Kings without domains – Social commentator mocks elevation of chiefs in Ibadan, as Ladoja shuns event
Yinka ADETUNJI
A public affairs commentator, Adelani Olawuyi, has described as charade the presentation of staffs and beaded crowns to ten Ibadan high chiefs on Friday.
Reacting to the event Olawuyi in a short piece posted in his Facebook wall dismissed the event as a joke wondering how someone who is an Oba will not have kingdoms or towns and lacks authority, ending it with a quote by Daniel Defoe.
He wrote: “THAT JOKE AT MAPO HALL: Kings without kingdoms;
“Kings without towns;
“Crowns without authority.
“Hummm!!!
“It reminds one of Daniel Defoe’s submission ‘Titles are shadows, crowns are empty things,the good of subjects is the end of Kings’.”
It is recalled that ten high chiefs in Ibadan Oyo state who are in line to be made Olubadan were Friday elevated to Obas status with tacit approval of the Oyo state government.
The crowning ceremony which held at Mapo Hall was however shunned by the Osi Olubadan High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, who had earlier condemned the act.
Senator Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo state, who presently is second in the line of succession was conspicuously absent at the ceremony having said earlier he would not submit himself to be crowned any Oba that is not Olubadan.
He had submitted, “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”.
He expressed dismay at the fact that some high chiefs wanted to short-circuit the system, saying such was alien to the Ibadan tradition.
He pointed out it was not fair or right to have high chiefs as kings, adding there was no need to mend what was not broken.
Meanwhile Oyo state governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, who was special guest of honour at the event denied he orchestrated the elevation.
The governor said it was a process engineered by the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, in conjunctions with the chiefs and Mogajis, that he only approved since it was in line with the existing law
He lambasted all those he said had insinuated he initiated the elevation to appropriate more powers describing them as mischief makers.
“We are here today for a major reason. Some people have insinuated that I want to crown High Chiefs that have been elevated to the position of Obas, but is that what you are seeing here today? No. It is the Olubadan of Ibadanland who is crowning the Chiefs.
“Well, this coronation has generated many comments. Some don’t know how we got to this point, but let me use this opportunity to clarify a few of those issues. First, everything we have done here today is premised on the promise that I made to the people of Oyo State and, in particular, the custodians of our tradition.
“As time passes, there will be a need for reforms to our traditional system for one reason or the other. So, I promised that whenever there is need for such reforms, it has to come from the royal fathers themselves. I don’t know anything about the crown,” the governor declared while urging those who did not support to approach the court.
