Renowned historian, Professor Toyin Falola, has urged the Olubadan-designate, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, to make education, security, and welfare the defining priorities of his reign, describing them as the pillars on which Ibadan’s transformation must rest in the twenty-first century.
Delivering the First Olubadan Coronation Lecture on Wednesday at the University of Ibadan’s International Conference Centre, Falola praised the enduring relevance of the Olubadan stool, calling it “central to the identity, resilience, and continuity of Ibadan even in a rapidly modernising age.”
He insisted that this influence would not diminish under Oba Ladoja but “is expected to be a turning point that fuses tradition with modernisation, bringing economic growth and social renewal to Ibadan and Oyo State at large.”
While welcoming the audience, Professor Amidu Sani, Chairman of the Coronation Lecture Committee, said the event was designed “to showcase the intellectual profile of Ibadanland and also to correct wrong perceptions about its indigenes.” Similarly, Chief Bayo Oyero, Chairman of the Coronation Committee, added: “We hope that the lecture would not only enlighten but also help to shape strategic direction of Ibadanland under the leadership of Oba Rashidi Ladoja.”
The lecture, built around Falola’s acclaimed book, ‘Ibadan History: Issues in Tradition and Modernity,’ situated Ladoja’s emergence as monarch within both Ibadan’s legacy of resilience and its pressing contemporary challenges.
“Ibadan has always been a city of accommodation and resilience,” Falola observed. “Founded in the 19th century as a camp of soldiers, Ibadan has evolved into West Africa’s largest indigenous city, with civic discipline and commercial enterprise in balance. Ibadan is a city that grew by improvisation, discipline, and collective will.”
Looking ahead to Ladoja’s reign, Falola emphasised the monarch’s recent declaration that Mogajis and Baales would be held responsible for breaches of security in their domains. “His declaration re-establishes the Ibadan heritage of communal responsibility, where the family head and the quarter head are guardians of morality and security,” he explained. “A coronation is not simply the elevation of a person; it is the reaffirmation of shared heritage, the renewal of cultural identity, and the promise of a future to come.”
Tracing Ladoja’s trajectory from businessman to governor and now monarch, Falola described his installation as “a politically significant event.” He recalled: “Oba Rashidi Ladoja’s installation as Olubadan is a politically significant event. Not just a traditional ruler but also a past Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Governor of Oyo State between 2003 and 2007, and a prominent political figure in the politics of the Nigerian Fourth Republic.
As Governor of Oyo State, he undertook decisive reforms in education, agriculture, and urban renewal amid an ongoing political crisis. He was impeached in 2006 by the Oyo State House of Assembly through a contentious process widely decried as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court later restored him, and his case became a reference point in Nigerian constitutional law.”
This context of political struggle, Falola said, adds symbolic richness to his reign. “He is both a witness to the resilience of Ibadan’s customary order and to the strength of Nigeria’s democratic experiment. As an experienced governor, he possesses the insider’s understanding of state politics and is a unique Olubadan who bridges tradition and modern governance.”
He, however, warned that Ladoja’s reign will be tested on his ability to rise above politics: “Perhaps one of the most significant challenges for monarchs in contemporary Nigeria is being above politics. As a previous partisan politician, Oba Ladoja’s reign will be put to the test regarding whether he can separate personal loyalties from being a non-partisan father of the city. In a state constantly divided by political rivalry between Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun, and Ibarapa, Olubadan’s neutrality is the panacea for stability.”
Yet, Falola expressed confidence in the monarch’s conciliatory disposition. “Fortunately, the record of Ọba Ládọjà indicates that he is ideally suited for such a mission. Even as a respected conciliator, he has always been hailed as a politician who ‘forgives easily’ and has chosen reconciliation over reprisal. That would stand him in good stead in mastering the art of being both a revered traditional leader and a tenacious political elder statesman.”
The historian further stressed that Ibadan’s traditions must be adapted for modern times. “In the nineteenth century, Ibadan was a republican war state; in the twentieth century, it became institutionalized as the capital city and major political player within the modern Nigerian state; and now in the twenty-first century, it must, once again, transform to adapt to the realities of urban administration, security, and cultural heritage. It is in this context that Ọba Ládọjà’s reign assumes a special significance. He is not merely going to sit on a stool; he is to embrace a system that integrates tradition and modernity, patience and forward movement, top-down and bottom-up. The Olubadan, therefore, is more than a symbolic monarch. He is the keeper of a political experiment that remains admirable to scholars, shapes civic culture, and holds the destiny of one of Africa’s most vibrant cities.”
On the specific priorities of his reign, Falola was emphatic: “The first sphere of transformation that the reign of Ọba Ládọjà must influence is that of social development. The most critical pillars in this case are security, education, and welfare – areas in which Ibadan has long been both a pacesetter and flashpoint for transformation.”
He elaborated on security: “During both the pre-colonial and colonial periods, the Mogaji was not only a ceremonial but also a practical head of the family, with responsibility for maintaining law and order, as well as the welfare of the compound. The Baale was also a village custodian of justice and security. By restoring this system of responsibility, the Olubadan is reinstating the age-old practice of social control that established Ibadan in its formative days as a state born in arms. This tradition also aligns with the broader Yoruba understanding of social responsibility, which views crime not merely as an individual’s failure but as a reflection of society’s lapse in guidance, discipline, and care for its people. On one level, the Olubadan is decentralizing security, an option that can offer a more sustainable replacement for blanket reliance on distant state institutions.”
On education, Falola called for renewed investment. “As the Olubadan, his moral and cultural authority can be leveraged to rally elite and communal investment in education. The priority would not only be to keep institutions of higher learning running, but also to improve primary and secondary education in Ibadanland, laying the proper foundation for social mobility. Education in Ibadan has historically been tied to identity and social mobility. As Ruth Watson has observed, Ibadan’s civic culture produced ‘an ethos of discipline and enlightenment,’ wherein the educated elite were critics and custodians of the city’s traditions. An education agenda under Oba Ladoja could thus re-establish Ibadan’s role as a crucible of intellectual and civic leadership for Nigeria.”
The event drew a distinguished audience of scholars, traditional leaders, and members of the Ibadan public, underscoring the symbolic weight of Oba Ladoja’s coronation as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland.
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