Olugbon pledges support for Olubadan as Oyo Obas Council chairman

By Oluseye Ojo

Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Olushola Alao, in a show of unity, has assured Oyo State governor,  Seyi Makinde, that members of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs will fully support the new chairman, Oba Rashidi Ladoja (Arusa1), Olubadan of Ibadanland.

He made this pledge while hosting the governor at his palace in Orile-Igbon.

Alao, who was surrounded by other traditional rulers from Surulere Local Government, expressed gratitude to the governor for the visit and assured him that the council members were behind him, with Oba Ladoja set to enjoy support from all five zones in the state: Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, and Ibarapa.

The traditional rulers that joined the Olugbon were the Aresapa of Iresa pupa, Oba Moses Ajiboye; Aranyin of Iranyin, Oba Lasisi Olagbemileke; Olujado of Ijado, Oba Hammed Adegbile and  Iba Abogunde Tajudeen Aminullahi.

“Your Excellency, Engineer Seyi Makinde, we appreciate you for coming here.  And I would like to take this opportunity to explain that the government has done what is needful on the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs. We are in support of the decision.

“Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs has now been re-inaugurated. And we have a new chairman in the person of His Excellency Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadan.

“I want to assure Your Excellency that we are all one in the council. We are united across the five zones – Ogbomoso, Ibadan, Oyo, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa. People can say things but we are members of one united family.”

Governor Makinde, who visited the palace to address issues in Oloka, assured the people of Surulere Local Government and Ogbomoso Zone of development projects, asking for their cooperation.

“I came here over what happened in Oloka. I have visited there, and I assured them that their government will not fail them,” he said.

Oba Alao, in an interview with journalists, emphasised the need for the traditional system to adapt to modern times, saying empires have given way to new global power structures.

“The world is not static but dynamic in nature. In the past centuries, there were the Roman, French and British empires which ruled the world. But looking at today’s world order the United States,  Russia and emerging China are the leading powerful nations.

“The system we are operating in Nigeria is not a monarchy. I implore all traditional rulers across the state to cooperate with the government of the day.

“There is no perfection in government decisions. We just need a deeper understanding of our collective will in entrenching good governance, promoting economic development, security and peaceful co-existence in our dear state. Modernity has restructured the governance system in Nigeria.”

Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs was re-inaugurated by Governor Makinde on Thursday, January 15, 2026, with Oba Ladoja as chairman for a two-year tenure, ending a 15-year litigation period.