Ladoja @80: Rise and rise of the phoenix

By Yemi Bankole

On September 25, His Royal Majesty, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja will be 80 years. Ahead of the date, preparations are in top gear among his family, friends and associates across the world to celebrate the milestone in what promises to be the biggest singular political -cum-social event in Ibadan, Oyo State capital city and its environs in recent times.

The special birthday jubilee comes as the Third Republic Senator and Otun Olubadan  emerges from a storm of crises perceived to have been contrived to deny him the right of becoming Olubadan, in the aftermath of the acrimonious discord within the Olubadan -in-Council, on his opposition to the state government’s elevation of members as Obas. Though Ladoja discontinued the court action which was the bone of contention, to break the logjam that had stalled the installation of the new Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, the state government had enacted a 2023 legislation making the wearing of the crown a condition to ascend the imperial Olubadan throne!

The development threw Ladoja, who alone had rejected the ‘government crown’ but is next in the line of succession after the incumbent, in a serious dilemma. However, he came out to announce that he was prepared to bow to “the wish of Ibadan people” who, he said, unanimously supported his aspiration to becoming the Olubadan and had been urging him to accept the crown.
The palpable joy and grand scale upon which the birthday anniversary is being planned is thus understandable following the state Deputy Governor, Barrister Bayo Lawal’s presentation of his staff of office as an Oba to Senator Ladoja on Monday, August 12, 2024.
The impending occasion is more than a birthday party, it is a victory dance, a celebration of another triumph in a series of battles the old political warhorse had, had to fight in the course of and across the different spheres of life as a businessman, politician and custodian of culture.

One of Nigeria’s highly successful billionaire-investors with business interests in shipping, manufacturing, agriculture, banking and international trade, Ladoja led a quiet, low profile life, despite his wealth, until the late maverick politician and self-acclaimed ‘strong man of Ibadan politics’,  Chief Lamidi Adedibu, drafted him into politics and backed him to win election as Senator representing Oyo South in the Third Republic The political godfather and son, however, fell apart, due to Ladoja’s refusal to kow to and turn the state’s Treasury over to satisfy the inordinate greed and fancies of the veteran politician, after he was again elected governor with Adedibu’s support. The conflict resulted in his impeachment and removal from office which the court, however, declared illegal and overturned, reinstating him. But,  enemies within plotted and ensured he did not get the ticket of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest for a second term.

Despite being applauded for running a dynamic, visionary and people-centered government, Ladoja, for a large part of his years after leaving office, had to contend with allegation of misappropriating state funds when he was governor. It took the judgment of court to discharge and acquit him of wrong doing he was accused of by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and thus blot out the embarrassing stain of the financial scandal. The former governor counted his ordeal as another in his bitter experiences of betrayals and malice by erstwhile associates -turned foes. He moved on and stoically kept the strides. He backed out of the race and lent his support to the then candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who also lost the election.

Finding himself an outsider in the PDP, a party where he was one of the founders and major financiers, the politician ditched the party when he later sought re-election in 2011. Instead, he campaigned and contested the state governorship under Accord, a new, vibrant grassroots political movement he formed barely few months to the polls. Although the party lost the governorship, it emerged one of the three leading political parties in the election, making major showing, creating upsets and winning seats in strongholds of the hitherto dominant parties – the PDP and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)! The outcome of the poll was a testament to the organizational skills, charisma and popularity of Ladoja, whose name was said to have won the election for many of the party’s candidates in parliamentary elections across the state. It also signaled his arrival as a formidable force to be reckoned with in the politics of the state. His role in the formation of the various political alliances that went on to win elections and form government in the state attests to this fact.

Accord party, however, soon suffered reverses and eventually split, owing to internal squabbles and rebellion by some members who accused the revered leader of undermining internal democracy with unilateral actions and imposition of candidates for election. It woefully lost the 2015 general elections.

Following the electoral disaster, Senator Ladoja has not been able to muster the political muscle to regain the tenancy of Agodi Government House and rule the state either directly or by proxy, but his influence and respect have hardly waned.

This is probably due to his charisma and uncanny ability to maintain cordial relationships with friends and foes alike. Many of his loyalists and political associates, who left his fold due to differences, have either found their way back or still consult with him on matters of personal and political interests. It would also explain why he is the ‘beautiful bride’ wooed by different political parties, not in the least, the PDP, that knew the value of having him in their corners.

Before then, Senator Ladoja had had to flee into exile in the 90s to escape either being killed, jailed or tortured by goons of General Sanni Abacha, for supporting and financing pro-democracy struggles and clamour for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 presidential electoral mandate, believed to have been won by his friend, the late Chief Moshood Abiola. He gave his house in the United Kingdom over for the use of some of the leading pro-democracy activists. He paid heavily and suffered great losses, as government and its agents moved to frustrate and destroy his businesses. But, like the Sphinx ever rising from his ashes, the Ibadan High Chief returned to the country, in the manner his war-like ancestors often did after campaigns of the 19th Century,  and valiantly rebuilt both his political and business empires!

Perhaps Senator Ladoja’s names should have included  S-i-m-p-l-i-c-i-t-y’, R-e-s-i-l-i-e-n-c-e and T-e-n-a-c-i-t-y! He looks so simple in appearance in his Dansiki dress (of local Ankara fabric) he so loves to wear, that one would likely mistake him for the guy-next-door and not a First Class Engineer, former Oil Executive, former governor of a state, former lawmaker, a brilliant boardroom player and a royal personage that he is.

A, ”Man of the People”, great mixer and silent philanthropist. Chief Ladoja’s world revolves around people  – empathizing with, as well as supporting, noble causes that can help uplift the human condition. Few knew that he is also a great lover and supporter of the arts. He is credited with the sponsorship of some of the box office shattering Nollywood movie productions as well as other literary/artistic/cultural programmes. Little wonder his government created a record of excellence in various spheres, more notably in education where the effects of  the state Universal Basic Education, SUBEB’s outstanding performance in infrastructural development and enhancement of schools and learning conditions won it recognition and award as the best in the country.

Perfection is still far, but Chief Ladoja cuts the image of a patriot who wittingly or unwittingly courts enemies for himself in his attempts to push to the foreground or defend his principles and convictions. Close associates to whom the royal father bares his mind said, people, particularly opponents, misjudged his intentions, words and deeds because they believed that it must be taken with a pinch of salt, coming from a perceived crafty politician’s mind. Aside the suspicion of probable ulterior motives, sheer envy, malice and/or suspicion by adversaries also play their own part.

Said an associate of Oba Ladoja: “Such is the insinuation that it was because Kabiyesi was desperate to become the Olubadan that he was pushing for the ailing Oba Olakulehin to quickly be made king, so he can succeed him, in case he doesn’t last before or after mounting the throne. Is that logical? Does being young determine who lives longer or who dies first between young and older person? Have we not had older chiefs on the Olubadan succession line including some who became Olubadan outliving younger ones – Oba Odugade Odulana ascended the throne at advanced age, yet he reigned for eight years. Yet, you had a younger Olubadan, Oba Oloyede Asanke being succeeded by a much older chief who even reigned long after. How could such a wicked and baseless thing be said of a man, who was merely discharging his responsibility of protecting and propagating traditions on what should be done to fill a vacuum in the event of the demise of the Olubadan?”

Corroborating him, the Chief Imam of Offa land, Kwara State, Sheikh Salman Muyideen Hussein, at the Ramadan Lecture held under Ladoja’s auspices earlier this year, noted that the former governor was similarly accused of scheming to upstage the now deceased  Olubadan Mahood Olalekan Balogun when it was his turn to be crowned. Said the cleric: “When I called him to confirm, he asked me to disregard what I heard, that it was all a rumour and that he is in fact on his way to pay the traditional homage to the next rightful occupant. He was not desperate, he told me.”
He quoted Ladoja as further saying: There is an order to the arrangement that cannot be distorted or disrupted. I will wait for the time Allah ordained. Allah’s time is the best and the only right time for me.”