Notice: Undefined index: banner_ad_width in /home/ayekooto/public_html/wp-content/plugins/quick-adsense-reloaded/includes/render-ad-functions.php on line 359

Notice: Undefined index: image_width in /home/ayekooto/public_html/wp-content/plugins/quick-adsense-reloaded/includes/render-ad-functions.php on line 359

Notice: Undefined index: banner_ad_height in /home/ayekooto/public_html/wp-content/plugins/quick-adsense-reloaded/includes/render-ad-functions.php on line 360

Notice: Undefined index: image_height in /home/ayekooto/public_html/wp-content/plugins/quick-adsense-reloaded/includes/render-ad-functions.php on line 360

Olakulehin takes the Olubadan throne today, 89 years after his christening.

By: Adisa Deborah

Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, born in Okugbaja Village, Ona Ara Local Government Area, Nigeria, is destined to become Ibadan’s Olubadan. Born on July 5, 1935, in Okugbaja Village, the family held a ceremony to commemorate his birth in July.

 

Today, on the 89th anniversary of his birth, he will be crowned as Olubadan of Ibadanland in a magnificent ceremony at Mapo Hall. This event shows his new rank and authority as the community’s great regard for the Olubadan title.

 

The 43rd Olubadan will be crowned at Mapo Hall, established in 1929 in Oyo State. Influential figures will attend the ceremony, including President Bola Tinubu, governors, ministries, traditional rulers, and business executives. Olubadan Owolabi Olakulehin, also known as Ige Olakulehin 1, will be the first in his lineage to become the Olubadan. Markets in Ibadanland will close to honor the new Olubadan, and the Babaloja General of Oyo State will issue an order to close markets. The new Olubadan will be the second to rule from a proper palace, succeeding Olubadan Yesufu Oloyede Asanike.

 

The Ita-Baale Olugbode, the residence of the Olakulehin family, is a tremendous blessing for Oba Olakulehin, who has inherited the title of Olubadan. The Olakulehin family, a combination of Ibadan Olakulehin families, has a long history and religious tradition. The Olakulehin family descended from the Kusidi family, has a dual history, with their ancestral village in Okugbaja and ancestral homestead in Ita-Baale Olugbode. This event is a tremendous benefit for the Olakulehin family since it revives a historical lineage and adds to the long-standing legacy of Ibadan’s traditional leadership.

 

The Ita-Baale Olugbode family in Ibadan has a sociocultural structure in which the Mogaji is highly valued and considered senior to the Baale. The family patriarch, Oba Olakulehin, is inextricably linked to familial and cultural customs. To become the Olubadan, a Mogaji must ascend the Otun or Balogun lines in a fierce battle for the post of Jagun Olubadan or Balogun.

Mogaji Olubadan Olakulehin lives in Ita-Baale Olugbode, Ibadan North-East Local Government Area. Olakulehin, who became Mogaji in 1983, served as Ibadan’s Jagun Balogun in 1986.

 

 He advanced through the ranks, becoming Olubadan-In-Council in 2006 and Balogun of Ibadanland in 2016. The Olubadan-in-Council consists of the Olubadan, Otun Olubadan, Balogun, Osi Olubadan, Osi Balogun, Ashipa Olubadan, Ekerin Olubadan, Ekarun Olubadan, Ekarun Balogun, and Iyalode. Olakulehin’s voyage to the Olubadan of Ibadanland was a 38-year success.

 

Oba Olakulehin, the new Olubadan of Ibadan land, will visit the Oluwo Labosinde Compound in Oja’ba, Ibadan, to perform traditional ceremonies and be crowned at the Ose Meji Shrine. This occurrence is consistent with his decision to become Mogaji in 1986. Olakulehin’s education began at Oke Akaran Primary School and continued at Ibadan’s Islamic school. He eventually worked for the Ministry of Works, earning his Ordinary National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Building before enrolling at Yaba College of Technology.

 

Oba Olakulehin joined the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers in 1970 after being recruited by the Direct Short Service Commission. He was the commanding officer under General Olusegun Obasanjo and reached the rank of Major. After retirement, he formed FAKOL Nigeria Ltd, a building contracting firm, and a profitable printing press. Olakulehin also established Fakol Bakery, a popular confectionery in Ibadan. He later joined the House of Representatives and chaired the Nigerian Army’s House Committee.

 

Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakuleyin, the Ige Olakulehin 1, has joined Ibadanland’s traditional institutions following the death of Oba Lekan Balogun. Despite health concerns, he remains focused and determined to ensure the survival of the historic institution.