The residence of the Balogun of Ibadanland and Olubadan-designate, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, was filled with drummers and praise singers on Friday, Saturday PUNCH reports.
Olakulehin, according to several palace sources, will be crowned as the next Olubadan of Ibadanland subject to the approval of the state governor, Seyi Makinde, as he is the next in line to the throne.
This came barely 48 hours after the passing of the 42nd Olubadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, who died after a brief illness on Thursday.
Confirming the monarch’s death, Makinde, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said Oba Balogun died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
The late monarch, born on October 18, 1942, reigned for two years.
Olakulehin, who heads the Balogun line, according to several palace sources, hails from Ita Baale in Ibadan North East Local Government.
He was a member of the House of Representative in the Third Republic
The palace drummers were expected to move from Alli-Iwo to the Ita Baale Palace of Oba Olakulehin, heralding his symbolic ascension to the throne.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and several state governors have paid tribute to the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II.
The remains of the late Olubadan were, on Friday, interred at his Aliiwo ancestral home amidst sympathisers around 4.30 pm.
The state Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal, led other government functionaries to the family burial ground at Aliiwo in the Ibadan North Local Government Area of the state.
Dignitaries at the burial ceremony include the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja; the President-General of Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, Niyi Ajewole; former CCII President-General, Bayo Ayero; Are Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta, Daud Makanjuola; the Chief Imam of Ibadanland, AbdulGaniy Agbotomokekere, and a host of others.
Earlier, there was a lying-in-state at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, from 12 pm to 1 pm before the remains of the late monarch moved to Aliiwo for burial, where prayers were said to God to repose his soul.
The road leading to the ancestral home from Mapo was blocked while all markets along the route were also closed down as a sign of honour to give him last respect.
Adequate security personnel were deployed to strategic locations within the area to maintain orderliness.
Mourning the monarch, Tinubu said he received the news of the passing of the Olubadan with a deep sense of grief.
This was contained in a statement by Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, on Friday.
The President commiserated with the family of Olubadan, the government of Oyo State, Olubadan-in-Council, Oyo State Traditional Council, and the people of Ibadanland over the loss.
Tinubu mourned the Olubadan and celebrated the Oba’s remarkable life of service to his people, state, and the nation.
“His Imperial Majesty, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, was an exceptional king who used his ancestral stool in the service of humanity.
“He was compassionate, courageous, and an unrelenting advocate of the pristine ideals of peace, honesty, and unity.
“His wise counsel will be sorely missed at this time in the life of our country.”
Obasanjo expresses shock
Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said the news of the passing of the late Olubadan of Ibadanland was received with great shock and profound sadness.
Obasanjo said the news of the ‘sudden’ demise of the Olubadan had hit him like a bad dream.
Obasanjo who is currently in Baku, Azerbaijan, attending the 11th Global Baku Forum, stated, in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, that the late monarch left enviable qualities, which stood him out, including an impeccable record of incorruptible leadership.
According to the former President, his enviable qualities stood him out as he left behind an impeccable record of incorruptible leadership, a legacy of forthrightness, thoroughness, and unwavering commitment to public good.
“He demonstrated that politics was an avenue not for mindless enrichment but for rendering faithful service,” he added.
‘Olubadan was a patriot’
Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, also expressed sadness over the death of the Olubadan of Ibadanland.
Atiku, in a press statement by his media office on Friday, described the late Oba Lekan Balogun as a long-standing friend and a great patriot.
Sanwo-Olu, others mourn
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, commiserated with the family and people of Ibadan over the passing of the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland.
He said the late Oba Balogun’s service to the people of Ibadanland, Oyo State, and Nigeria as a whole will remain his enduring legacy.
Governor Sanwo-Olu in a condolence message issued by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, on Friday, described Oba Balogun’s death as a great loss to the people of Ibadan and the traditional institution in Oyo State.
Sanwo-Olu also expressed his condolence to the Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, over the demise of Oba Balogun, who passed on at the age of 81 on Thursday at the University College Teaching Hospital, Ibadan.
He said, “On behalf of the government and people of Lagos, I commiserate with my brother, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, the people of the ancient city of Ibadan, the traditional council, the deceased family, friends, and political associates on the transition of the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, who joined his forebears on Thursday.
In the same vein, the Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has commiserated with the government and people of Oyo State and the Olubadan-in-Council over the demise of the Olubadan of Ibadanland.
In a condolence message signed by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ismaila Isah, Ododo expressed shock over the death of the late Olubadan, whom he noted was celebrating only his second anniversary on the throne of his forefathers during the week.
Fayemi mourns
A former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, also expressed his condolences on the death of the Olubadan of Ibadanland.
In a statement released by his media office in Abuja, Fayemi stated that the news of the late monarch’s death was shocking and must have caused untold grief for his people.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, joined the Nigerian community to mourn the death of the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland.
The governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the late Olubadan was a man of peace, whose place in history would be etched in gold.
The Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, expressed shock over the death of the Olubadan, describing the death as a great loss to Yorubaland.
Reacting to the death of the revered monarch, Adams in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, said the death of the late Olubadan robbed Yoruba land of one of its illustrious sons and a prominent monarch, whose transformational ideals was indelible.
Also mourning the late monarch, Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, on Friday, said the legacies of the late Olubadan of Ibadanland in Nigeria’s politics and the development of Ibadan would remain enduring.
More tributes
Meanwhile, a member of the National Assembly, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, on Friday, expressed profound shock and sorrow over the demise of the revered Olubadan of Ibadanland.
Also mourning, the Olubadan, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, on Friday, said Ibadanland witnessed monumental development during the reign of the late Oba Lekan Balogun.
CCII, in a statement by its President-General, Sulaimon Ajewole, said, “Many developmental projects were executed during the two-year reign of the Ali-Iwo-born monarch.”
‘No date yet for coronation’
The Olubadan-in-Counciil, on Friday, announced that there was no specific date for the coronation of the new Olubadan of Ibadanland.
A former governor of the state and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, made this announcement shortly after a closed-door meeting with the new Olubadan-designate, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, at his Alalubosa residence in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
He further explained that Ibadan already has Olubadan designate and there is no question about that.
High Chief Ladoja said, “The departed monarch (Oba Balogun) came from the Otun line, the next monarch will be from the Balogun line. So, the head of the Balogun line is the Balogun of Ibadanland, who has become the Olubadan designate. We all know that Ibadan does things accordingly. If a king dies, we already know who is next, and we refer to him as ‘designate’.
“So, it has been decided that he will be buried today at Aliiwo, which is his ancestral home by 4 pm today (Friday).
“There is no date yet for the coronation of the new Olubadan, but the date shall be announced as soon as the burial rite for the deceased is completed,” he said.
UCH mourns
Meanwhile, the authorities of University College Hospital, Ibadan, have said that they gave adequate care to the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun when he was brought to the hospital on Wednesday.
The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mrs Funmilayo Adetuyibi, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Ibadan.
- Additional report by Bankole Taiwo, Gbenga Odogun, Peter Dada and Tunde Oyekola
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