Much of what attracts fascination when observing the Olubadan of Ibadan throne is ultimately because of its exclusivity being that only two houses or families can ever produce the reigning monarch, so it is sad to witness the death of Oba Lekan Balogun on Thursday under two years of reigning.

Now that the latest Olubadan has passed on, what would be the focus as soon as his burial according to the Muslim rites concludes today is the crowning of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin as the next Olubadan.

The previous king, before he died following a bout with malaria at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, was in the process of concluding one vital task relating to discipline in the three-centuries-old kingdom.

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This disciplinary action carried the consequence of irreversible dispossession of title no matter the rank of the chief and it has led to a trail of discovery, showing all the symbolic moments where an Olubadan, through an advisory council decides to decouple a ranking officer after they went against ethics.

Oba Lekan Balogun (2022 – 2024)

The most recent moment happened during the two-year reign of Oba Lekan Balogun. One of his chiefs, the Mogaji Akinsola of Opopo Labiran family compound, Ibadan, Wale Oladoja had been adjudged to have gone against the standards expected of nobility and that has meant that someone else from the family would have to replace him following his brutality in the eviction of tenants occupying his property. A brief suspension had preceded this, with the deceased king, the 42^nd noble to occupy the role, rated as magnanimous for being accommodating in the hope that the deposed Mogaji would be remorseful, but that vision never materialised. Even though Oba Balogun did not live long enough to sign the council’s recommendation that the Mogaji’s title be reassigned to a new holder, it is expected that the agreement would get to the desk of the Oyo State department on chieftaincy matters except something extraordinary happens.

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Oba Yesufu Asanike (1983-1993)

Late into the second republic, specifically in 1983, it was the late Olubadan, Oba Yesufu Asanike, who had thought that the murdered Minister of Justice of Nigeria, Chief Bola Ige was no longer deserving of the Aare Alasa post. Before the disqualification, Chief Ige had been the Oyo State Governor and had sought a reelection, which he lost to a challenger, Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo who was then favoured by the Olubadan. There is a need for more clarity around an event that occurred four decades ago, but it was believed that the chief disrespected the Olubadan kingdom, hence his being axed.

Olubadan Fijabi II (1948-1952)

At this moment, the time capsule is dialling out to 1948 – 1952 when Oba Fijabi II was the Olubadan. He reportedly directed reproach towards the path of a rich Balogun, who had built the capacity to succeed him. When a title holder loses their rank no matter the reason, it is not expected that they can ever retrieve it even if they have been remorseful, as any junior officer subsequently promoted will permanently hold the post unless they go against ethics. A former Minister in the old Western Region learned of this handicap although he had tried to reverse his decoupling through litigation and policies.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.