By this time tomorrow, Governor Seyi Makinde would once again have placed the crown and staff of office upon the head of a major monarch, a role that has now become a defining feature of his governorship. In a state where history and tradition walk hand in hand with politics, Makinde has emerged as the governor under whose watch the highest number of royal thrones have been filled in living memory.
The imminent coronation of Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland is more than a ceremony. It is the crowning of a man who has walked both corridors of power and the sacred paths of tradition, a former senator, a former governor, now stepping into one of Yorubaland’s most revered stools. For Ibadan, it is a moment of renewal; for Oyo State, it is a culmination of Makinde’s extraordinary chapter in chieftaincy history.
Since his assumption of office in 2019, Makinde has signed his name into Yoruba history books not only as a reformer in politics but as a kingmaker in tradition. He oversaw the coronation of Oba Moshood Olalekan Balogun, the 42nd Olubadan, in March 2022; installed Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye as the 21st Soun of Ogbomoso in December 2023; and presented the staff of office to Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, the 46th Alaafin of Oyo, in January 2025. In the same period, he resolved long-standing chieftaincy disputes, including the recognition of Oba Samuel Adebayo Adegbola as the Eleruwa of Eruwa, while also installing monarchs in Iseyin, Igboora, and other major towns. By sheer number and scale, no Oyo governor, not Ajimobi, not Akala, not even Ladoja himself during his political years has presided over so many royal coronations. As the Yoruba say, “Adé ò sì, ilé kò ní balẹ̀,“Without a crown, the land cannot have peace.” Makinde’s era has, in many ways, restored crowns to where they had long been vacant.
Among all these coronations, none carries as much symbolic weight as that of Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja. A political general in his own right, Ladoja returns to the heart of Ibadan not through elections, but through heritage. His ascension signals the blending of Ibadan’s warrior past and its political present. Ibadan is no ordinary city. Founded on the valour of warriors and nurtured by the genius of its traditional succession system, where age, not bloodline, determines the path to the throne, it has remained a unique beacon in Yoruba history. To have a man who once governed Oyo now become Olubadan is to remind the people that Ibadan’s greatness lies in its ability to reinvent itself without losing its roots.
Many have been hailing Makinde’s record-breaking coronations as a return of dignity to the palace. Communities once trapped in chieftaincy litigations now breathe with pride as their thrones stand filled. For many, Makinde has proven himself as not just a political leader but a custodian of Yoruba culture. Yet some ask, is this Makinde’s deliberate legacy, or a coincidence of timing and history?
Regardless, tomorrow’s coronation will etch another line in Oyo’s history. Oba Ladoja steps onto the throne not just as custodian of Ibadan’s heritage, but as a bridge between tradition and modernity. His reign carries the weight of expectation: unity for Ibadan, cultural renewal for Oyo, and wise counsel for the nation.
As the people gather at Mapo Hall, their prayers will echo a timeless Yoruba wish: “Kí adé ó pé lórí, kí bàtà ó pé l’ẹsẹ̀, kí irukèrè ó pé lọ́wọ́”, “May the crown endure on the head, the slippers last on the feet, and the horsetail staff remain firm in the hand.” For Makinde, the governor who has crowned more Obas than any before him, history will remember his hand in this coronation wave. But for Ibadan, the story begins anew with Oba Rashidi Ladoja, the 44th Olubadan, may his reign be long, peaceful, and prosperous.
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