Olubadan Advisory Council Strips Wale Oladoja of Mogaji Title

Barely six months after suspension by the Olubadan Advisory Council, the Mogaji Akinsola of Opopo Labiran family Compound, Ibadan, Wale Oladoja, on Saturday finally lost the title.

The council directed the family compound to present another person to fill the vacant position with immediate effect.

This decision was the fall-out of the emergency meeting of the Olubadan Advisory Council presided over by Olubadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, at his Alarere residence.

The meeting attracted representatives of the Association of Mogajis of Ibadanland led by its President-General, Chief Asimiyu Adepoju Ariori and the Assistant Secretary-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Suleiman Iyanda Raufu, who stood in for Chief Barr. Niyi Ajewole, the president-general of the council.

In a statement by the Personal Assistant (Media) to the Olubadan, Oladele Ogunsola, the big axe fell on Oladoja on account of his recent media outbursts considered disrespectful to the Olubadan stool and the traditional institution of Ibadanland.

The media reports credited to the deposed Mogaji, according to the council, were described as divisive, disparaging, insulting and unbecoming of a supposed leader, who was expected to be urbane and cautious in deed and action.

The council stressed that the conduct of Oladoja since his suspension about six months ago was not suggestive of any sense of remorse.

The council ordered the suspension of Oladoja over inhuman execution of supposed court judgment on a land matter for which he threw out some residents of Akinsola Village in Akinyele Local Government Area, an action described as untoward and a breach of the peace.

At Saturday’s meeting, the council recalled that the suspension placed on Oladoja then did not last long because of his perceived genuine remorse and principally, because of His Imperial Majesty’s peaceful disposition.

However it said: “The recent outbursts by the same person have shown him as somebody without any iota of respect for constituted authority and any failure to bring upon him the full weight of the Council’s power would amount to condoning of indiscipline”.

The Akinsola family which produced him, in the first instance, was asked to present another person to replace him as Mogaji of the family if they were still interested in having a substantive Mogaji.

The deposed Mogaji was invited to the meeting, but failed to show up on an excuse that his mother died about 24 hours to the meeting, an alibi that failed to convince the council.

Members, who spoke on his excuse described it as a gimmick to evade interrogation on the allegations against him and said they could not be swayed by such antics.