Being A Long-lived Person ‘ll Make You Become Olubadan Not Ifa Oracle-Oba Rashidi Ladoja
Being a long-lived person is a major eligibility requirement for the Ibadan throne and a candidate for the throne does not need to emerge through Ifa oracle divination system, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has said.
The Ibadan monarch also noted that his emergence as 44th Olubadan was through divine support.
Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Oba Ladoja said this during the visit of the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Peter Leenknegt to his palace in Oke-Aremo, Ibadan on Tuesday.
Oba Ladoja said his primary focus is to protect all residents of the ancient city, irrespective of their ethnic, religious, or political affiliations.
‘My ascension to the throne of Ibadanland is divine. As I said, it is not the Ifa oracle that chooses an Oba for Ibadan. It is not money that chooses for Ibadan; it is long life granted by God. I am very happy that when the Ambassador was speaking, he shared the same view — that the role of a traditional ruler today is different from what it was fifty years ago.
They now look up to us for support. One of my responsibilities as Olubadan is to ensure peace in Ibadanland, which we are already working on. We cannot talk about peace without addressing the issue of stomach infrastructure. We must find a way of engaging our youths; when they are busy and well catered for, the problem of drug addiction, which now threatens the foundation of Ibadanland, will be tackled’ he said.
The monarch thanked the Belgian government for its willingness to partner and collaborate with Ibadanland, noting that the city has abundant farmland suitable for agriculture.
‘Let me appreciate the intellectual and financial capacity of Belgium. The Ambassador has assured me that whenever we call, they will be there to assist us.
Ibadan has always supported other parts of Yorubaland. We have our own mineral resources, which can also be discussed today. We have vast agricultural land — whether for grassland or forest use — and that is why Ibadan is different from many other places.
The Ambassador has introduced a platform which I intend to take advantage of immediately. He mentioned that they have a committee of French-speaking Ambassadors in Nigeria. We have agreed to discuss further, and I will be very happy to host all of them in Ibadan soon. Together, we will plan how to transform Ibadan — not just to rest on our historic achievements but to keep moving forward so that no one overtakes us. We are already the first; we are the Pacesetter, and we intend to remain so’ he added.
Giving his speech, Peter Leenknegt said one of the reasons for visiting Ibadan is to inform Oba Ladoja that cocoa has overtaken crude oil as the main export product from Nigeria to Belgium.
‘Since 2024, cocoa has overtaken crude oil as the main export product from Nigeria to Belgium. Consequently, the price of cocoa has risen, and I think that is a good thing for farmers, as it means they can now earn a better livelihood. It also shows that our commercial relations are diversifying’ he said.
Recall that Governor Seyi Makinde presented the Staff of Office and Instrument of Appointment to Oba Rashidi Ladoja in Ibadan last month-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
