•By Dare Adeleke
I would ordinarily have maintained a dignified silence in the face of the latest rambunctious response from a body that styles itself as the institution of Ibadanland – a coalition said to comprise monarchs, chiefs, Mogajis, Baales and a group known as the Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative. Their statement was issued in reaction to my response to the threat directed at my person by the Mogajis of the palace.
However, out of respect for the revered stool of the Olubadan of Ibadan, I consider it necessary to make this brief but pointed clarification.
The various bodies listed above should first obtain and carefully examine the article issued by the Mogajis of the palace – a body with no constitutional authority beyond the confines of the palace and determine for themselves whether it did not contain a clear threat to my person, as well as an attempt to muzzle free speech in Ibadanland.
I maintain that I neither insulted nor abused the Olubadan, His Royal Majesty Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja. What I did was draw attention to what I consider his partisanship in the present political controversy and his tacit enabling of the disdain shown to our constitutionally elected democratic institutions, particularly the discourtesy extended to Governor Seyi Makinde and the Acting Governor, Abdulraheem Adebayo Lawal, during the flag-off of the dualisation of the Ibadan–Ijebu-Ode Road.
If those who appended their names to the latest palace statement believe it was proper that neither the Governor nor his deputy was invited to such a significant event, and that the Olubadan – who had earlier welcomed APC chieftains to his palace; was present yet neither corrected nor even acknowledged that glaring anomaly, then the conclusion is unavoidable – with due respect, the traditional institution is becoming complicit in conduct that ought to concern every well-meaning Ibadan indigene.
Let it again be placed on record that I have never insulted the Olubadan of Ibadan, a revered father whom I respect. My seeming offence in the eyes of the palace, if it can be called one, was pointing out these glaring lapses and questioning his open support for President Bola Tinubu, a posture that sits uneasily with the neutrality expected of a traditional ruler who should be the father of all.
Rather than confront the undeniable evidence of partisanship emanating from the palace, the co-signatories to that scathing response conveniently sidestepped the substance of my argument. Instead, they resorted to personal attacks, questioned my ancestry and issued yet more veiled threats. That diversion cannot erase the facts.
They also appear to have forgotten the pivotal role Governor Seyi Makinde played in the emergence of Oba Ladoja as the Olubadan of Ibadan. No one is asking for gratitude. The Governor merely did what was right by the people. However, what we continue to demand, is fairness, neutrality from the palace and respect for the constitutionally elected government of Oyo State.
Meanwhile, the authenticity of the so-called chiefs and monarchs who wrote the rather vacuous rebuttal is highly questionable. The fallacy of the titles dropped by the writer seems poorly fabricated and the palace will do well to caution such a reckless communique purportedly emanating from within its confines!
Else, what may become of this irresponsible piece, may be litigation for using names of Obas, Baales, Mogajis and others without their consent.
We know it’s the usual way chaotic elements drop names carelessly.
For the record, Dare Adeleke is no stranger or visitor to Ibadanland. I am deeply rooted in its history, traditions and politics.
I am a bona fide son of the soil.
My paternal village is at Onidajo. My late grandfather was the Baale of Onidajo in Oluyole Local government where we have had Oba Dada. While late High chief Adegbite Ekeerin Olubadan was my father’s uncle from my village.
I will advise The likes of Ariori to go back to Ijebu where his family is rooted. I am a typical Ibadan indigene both from my paternal side and maternal side.
To buttress that further, my late father, Barrister Femi Adeleke, served as Director of Public Prosecutions in the Oyo State Ministry of Justice in the 1980s. His paternal uncle was the late Justice Emmanuel Fakayode. The Adeleke family compound is at Oke Dada, Mapo, in Ibadan South-East Local Government.
On my maternal side, my grandfather, the late Alhaji Adetunji Adeleke Agbalese of Oke Dada, was so renowned that the legendary Yusuf Olatunji celebrated him in song. My mother, Alhaja Afusat Adeleke, built her second home at Molete, Olorunsogo – a house that still stands today.
I attended ICC, Mapo, and St. Luke’s Demonstration School, Molete, both in Ibadan South-East.
History cannot be rewritten, and records do not lie.
None of those seeking to question my identity or credentials is more Ibadan than I am, nor more grounded in the traditions they now seek to weaponize.
I repeat, I will not be silenced by cultural blackmail, intimidation or veiled threats. Free speech does not cease where palace sensitivities begin, and respect for tradition must never become an excuse for suppressing legitimate criticism.
Dare Adeleke
Writes from Ibadan
