Ibadan Set For Ladoja Coronation As 44th Olubadan

Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, is alive with celebrations as the city prepares for the official coronation of Oba Rashidi Ladoja as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland on Friday.

The weeklong activities leading up to the event will climax with the grand installation ceremony at the historic Mapo Hall.

Ladoja, who turned 81 on Thursday, is a businessman, former senator, and one-time governor of Oyo State. He rose through the traditional Olubadan chieftaincy line to ascend the throne following the death of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin on July 7, just days after the late monarch marked his 90th birthday.

Governor Seyi Makinde, who has been on vacation, is expected to return to Ibadan on Thursday to present the Staff of Office to the new Olubadan. Political leaders, traditional rulers, and dignitaries from across Nigeria are also expected to grace the ceremony.

Major roads in the city, including Iwo Road, Mokola, Ring Road, Challenge, Sango, Eleyele, Molete, Apata, Akala Road, Akobo, and Bashorun, are decorated with banners and billboards carrying Ladoja’s image alongside congratulatory messages from individuals, groups, and corporate bodies. Convoys of guests arriving ahead of the event have already become a common sight on the streets.

Security and traffic management have been stepped up to handle the expected influx of visitors. Personnel of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority and the police have been deployed to key junctions and strategic locations across the city. Some adjoining roads near Mapo Hall will be closed to traffic on Friday, with motorists advised to use alternative routes.

In readiness for the coronation, the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan, which had been undergoing upgrades, was reopened on Wednesday. This will ease the arrival of high-profile guests, including President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and several other dignitaries expected to land in the city for the ceremony.

The organising committee, chaired by Chief Bayo Oyero, a former president of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, announced that markets across Ibadan will remain closed on Friday to give the occasion a befitting atmosphere.

All is now set for the historic event as Ibadan prepares to witness the installation of its new monarch, with the city’s residents and guests eager to celebrate the beginning of a new reign.