The leadership of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes CCII has described the review of Olubadan chieftaincy policy and elevation of Baale and High chiefs to the position of a king as a desired initiative which was supported by over 90% of Ibadan indigenes.
President General of the apex socio cultural organization in Ibadan Chief Yemi Soladoye, who was accompanied other executive members while addressing the press noted that noted that the desire and request for the review of the chieftaincy law was requested by the people as a result of how the city had been below par with other cities especially those that are not as vast, massive and historic as much as the Ibadan.
“For avoidance of any doubt, the CCII wishes to confirm that the change that has just taken place was desired, initiated, supported, applauded and appreciated by the generality of Ibadan Indigenes worldwide.
“We wish to reiterate the fact that constant changes and reviews are infact the ingredients that have sustained our well-organized and rancourless ascension to the throne of Olubadan of Ibadanland in almost 200 years of our existence.
“The CCII was involved in the process by the time government set up the panel for the review and when the report came out, the CCII approved it and I can tell you that 90 percent of Ibadan indigenes asked for the reform and supported it based on the issue we have been having.
Chief Soladoye however assured that the CCII will continue to mediate and consult the relevant stakeholders including, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, the Olubadan-in-council, Ibadan Elders Forum, the mogajis, the baales and such other individuals connected in the matter to ensure amicable settlement before it degenerates.
He lamented that an ugly bye-product of the unique ascension to the Olubadan throne is that many of them gets to the throne at the tail end of their lives. And which has resulted in the death of many High Chiefs who were so close to the throne.
He recalled that five members of the. Olubadan-in-council had been lost in the past 20months.
Soladoye also explained that “the coronation of the new Obas has achieved our desired end-state and also preserves what matters most to us. The promotion of any of the new Obas to the stool of Olubadan of Ibadanland automatically ends that obaship in his compound until they have another Mogaji who may be lucky to ascend the position of Olubadan-In-Council in distant future”.
The CCII President explained that the political coloration the exercise attracted was not unexpected because “in a city of politicians therefore, there will always be the tendency to politicize every issue”.
He said: “The CCII cannot pretend to be unaware of some political colouration that crept into this progressive change at the eve of implementation but suffice to say that for a city where Politics and Public Service are the 2 largest industries, the tension that accompanied the change is not unexpected. Our current Otun Olubadan was a member of the upper chambers (Senate), current Balogun of Ibadan was a member of the Lower chambers (Federal House of Representatives), the current Osi Olubadan was in the Senate and a former Governor while the current Aare of Ibadan was in the Senate and now the sitting Governor of Oyo State.
