Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has inaugurated the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, ending 15 years of inactivity of the statutory traditional council, with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, emerging as its pioneer chairman.
The historic inauguration, held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat, Ibadan, was, however, marked by the absence of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade.
Addressing the gathering, Makinde announced that the chairmanship of the council would operate on a rotational basis among the three foremost traditional rulers in the state, namely the Olubadan of Ibadanland, the Alaafin of Oyo, and the Soun of Ogbomosoland, with each monarch expected to serve a two-year term.
He explained that the rotational arrangement was designed to foster unity, mutual respect and cooperation among the traditional institutions, while allowing each of the royal fathers to contribute meaningfully to governance and development in the state.
According to the governor, the agreement among the trio was that the rotation would commence with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, hence his emergence as chairman.
Makinde recalled that the council last convened in 2011, describing its prolonged inactivity as unhealthy for a pace-setting state like Oyo, especially given the critical role traditional rulers play in governance, peace-building and grassroots intelligence.
In his acceptance remarks, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, said the inauguration signified the beginning of responsibility rather than an accomplishment, urging residents to place confidence in the council’s mandate.
He stressed that the council was not established to promote rivalry or personal ambitions among traditional rulers, noting that public trust would deepen after its first sitting, as people would realise that members were united in purpose and not in competition.
Oba Ladoja explained that the council’s foremost responsibility was to promote peace and safety within their domains, while also contributing to the overall progress and stability of Oyo State.
MEANWHILE, Oba Ladoja has said that hard times await land grabbers who are giving Ibadan a bad reputation.
Oba Ladoja said this at the Olubadan Palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan, while inaugurating a five-member committee of legal practitioners charged with the task of tackling the problem of land grabbing from the legal perspective.
The committee comprises Niyi Akintola (SAN), Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), Yinka Okunade, Rahman Abiodun AbdulRaheem and Tunji Thomas.
They were charged by Oba Ladoja to co-opt anybody from any profession, including town planning, survey, security agencies, the bar and bench, who could assist in giving them sufficient greenlight to fight the scourge.
Oba Ladoja stated that both the Oyo State Government and the Olubadan-in-Council were on the same page in ridding Ibadan of the menace of land grabbing.
According to him, land grabbing is like an interlocking web of complex connections involving diverse interests that need to be unravelled.
In his remarks, the Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Tajudeen Ajibola, corroborated Olubadan’s position, saying it had become desirable for Ibadan to take stringent action against the menace of land grabbing because it has constantly put our people in harm’s way.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, Chief Niyi Akintola expressed the members’ gratitude to Olubadan and Olubadan-in-council for giving them the privilege to serve their fatherland.
