The Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Olushola Alao, has assured Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde that members of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs will give full support to the newly appointed chairman, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, Olubadan of Ibadanland.
The assurance was given on Friday when Governor Makinde paid a courtesy visit to the monarch at his palace in Orile-Igbon, Surulere Local Government Area. Other traditional rulers from the council area joined the Olugbon to receive the governor.
Oba Alao, who doubles as the deputy chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, expressed appreciation to the governor for the visit and for what he described as decisive leadership in reconstituting the council. He stressed that the council stood firmly behind the governor’s decision to appoint Oba Ladoja as chairman.
According to the monarch, the council remains united across the state’s five traditional zones – Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa – adding that the new chairman would enjoy the cooperation and loyalty of members from all zones.
“Your Excellency, we appreciate you for coming here. The government has done what is needful regarding the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, and we are in full support of the decision,” Oba Alao said. “We now have a new chairman in the person of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja. I want to assure you that we are united. Despite what people may say, we are members of one family.”
In his response, Governor Makinde said his visit was partly to address concerns arising from recent developments in Oloka, noting that he had already visited the community to reassure residents of the government’s commitment.
“I have assured them that their government will not fail them. This government belongs to the people,” the governor said.
He also pledged that development projects would be evenly distributed across all five local government areas in the Ogbomoso Zone, calling on traditional rulers to cooperate with his administration.
The monarchs who accompanied the Olugbon to receive the governor included the Aresapa of Iresa-Pupa, Oba Moses Ajiboye; the Aranyin of Iranyin, Oba Lasisi Olagbemileke; the Olujado of Ijado, Oba Hammed Adegbile; and the Iba of Abogunde, Tajudeen Aminullahi.
In an additional comment, Oba Alao urged traditional rulers in the state to align with contemporary governance realities, noting that modern political systems have largely replaced absolute monarchy across the world.
“The world is dynamic, not static. Empires once ruled the world, but today power has shifted to modern states and governance structures,” he said. “Nigeria is not a monarchy. Traditional rulers must cooperate with the government of the day to achieve good governance, economic development, security and peaceful coexistence.”
Governor Makinde had, on Thursday, re-inaugurated the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, appointing Oba Ladoja as chairman for a two-year tenure. The council’s activities had been stalled for about 15 years due to prolonged litigation, a development many observers see as a setback now resolved by the current administration.