Barely six months after he was suspended for land grabbing by the Olubadan Advisory Council, the Mogaji Akinsola of Opopo Labiran family compound, Ibadan, Wale Oladoja, has finally lost his title as the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, has directed the family compound to present another person to fill the vacant position with immediate effect.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Olubadan Advisory Council presided over by Oba Balogun at his Alarere residence, on Saturday.
The meeting had in attendance representatives of the Association of Mogajis of Ibadan land led by the President, Chief Asimiyu Ariori, and the Assistant Secretary-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Suleiman Raufu, who represented Barr. Niyi Ajewole, the President-General of the Council.
A statement made available to newsmen by the Personal Assistant on Media to Olubadan, Oladele Ogunsola, said the big axe fell on Oladoja on account of his recent media outbursts, which was considered disrespectful to the Olubadan stool and by extension the traditional institution of Ibadan land.
The Olubadan Advisory Council described the media reports credited to the deposed Mogaji as divisive, disparaging, insulting and unbecoming of a supposed leader, who is expected to be urbane and cautious in deeds and actions.
The council stressed that the conduct of Oladoja since his short suspension about six months ago was not suggestive of any sense of remorse.
Recall that Olubadan Advisory Council had suspended Oladoja over inhuman execution of supposed court judgement on a land matter and for which he threw out some residents of Akinsola village in Akinyele Local Government Area of the state, a conduct the Council described as untoward and a breach of peace.
At Saturday’s meeting, the council recalled that the suspension placed on him then did not last long because of his perceived genuine remorse and principally, because of Olubadan’s peaceful disposition.
“The recent outbursts by the same person have shown him as somebody without no iota of respect for constituted authority and any failure to bring upon him the full weight of the Council’s power would amount to condoning of indiscipline.
“To drive home the point, the Akinsola Family which produced him in the first instance was subsequently asked to present another person to replace him as the Mogaji of the family if they are still interested in having a substantive Mogaji.
“The deposed Mogaji was invited to the meeting but failed to show up on an excuse that his mother died about 24 hours to the meeting, an alibi that failed to convince the Council. Members, who spoke on his excuse described it as a gimmick to evade interrogation on the allegations against him and said they could not be swayed by such antics,” the statement said.
It quoted the members as saying, “a person of his character and his love for social media could not have hidden such a very important incident from the public through social media announcement. What’s more, he had made two different posts on the social media today without any faint reference to the said news of his mother’s death. His refusal to honour the invitation is like adding salt to an injury.”
