Osinbajo, Tinubu to celebrate new Olubadan on Sunday

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be the keynote speaker, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, is expected as special guest of honour at an exclusive Yoruba leaders’ gathering to celebrate the new Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, on June 19, 2022.

Co-ordinator of Yoruba World Centre (YWC), Alao Adedayo, said the event, scheduled to hold at the University of Ibadan (UI) under the chairmanship of former Governor Rasheed Ladoja, is being put together by the YWC to formally introduce the new monarch to the larger Yoruba community, by presenting him to Yoruba lords of business, politics, administration and traditions. All will be hosted by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.

Co-ordinator of the YWC, Alao Adedayo, who spoke on the new development, said: “Our earlier plan was to celebrate the new Olubadan among our traditional rulers and other leaders, and we had thus invited both the Vice President and Asiwaju Tinubu. But we later realised that these two foremost political and government leaders from our own side here had just come out of a competition, which generated lots of misunderstandings among our people. So, we intensified efforts to ensure their presence for rapprochement, and we are glad to say they shall be with us on that day.

“We are not inviting them for politics, therefore, no politics will be allowed on the occasion. It is for them and other respected personalities to come and relax, enjoy the arts and culture of their own people, look at ways to make the culture become a tool for national unity, beneficial co-existence, youth development and empowerment. You won’t believe how glad we were when signals came that the two are coming to celebrate with the new Olubadan and the Yoruba people.”