>
Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Sympathizers have continued to throng the Alarere residence of the late Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Olalekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, who joined his ancestors last Thursday at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Former Chief of Army Staff and Aare Akinrogun of Ibadan land, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Buratai, who paid a condolence visit to the late Olubadan’s family on Monday, described the death of Oba Balogun as very painful and a great loss, stressing that with his death, “we have lost a friendly, jovial, compassionate and loving monarch.”
Buratai, who was given the honorary chieftaincy title by the predecessor of late Oba Balogun, the late Oba Saliu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso I, stated that the exit of Oba Balogun was a loss of great monarch.
“His passage, though very painful, but we are grateful to the Almighty Allah, he made his mark and left great legacy,” he added.
Responding on behalf of the family, younger brother of the late Olubadan, Dr. Kola Balogun, said he was not surprised by the visit of Buratai in view of the cordial relationship between the visitor and the family, which he said started with the coronation about two years ago, but had blossomed like decades of interactions.
He recalled that the Ibadan honorary chieftaincy title holder came to the coronation with array of Generals and stayed for two extra days to ensure personal visitation to the late monarch.
“We are feeling great sense of loss because we never thought it was going to be so short. We, however, take solace in the popular aphorism that it is not how long, but how well.
“We are grateful to the Almighty Allah for the quality service our departed hero gave Ibadan land during his two-year reign. The general comments trailing his passage since Thursday last week have been so consoling and soothing balm on the pains caused by his death. He scored many firsts and his efforts at ensuring that peace reigned during his time and the taming of the monsters engaging in land grabbing would go down in history as part of his enduring legacies,” Dr Balogun added.
Oniroko of Iroko, Oba Ismaila Abioye Opeyemi, also led the association of Royal Highnesses of Ibadan land to condole the family of the late monarch.They were received by the three surviving wives of the late Olubadan– Oloris Olayinka, Olufunmilayo and Khalimat Balogun.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Oniroko described the late Oba Balogun as a man with no restriction to his accessibility, noting that his death caught everybody unaware as his news of illness was not heard, which made it more painful.
“We took consolation in the fact that our departed father made history and his impact on all of us would remain indelible in our lives because the crowns we all parade now were his legacies, which nobody could alter in history. We shall forever remain grateful to him just as we implore all the people left behind not to mourn but to rejoice in the impactful and fulfilled life lived by the departed great monarch,” he said.
Similarly, the Non-Indigenes Traditional Council of Ibadan and Oyo State, through Onu of Igala of Ibadan land, Ajofe Friday Okoliko, commended the late Oba Balogun, who he described as a peculiar and unique Olubadan going by his non-preferential disposition to both indigenes and non-indigenes alike.
“We have never seen any Olubadan like him in terms of non-discriminatory and detribalization disposition.
“As we have come here to sympathize with you the survivors of the deceased, we are also here to sympathize with ourselves because we have lost a true and compassionate father in him. He was our backbone when forming the association and since its formation, he had never abandoned us. He was very accessible and highly accommodating,” Okoliko added.
Responding on behalf of the family, Olori Olayinka Balogun, acknowledged the remarks by Oniroko, which she said were very apt and an indication of his deep knowledge of the late Olubadan. She expressed gladness that Oba Balogun left behind name and legacies to be proud of, saying they were enough consolation.
While reacting to the condolence message delivered by Okoliko, Olori Balogun commended the association for its friendly disposition and the glorious comments on the late monarch.
“It is a thing of joy to acknowledge your identification of our late husband as WAZOBIA, which truly he was. He was such a detribalized person that everybody that came across him was either his brother or sister, son or daughter. We are very happy to have been blessed with such a man and would always cherish the good and enduring legacies he left behind,” she said.
