Monday’s unfortunate event at the Olubadan Palace, Oke Aremo, Ibadan where the scheduled installation of a new Mogaji for Aliiwo Ruling House was scuttled at the dying minute has been described as an unbefitting epitaph for the late Olubadan, Oba Dr. Sen. Lekan Balogun, CFR, Alli Okunnade II whose demise created the vacuum the new Mogaji is set to fill.
This was the reaction of the Aliiwo Ruling House to the incident which left the sons and daughters of the ruling house, who had thronged the Olubadan Palace for the installation dazed, wondering why and how a scheduled and formalized programme could be halted at that critical stage without consideration for all the resources already committed to the planning?
The Aliiwo Ruling House, which exonerated the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakulehin, from the ugly episode, described the monarch as a royal father that cherishes truth, justice and fair play.
More importantly, he was acknowledged to passionately love and honour his predecessor, Late Oba Lekan Balogun, recalling his historic visit to the family at Aliiwo after his demise, an unprecedented development in the traditional history of Ibadanland.
To even show the preparedness of the Palace as well as the readiness of Oba Olakulehin to install the new Mogaji for the Aliiwo Ruling House, the name of the Aliiwo candidate, Prince Kamaldeen Adeboye Giwa, featured as the first on the list of four proposed Mogaji to be installed on the occasion.
It would be recalled that the United Kingdom (UK)-based Prince Giwa has been chosen by the Aliiwo Ruling House as the Mogaji of the family following the demise of Oba Lekan Balogun, CFR, who held the Mogaji position of the family from 1986 until last year March when he joined his ancestors, after spending two years on the throne as the Olubadan of Ibadanland.
As contained in the list of Mogajis scheduled to be installed on Monday, Prince Kamaldeen Adeboye Giwa (Ibadan North-East LGA) came first while three others were also listed.
The three others were Alhaji Raaji Ramoni Abiola, Sado Family, Odoye/Alabata Area (Ibadan North); Aderounmu Abideen Aderemi, Ogongo Compound, Oje Area (Ibadan North-East); and Hon. Oluseye Olaniran Oladejo, Lapata Family, Alafara-Oje Area (Ibadan North-East).
Also listed to be installed As Baales were seven persons, including Chief Akinbiyi Akinyemi, Idi-Ape Village (Ibadan North-East); Chief Busari Ogunkeye Sikiru, Idi-Iroko, Adewole Village (Oluyole); Mr. Abdulfatai Musbaudeen, Bako Village (Ido);
Mr. Popoola Taofeek Osuolale Akinsola, Akinsola Village (Akinyele); Chief Dauda Bello Oladepo Ogunleke, Olowa Kajola Village (Ido); Mr. Husamot Adeniyi, Yusuf Igbalajobi, Ajule Town (Egbeda); and Safiu Asade, Batake Village (Ido).
Monday’s scheduled installation was already sanctioned by the Olubadan Advisory Council via a letter dated 3rd February, 2025 and signed by Balogun A. Kolawole, Clerk to the Olubadan Advisory Council.
Subsequently, following which all the Palace necessary requirements in cash and kinds had been met, the Aliiwo family members, both at home and in the Diaspora, mobilized in large numbers to the Oke Aremo Palace of the Olubadan for the epoch-making event only to be utterly disappointed.
Investigations however revealed that the unpalatable incident was the handiwork of a supposed Special Adviser to the Olubadan on Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Isiaka Akinpelu, who was relieved of his job as a Personal Assistant (Chieftaincy Matters) to the late Olubadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, due to some actions unbecoming of such an office holder.
The infuriated Aliiwo Family in a release signed by Senator Kola Balogun, wondered how a mere Special Adviser would overrule the decision of the Olubadan Advisory Council.
It noted that, as far as the family is concerned, “a leopard cannot change its skin when Chief Akinpelu is involved but one can only hope that when a supposed advice is adversary, the Council members should smell it.”
“Ordinarily and when a straight-forward person has such opportunity of having garnered experience of those number of years, such should become handy for the betterment of such an office, but it is unfortunate that Chief Akinpelu is not so moulded.
“Even, as recent as the tenure of his former and late Principal, Oba Lekan Balogun, it was a settled matter that only court judgment or injunction could stop the scheduled installation of any Mogaji or Baale.
“It was not once or twice that the issue was raised at the Olubadan Advisory Council’s meetings and was so reported in the media.
“The logic behind the decision which cannot be faulted is that for anybody to be scheduled for installation either as Mogaji or Baale, aside meeting all the palace requirements, there must have been preparations at the family compound or the community to entertain guests.
“So, what happens to the prepared food if an installation is scuttled based on some frivolous petitions or whatever?
“It is not within the purview of our family to recommend to either the Olubadan or his Advisory Council who to be employed for whatever position, but we owe posterity and our fatherland the counsel that a sacked staff by the late Olubadan should be properly monitored if he must be engaged to avoid causing the institution unmitigated embarrassment,” Senator Balogun, the immediate past senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, added in the release.
