There are cities that are built with bricks and mortar, and there are cities built with history. Ibadan belongs to the latter. To understand Ibadan is to understand a city born out of turbulence, forged by warriors, nurtured by commerce and scholarship, and sustained by the resilience and enterprise of its people.
Established in the 19th century during a period of upheavals in Yorubaland, Ibadan rose from a military settlement into a formidable political and military power whose influence extended across vast territories of the old Western Region.
Its history is inseparable from its hills. Perched across a remarkable landscape, Ibadan has long been celebrated as the city of seven hills; a description that immediately evokes the ancient city of Rome, also traditionally associated with seven hills. But while Rome’s hills became the geographical foundation of an empire, Ibadan’s hills became the ramparts from which warriors built one of the most influential Yoruba settlements of the 19th century.
Thus, to be the king of Ibadan is no ordinary responsibility. The Olubadan does not merely occupy a traditional stool; he sits upon centuries of history, culture, authority and collective memory. He is the custodian of a city that, at different points in its history, exercised influence comparable to an empire.
And today, that historic crown rests upon the head of a man whose own life has been intertwined with the story of modern Ibadan; that is Oba Rashidi Adewolu Akanmu Ladoja, Arusa I, the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland.
If the history of Ibadan is a story of resilience, Oba Ladoja’s journey is itself a testament to perseverance, intellect and public service. From his professional career in the oil and gas to his years in politics and governance, and ultimately through the ranks of the historic Ibadan chieftaincy institution, Ladoja arrived at the Olubadan throne carrying an unusual wealth of experience.
And in his first year on the throne, he has shown that the ancient Ibadan institution can produce a monarch who is not only steeped in tradition but also responsive to the demands of a modern metropolis.
Kabiyesi has brought to the throne the mind of an administrator, the experience of a statesman, the instincts of an economist and the temperament of a traditional ruler.
His reign has already demonstrated that the Olubadan Palace can be more than a repository of history. It can be a catalyst for development. One of the most notable initiatives associated with his reign has been the establishment of the Ibadan Community Guards, designed to complement conventional security agencies and strengthen security at the grassroots. With thousands of community guards deployed across the 11 local government areas of Ibadanland, the initiative reflects an understanding of the intimate relationship between security, commerce and development.
For a megalopolis as large and economically important as Ibadan, security is not merely about policing crime. It is about creating the confidence necessary for businesses to thrive, markets to function and communities to prosper.
The Kabiyesi has also turned his attention to the economic future of the ancient city. Through initiatives around the Olubadan Economic and Investment Committee, Gaari Ibadan and the Ibadan Investment and Economic Development House, the traditional institution has increasingly positioned itself as a partner in economic regeneration, investment mobilisation, industrial revival, agribusiness and urban development.
This is perhaps where Ladoja’s reign carries a particularly important message: tradition does not have to be the enemy of modernity. Indeed, under his stewardship, the two can reinforce each other.
The Olubadan’s interventions on infrastructure and development have equally underscored the enormous responsibility that comes with occupying the foremost traditional stool of Ibadanland. His engagements with the Federal Government and other stakeholders have focused attention on projects capable of transforming the city’s physical and economic landscape, including major road and drainage interventions.
His advocacy for the development of Ibadan is not surprising. He understands the city not merely as a monarch but as a man who has lived its history, participated in its politics and witnessed its transformation from a sprawling regional centre into one of Nigeria’s largest urban agglomerations.
That is why the encomium Arusa I resonates beyond the Palace.
Here is a king who knows the road from Mapo to Oje.
A king who understands the pulse of Dugbe and the spirit of Bodija.
A king whose history is intertwined with the political and economic evolution of Ibadan.
A king who understands that the prosperity of Ibadan must ultimately be measured by the prosperity of its people.
In the language of Yoruba praise poetry, one could say:
Olubadan, Kabiyesi o!
Akinlabi, omo a-rin-l’owo, a-rin-l’ese.
Arusa I, omo Ibadan ti o mo iye ohun ti o gbe.
Alàgbà tó ní ìmọ̀, oba tó ní ìrírí,
Asojú ìlú, olùṣọ́ àṣà, olùwòran ọjọ́ iwájú.
The significance of Ladoja’s first year on the throne therefore goes beyond the number of projects initiated or meetings held. It is a demonstration of the capacity of the Ibadan chieftaincy system to produce a monarch who combines tradition with contemporary thinking.
For centuries, the system has been praised for its orderly progression through the chieftaincy hierarchy. Ladoja’s emergence and first year on the throne provide another compelling illustration of the wisdom embedded in that system: that leadership can be nurtured through experience, tested through service and ultimately entrusted to someone capable of understanding both the past and the future.
At 82, Oba Ladoja has shown remarkable intellectual vitality and an appetite for development that belies the assumption that advancing age must necessarily diminish dynamism.
His first year is therefore more than an anniversary. It is a statement. A statement that Ibadan’s traditional institution remains relevant. A statement that the Olubadan throne can accommodate experience without surrendering innovation. And a statement that a city with the history, population, economic significance and cultural influence of Ibadan deserves a traditional ruler capable of thinking beyond the Palace walls.
From the ancient hills of Ibadan to the modern metropolis stretching beneath them, the story continues. And seated upon the historic throne is a man whose journey — from public service to the highest traditional office in Ibadanland — has made him uniquely positioned to understand the city he now reigns over.
Oba Rashidi Adewolu Akanmu Ladoja, Arusa I, 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland:
Kabiyesi Alayeluwa!
Ọmọ a gòkè, a sì ńwo ìlú;
Ọmọ tí òkè ńgbé, tí afẹ́fẹ́ ńfọ̀;
Olúwa ìlú ńlá, Olubadan ilẹ̀ Ibadan.
May the hills of Ibadan continue to rise. May the ancient city continue to prosper. And may the reign of Arusa I be remembered as one in which the weight of history met the vision of the future.
