Olubadan: Ladoja talks tough, says he won’t wear ‘Anyhow Crown’
Yinka ADETUNJI
High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, the Otun-Olubadan of Ibadanland, on Wednesday in Ibadan said he was not interested in wearing any other crown (anyhow hat) except that of the Olubadan.
Ladoja told newsmen at his residence after the Eid prayers that it has always been his target to become an Olubadan and was not going to wear any other crown.
ogbomosinsightonline.com recalls Ooni Olubuse 1, declaring in a correspondence with Macgregor (recently brought to memory by Adewuyi Adegbite a columnist with this medium) that any crown that did not originate from Ile-Ife (cradle of Yoruba race) or has the approval of the traditional council is “anyhow hat” (ade ijakuja), adding that any Baale or ‘Oba’ who wears such crown (also derogatorily denounced as ade paali) is treated as anyhow Oba in the comity of Obas in Yorubaland.
According to The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), there had been widespread speculation that the Ibadan high chiefs would be installed as beaded crown-wearing kings from July 7.
Some high chiefs who were crowned during the administration of the late Abiola Ajimobi had surrendered the crowns after an out-of-court settlement.
This was to pave the way for Oba Lekan Balogun’s ascension to the Olubadan throne.
However, Ladoja said information at his disposal revealed that the high chiefs were now seeking permission to resume wearing of their surrendered crowns.
Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State, said it was illegal for any Ibadan high chief to think he can resume wearing an already-surrendered beaded crown.
He said there would not have been a new Olubadan of Ibadan by now if the high chiefs had failed to surrender their crowns and withdrawn the case in court.
“I joined the Olubadan line on Oct. 1, 1993. I joined as ‘Jagun Olubadan’ and my target was to become Olubadan. I did not expect that I was going to wear any beaded crown on the way.
“If I wanted to do that, I would have become the ‘Baale’ of my village and I will be called ‘Baale’. Our role as high chiefs is to advise and support the Olubadan, not to wear the crown with him,” Ladoja said.
The former governor said he as an individual was not interested in any other crown apart from that of Olubadan of Ibadanland, adding “Only God chooses kings”.
Ladoja expressed dismay at the fact that some high chiefs wanted to short-circuit the system, saying such was alien to the Ibadan tradition.
He said that it was not fair or right to have high chiefs as kings, adding there was no need to mend what was not broken.
