It is no longer news in Ibadan that Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja will in a few days wear the Olubadan beaded crown. For decades, his name has sat comfortably on the lips of elders and in the pages of tradition as “the Olubadan-in-waiting.” What once sounded like a distant prophecy has now ripened into reality. After climbing the rungs of Ibadan’s unique chieftaincy ladder with patience and resilience, the former governor and Otun Olubadan now stands only a breath away from the throne.
For many, this moment again represents the closing of a circle. Ladoja is no stranger to destiny’s turbulence. From a village boy who once had to drop out of school because his parents couldn’t afford boarding fees, to a chemical engineering graduate in Belgium, to oil executive, governor, and impeached leader, his life has been shaped by trials and triumphs. Today, the 81-year-old politician-turned-king stands on the pole of becoming Olubadan, a position not won through politics, money, or connections, but through Ibadan’s famed chieftaincy ladder, where patience, seniority, and tradition determine the crown. In many ways, Ladoja’s story is more than personal; it is the story of Ibadan itself, restless, resilient, and unbowed by setbacks.
Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja was born on September 25, 1944, in Gambari, a small village near Ogbomoso, Oyo State. His birth was said to have been celebrated in true Yoruba fashion, communal gifts of yams, a cow, and songs filled with hope for a child who would one day make his people proud. Yet his early years were marked not by privilege but by struggle. He attended Ibadan Boys High School but dropped out in Form Four due to financial difficulties.
Providence, however, would not let him slip away. With support and grit, he returned to school and excelled. His brilliance earned him admission into Olivet Heights for his Higher School Certificate, where he topped the entrance examination. His academic excellence later won him two scholarships, one from the Western Region and another through a chance encounter at the Ministry of Education—which took him to Belgium to study Chemical Engineering at the University of Liège (1966–1972).
Upon returning to Nigeria, he joined Total Nigeria, working there for 13 years and rising through different positions before venturing into private business in 1985. His business interests spanned shipping, manufacturing, agriculture, and banking, all of which laid the foundation for his later political career.
Ladoja entered politics in the short-lived Third Republic, becoming a Senator under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1993. A decade later, in 2003, he rode the waves of Ibadan’s political intrigues to become governor of Oyo State under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), defeating the incumbent Lam Adesina.
However, his tenure was anything but smooth. By 2004, he had fallen out with his political godfather, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, the feared Ibadan strongman who demanded total loyalty.
No account of Ladoja’s political journey is complete without his clash with Adedibu, the self-styled “Garrison Commander of Ibadan politics.” Adedibu was notorious for patronage, thuggery, and an iron grip on Oyo politicians. Ladoja’s refusal to submit to his godfather’s demands marked a turning point not only in his career but also in Oyo politics. Their feud was not just about two men, it was about two visions of power. Adedibu embodied the old order of patronage and street might; Ladoja represented independence and policy-driven governance. The collision of those worlds shook Ibadan’s political landscape and left scars that remain visible to this day.
Backed by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Adedibu orchestrated the famous impeachment against Ladoja in January 2006. His deputy, Adebayo Alao-Akala, was sworn in as governor. What followed was one of the most dramatic legal and political battles in Nigeria’s democratic history. After months in political exile, Ladoja was vindicated when the Appeal Court declared his impeachment null and void in November 2006, a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court in December. On December 12, 2006, he triumphantly returned to Agodi Government House, though his second chance in office was brief.
Denied the PDP ticket in 2007, he backed Abiola Ajimobi of the ANPP. Ironically, Ajimobi would later become his political rival and eventual nemesis in Oyo politics. Ladoja himself contested for governorship in 2011 and 2015 under the Accord Party but lost to Ajimobi. In later years, he moved across parties, merging Accord with PDP, joining ADC, and finally ZLP—yet always remained a political force in Ibadan.
In 2019, he spearheaded the coalition that delivered victory to Governor Seyi Makinde, proving that even out of office, his influence endured.
Unlike politics, Ibadan’s monarchy is built on patience and tradition. Ladoja began this journey in the 1980s as the Mogaji (family head) of the Ladoja family in Isale-Osi. He was promoted to Jagun Olubadan in 1993, the entry step into the 22-stage ladder of the Olubadan succession system. Over the next three decades, he climbed steadily: Ajia, Bada, Asaju, Ekerin, Ashipa, Osi, each rung marking the slow, inevitable march toward the throne.
In 2021, he reached Otun Olubadan, second only to the Olubadan himself and the most senior on the Egbe Agba (civil) line. With the passing of Oba Olakulehin, the throne now rotates to the Egbe Agba line. By tradition, it is Ladoja’s turn.
During this long journey, Ladoja’s stubborn independence often placed him at the centre of controversy. In 2017, when Governor Abiola Ajimobi crowned 21 new obas in Ibadan, Ladoja stood firmly against it, insisting that Ibadan’s succession system was sacrosanct and should not be politicised. “Ibadan does not need multiple kings,” he declared.
When Governor Seyi Makinde revived the reform, Ladoja again resisted. For years, he refused to accept the beaded crown, saying he sought only the Olubadan crown. But as elders and indigenes pressed him to comply with new laws, he eventually accepted coronation as an oba in 2024, clearing the way for his ascension. That moment, some say, marked his final reconciliation with destiny.
Today, Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja stands a heartbeat away from the throne of Ibadan. His life has been one of improbable turns, born poor but blessed with brilliance, impeached but reinstated, defeated in politics but unbroken in influence.
When asked what the Olubadan stool means to him, he once replied: “Leadership, to me, has always been about service, not status. If it is the will of God that I become Olubadan, I will serve with all my heart.”
Should he be crowned, Ibadan would not only be enthroning a man but also the spirit of resilience that defines its people.
From impeachment to the throne, Adewolu Ladoja’s story is a reminder that in Ibadan, power is not just seized, it is awaited, endured, and, eventually, bestowed.