Ibadan is preparing for a historic moment as Oba Rasidi Ladoja, former governor of Oyo State, takes the throne as the 44th Olubadan.
The coronation has been fixed for Friday, the 26th of September, 2025, with Mapo Hall chosen as the stage for the epoch-making ceremony.
First Daily gathered that Governor Seyi Makinde has formally approved his nomination, sealing Ladoja’s path to the ancient stool.
Confirming the schedule, his media aide, Adeola Oloko, said: “Oba Ladoja will be enthroned as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland on Friday, September 26, 2025.”
Preparations are already in top gear. A state government delegation, led by senior officials, visited Ladoja and the Olubadan-in-Council at his Bodija residence on Wednesday, the 20th of August, 2025, to put finishing touches to the coronation plans.
Two days earlier, the Olubadan-elect had met privately with kingmakers at his Ondo Street residence, where he assured them of a leadership style anchored on inclusiveness and shared responsibility. That gathering doubled as his first official engagement since returning from a two-and-a-half-month absence, following the passing of the late Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin.
The meeting lasted two hours. Oba Kola Adegbola, Otun Balogun, who led the council’s delegation, congratulated Ladoja on his emergence and led a one-minute silence for the departed monarch, who died on the 7th of July, while Ladoja was away.
The Olubadan-elect, grateful for the council’s unanimous endorsement in his absence, urged their continuous support to “take Ibadan to the next level.” He stressed that the governor, alongside cultural custodians like the Araba and Oluwo Afobaje, would play crucial roles in the rites of enthronement.
Adeola Oloko later disclosed: “the Olubadan-in-council told Oba Ladoja that the public expectation over him was very high, adding that they would continue to pray to God to give him unction to function. They later discussed issues concerning his coronation, especially as it affects cultural and ceremonial.”
The council also predicted an unprecedented turnout at Mapo Hall and pledged full support before, during, and after the coronation.
Present at the meeting were top chiefs including Oba Kola Adegbola (Otun Balogun), Oba Olubunmi Isioye-Dada (Osi Balogun), Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi (Asipa Olubadan), Oba Abiodun Azeez (Asipa Balogun), Oba Hamidu Ajibade (Ekerin Olubadan), Oba Akeem Mobolaji Adewoyin (Ekerin Balogun), Sharafadeen Alli (Ekarun Balogun), while Oba Tajudeen Ajibola, the Balogun of Ibadanland, sent apologies for his absence.
The roll call of visitors has also been remarkable, former Minister Wole Oyelese, Senator Teslim Folarin, party chieftains, business leaders, and community elders have all paid homage to the Olubadan-elect.
On the 26th of September, Ibadan’s cultural heartbeat will shift to Mapo Hall, where indigenes, dignitaries, and admirers from far and near will gather to witness Oba Rasidi Ladoja’s ascension as the city’s new royal father and custodian of heritage.