boiling pot of labor, difficulties, and tangle of lawsuits.
His stunningly timely work makes me think of many of the excellent judges Nigeria has been endowed with, aside from the remarkable twentieth-century British mathematician jurist Lord Denning and Cardozo of the United States.
The poet Aniagolu, Oputa (Socrates!), Chike Idigbe, Kayode Eso, Michael Ogundare, Kutigi, Ogunkeye, Ariwoola, Ayorinde, Ayoolas, Mary Odili, Fati Abubakar, Aare Afe Babalola, Nabo Graham Douglas, Alexander, and so on are among the people I recall from our own JIC Taylor. Chief Judge Munta Abimbola’s handling of this absurdity of administrative uncertainty earned him our esteem and appreciation for eternity.
We are equally grateful to Governor Seyi Makinde and his legal and political advisors for their astute judgment and timely action.
When the inevitable happened, they bravely undid the traditional Gordian knot. In this complicated tale, the Olubadan-elect is the luckiest man alive. We must all support him for a variety of reasons.
Few people are aware of how dangerous his flight from takeoff to landing was on the way to his destination. In 1987, during takeoff, he got into a fierce internal conflict with his kinsman, rival Mogaji, Alhaji Sarumoh. In 1987, Okin-Oloja, a Yoruba tabloid available for N1, revealed everything in one of its monthly editions. Dr Lekan Balogun won the day thanks to the undeniable genius of the witty Olubadan Asanike of Idi-Aro renown.
The dispute reached trial. It was harsh and tense. High Chief Balogun hesitated in midair, unsure whether to accept the poisoned chalice Ajimobi offered or follow the late Oba Adetunji and Ladoja.
After yet another storm, Ladoja, Makinde, and Justice Abimbola have now provided him with a comfortable landing! It’s all good when it ends well.
I commend Oba (Senator) Dr. Lekan Balogun for making a successful and safe landing. He is a former Olubadan’s grandson. Ceteris paribus, he will be formally enthroned as the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadan on March 11, 2022. Memudu Alli-Iwo, the 30th Olubadan of Ibadan, was his grandson, and he ruled for a limited period of time—three months and six days—from March 21, 1952 to June 27, 1952. May God grant Oba Lekan a longer reign.
Engineer (Dr.) Omololu Olunloyo, a former governor of Old Oyo State, the Balogun of Oyo Empire, and the Otun Bobajiro of Ibadanland, was once the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in 1970, which is 52 years ago.
