VIDEO: Tributes Pour In For Late Olubadan As Residents Anticipate Crowning Of 44th Monarch
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin HAS joined his ancestors a few months after his ascension to the throne.
The monarch who passed away in the early hours of Monday, age of 90, was installed on July 12, 2024, as the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadanland Following the demise of the previous traditional ruler of Ibadan.
Hifox correspondent Dayo Olujobi went in and around Ibadan to capture the mood in the city as well the anticipation of residents on the incoming.
Just as his ascension to the throne reverbed the rich cultural values of Ibadan land, Oba OLakulehin’s demise was announced in the embodiment of tradition.
His family consumed with grief, described the soft spoken king him as deeply down-to-earth.
Other Oyo dignitaries including the first son of a prominent Ibadan man, Lamidi Adedibu, Aderemi, Iyaloja general of Oyo state Alhaja Saratu Aduke among others extolled the personality and values of the late king.
While many are in a mournful mood, those who await the crowning of a new king from their household are overjoyed. After all, this is the reason Ibadan people are referred to as omo Agbọ́tikúyọ̀; meaning one who hears about death and rejoices.
While it is no longer news that the new Olubadan designate is a well-known man, a senator of the third republic and a former governor of Oyo who is also the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land, Rasidi ladoja, his status as the next monarch was however announced when the kakaki Olubadan blew his trumpet at his residence in Bodija Ibadan.
Like the popular phrase go, ‘Soldier come, soldier go, but barrack remains’, 9ne oba replaces another. There is no doubt that Oba Olakulehin who was crowned barely a year ago has contributed immensely to the development of Ibadan land even within his short time frame as king. Yes, Ibadan residents mourn him, but there is hope that the incoming king will continue from where he left off.
Makinde Mourns
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has mourned the death of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin.
While receiving a delegation from the family of the Kabiyesi, Makinde said that the state government would give the monarch a befitting burial.
“I commiserate with the family and all of us. The government will stay with the family and play whatever roles we are supposed to play, including giving Kabiyesi a befitting burial,” he said.
“I will ask all the members of the family to take heart. Coincidentally, today marks the 13th year since my father passed on. So, for the immediate family, I pray for strength.
READ ALSO: Oyo Govt Debunks Rumoured Olubadan’s Death
“We don’t always want them to go; we want them to stay with us. But God has designed our bodies for a certain period,” Makinde added.
Other members of the delegation included the former president-general of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) and Aare Mayegun of Ibadanland, Chief Bayo Oyero; the younger brother of the deceased Olubadan, Osuolale Owolabi Olakulehin; and the son of the deceased, Aremo Olasumbo Owolabi.
