The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo will be the Keynote Speaker, while Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC Presidential Candidate, is expected as the Special Guest of Honour at an exclusive Yoruba leaders gathering to celebrate the new Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Senator Lekan Balogun on Sunday, 19 June 2022.
This event, coming up inside the University of Ibadan under the Chairmanship of former governor Rashidi Ladoja, is being put together by the Yoruba World Centre, to formally introduce the new monarch to the larger Yoruba community, by presenting him to Yoruba lords of business, politics, administration and traditions. All will be hosted by the Governor of Oyo state, Engineer Seyi Makinde.
Commenting on this new development, the Coordinator of Yoruba World Centre, Ogbeni Alao Adedayo, says in Yoruba language, “A fẹẹ fi oko kan pa ẹyẹ meji ni!” (We want to kill two birds with a stone).
According to him, “Our earlier plan was to celebrate the new Olubadan among our traditional rulers and other leaders, and we had thus invited both the Vice President and Asiwaju Tinubu. But we later realised that these two foremost political and government leaders from our own side here had just come out of a competition which generated lots of misunderstandings among our people, so we intensified efforts to ensure their presence for rapprochement, and we are glad to say they shall be with us on that day.
“We are not inviting them for politics, therefore, no politics will be allowed on the occasion. It is for them and other respected personalities to come and relax, enjoy the arts and culture of their own people, look at ways to make this culture become a tool for national unity, beneficial co-existence, youth development and empowerment. You won’t believe how glad we were when signals came that the two are coming to celebrate with the new Olubadan and the Yoruba people.” Adedayo concluded.
Oba Senator Balogun was crowned on March 11, 2022, and the coming Sunday 19th marks his 100 days in office, thus the Yoruba World Centre, in collaboration with the Oyo State Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and Tunde Odunlade Arts Gallery, plans a huge celebration for the monarch.
