‘Custodian Of Cultural History,’ Tinubu Mourns Olubadan
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President Bola Tinubu has described as painful, the passing of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin.
In a statement on Monday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu extended his heartfelt condolences to the royal family, the government, and people of Oyo State.
President Tinubu described the late monarch as a highly accomplished man of peace, a public servant, and a royal father whose life embodies the highest ideals of leadership, learning, and service.
“Just last week, I received an invitation from the late Olubadan to his 90th birthday and first coronation anniversary celebrations. Shockingly, his death came days before the anniversary. He will be remembered for upholding the honour and prestige of his highly revered stool,” the President said.
Born on July 5, 1935, in Okugbaja village, Ita Baale near Akanran in the present-day Ibadan North East Local Government Area of Oyo State, Oba Olakulehin rose through the unique and time-honoured succession system of Ibadanland, which alternates between the civil (Otun) and military (Balogun) lines.
He ascended the throne following the demise of Oba (Dr.) Moshood Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, on March 14, 2024.
President Tinubu lauded Oba Olakulehin’s legacy as one that bridged tradition and modernity, adding that his wisdom and moral authority served as a stabilising force in Ibadanland and the wider Yoruba nation.
The President prayed for the peaceful repose of the monarch’s soul and urged the people of Ibadan to take solace in his life and the values he embodied.
