The Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, who is one of the recently elevated Ibadan senior and high chiefs as denied insinuations that he is the Alaliwo of Aliwo where he comes from.
After the reform, he disclosed, “I still remain the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland,” just like others maintain their positions.
According to the former senator, it is only people who don’t understand the reform that are using that title for him, adding that it’s not allowed as it doesn’t exist.
In a recent interview, he explained that “there’s no geographic definition in the reform. We all remain where we were before the reform. We are still one people.”
Balogun, who is the most senior high chiefs in the town, said it is not in the best interest of Ibadanland to have one traditional institution in the quest of the people to have Ibadan State.
Hear him: ”That’s what we have at the moment. In other places where there are many traditional rulers, you will discover that they are localized and geographic but ours is not localized or geographic.
“After the reform, I still remain the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland. Balogun Ekerin remains Balogun Ekerin, Ekarun Olubadan remains Ekarun Olubadan; not of Beere, Beyerunka, Gbenla, Idi-Ape and so on.
“In Lagos, there’s Oba of Ikeja, Oba of Ketu and so on. It is the same in Egbaland. It is the same in Ijebuland. But we don’t have that in Ibadan.
“Even with the reforms, we are still one people. Initially, people who didn’t understand the reform were calling me Alaliwo of Aliiwo. There is no such thing in the reform. It is not allowed. And if Ibadan is to get a state of its own, we will have just one oba in the whole of Ibadan State if we didn’t have the reform.”
Balogun said the attack on the Popoyemoja Palace of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, was stage-managed, revealing that “It’s a local problem within the traditional institution itself. It would seem that some people stage-managed what we are talking about. Nobody had actually been injured. And these people were armed. If they were out to injure, they would have injured many people. Nevertheless, we are investigating it, we are looking into it. We are investigating it seriously and thoroughly. By the time we come up with the facts, you will be surprised to know that they were stage managed.”
He also added that traditional institution now attracts young, highly-educated people, stressing that ”A lot of young men are in the traditional system, highly educated people. When I joined one quarter of its membership were not educated but today virtually everybody is a graduate, so it is changing, it is growing too.”
