Oba RASHIDI LADOJA Tells City People His Plans
The new Olubadan-elect, Oba Rashidi Ladoja hardly grants interviews. Since he got picked as the new Olubadan of Ibadanland he has not granted a comprehensive interview.
Last week Wednesday, City People visited the elder statesman at his Bodija home in Ibadan where he has lived for decades. He was happy to receive us. City People has been close to him since he became the Governor of Oyo State many years back. So, he was happy to receive us. He congratulated us for surviving all the vicissitudes of publishing. “Many people didn’t give you guys a chance of survival,” he said. “But we thank God that you not only made it, you are still waxing strong.”
After the exchange of pleasantries, City People got the new Olubadan to talk about his life and what Ibadan people should expect from his tenure.
Below are excerpts of the interview.
Congratulations on your rise to the throne as the new Olubadan. What should Ibadan people expect from you, as their new Oba?
They should expect a lot. I am coming to work. I have been working hard for years. Well, you know me, I started my life in an international company called Total Nigeria Limited at that time. They have gone Plc now. I made my mark there. That’s how I became an entrepreneur.
Later on, I joined Politics. And I’m now the Olubadan of Ibadanland. The performance that I’m noted for. When you are in a place, you have a dream of what you want it to be.
I know what I want Ibadan to be. And it’s already a paradise to some people, but not to me. Let’s bring it back to its old Glory, when it was the capital of the old western region. And we have people who can do it.
But unfortunately, we do not call on those people. We have not been calling those people to come and participate. So when you ask them: look you are doing this and that outside Ibadan, what have you done in Ibadan? They will say nobody has called us. So now I told them that you will all be conscripted to come and work for Ibadan land. I said I’ve seen people who are born in Ibadan, but they are not of Ibadan origin, and yet they are very, very helpful.
I talked about former Minister, Nweke Jnr who was responsible for making us have our chanelisation completed in Ibadan. And I said, why are you so interested in Ibadan? He said, look, I was born in Ekotedo, I grew up in Ibadan. He was so passionate about his contributions, and yet he claims that he is not an Ibadan man.
I have seen Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, She said, I am an Ibadan girl. My name is Bose. When I was in government and I had problem, that was dependent on having approval of her Ministry. I just called her and said, Bose, she said Yes egbon. I have a problem I explained it to her. She said, ah, ok my egbon they just wanted to be funny.
She said, no problem. She said send me a letter. This is my fax number. When you send it, 3 hours after, you can send somebody to come and pick the reply.
Those are good people. She told me I grew up in Ibadan. She attended, Abadina school. You can understand that, ah, those people are not here, not to talk of , people who are indigenes.
I’ve been talking to them, before now. And they have been assuring me of their cooperation. So, I want to be able to talk to them and make Ibadan to be what I want. Ibadan that is free of crime.
I want an Ibadan with leaders of integrity. I want Ibadan to be what I used to know.
When I was eight, nine, we used to dance round Ibadan singing Were music. A ma nji sari. We go round all the localities like Oja Oba, Beere. We would be singing e dide e mu sari. I wasn’t even afraid of anything then. But now, crime is increasing.
People, once they get to a certain level, they desert, their homestead. Like, me, I’ve just gone to renovate my grandfather’s house.
I’m not afraid of the enormity of the problems and challenges before us, because, as I said, God is there. Ibadan people are there also, and they have assured me that they will cooperate with me. In fact, you can see, it’s just as if they have never had an Olubadan before. And when I asked him what they said, he said, no, we have not had one like this before, I am grateful for this visit.
I’m now trying to convince the Mogajis that if you don’t have a house, where you can sleep in your domain, where you become the Mogaji, you either quit as Mogaji or go and build a house. You must stay with your people, you must be able to influence them, the same thing with Baales. Essentially, we want to bring back an Ibadan that was acceptable to people at that time, that was welcoming to the strangers. When they say that Ibadan ngba onile, o ngba alejo, that is because they are accommodating. So I feel that we can still create that, particularly with the set up that we have in place now. You have the Mogaji’s who are in charge of the extended families. We have the Baales, who are in charge of the various areas.
So, the job of the Olubadan is to put down the guidance and then to ask for compliance.
Everybody talks about you as being very simple, all your life, what explains it?
When people say Kabiyesi’s are powerful nowadays, I tell them, that was in the olden days.
Kabiyeesi could do anything, nobody would question him. It’s not the same thing today. I told people, we now have to roll up our sleeves and work.
Many people think that the position is for Glamour. I see it an opportunity to work and to influence people and to contribute to society. So, for me clothing is not a big deal, I love to wear my ankara cloth , as long as it’s clean and put on my agbada and fila.
There are so many things you can spend your money on. So I believe that eating well is my number one priority. If I eat well, then I know that I can pass with my simple dress rather than deck myself up and not eat well.
So, people choose their priorities. I have chosen my own. I’m not saying that you must conform. Well, maybe when I get there I will begin to comform.
Why did you study Engineering? When I entered Olivet, I decided to study Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry. I wanted to be an Engineer.
You see, as a child, you know what attracts your attention. You see that even some three-year-old boys, will start building mud houses to play, while others would be doing Music.
All along, I had wanted to be an Engineer. Then, I also wanted to travel.
I wanted to go and study abroad. I decided to choose the engineering that was not available in Nigeria at that time. That’s Chemical engineering.
Chemical engineering was not available in Nigeria at that time. What was available in Nigeria was Mechanical, Electrical, Civil Engineering. So, I said, okay, I will do Chemical engineering.
God heard my prayers. God heard my prayers in the sense that I was offered a Scholarship by the Belgian government, to study Engineering.
I tell you, God has always been on my side. I don’t know if other people can say that also. But God has been on my side. God has always been on my side.
Everything I want, God has always been there to do it for me. It’s not because I’m too prayerful or I’m too religious, but I depend on God for most of the things that I do.
And he has never failed me. When I was in Government, Baba Obasanjo said, I will make you Edun arinle, I will ruin you, simply because I asked him and confronted him, why he wants a 3rd term. I responded to him that ti Olorun ba fun yinse. Of course, God didn’t support him. I had the opportunity of telling him that Olorun o fun yin se. I said the fact that I returned to office while you were still in office and there was nothing you could have done about it, shows Olorun ko fun yin se.
What is your relationship with Baba Obasanjo now?
It’s very, very good. He wrote me a beautiful letter recently. And, in fact, some people are supposed to go and see him yesterday for an interview about me. Thats TK, Tunde Kelani. He wants to make some presentation. Because we were together when we were young. So, he said he had been able to secure an appointment for. yesterday, Tuesday with OBJ, that, he will go and see him. I have not asked him for the out come or how far. Baba is a very nice person, but Baba is atimes erratic.
That’s the only thing. He has been a Leader. He was brought up as a leader.
And, you can say that also, he’s from Grass to Grace. Because, he told us he was one of the people that did not wear shoes, when he was young, just like Abiola also said.
So, God has always been kind to many people a lot. And, you know, the Bible says Olorun ni ma se anu fun awon ti ma sanu fun. God has been gracious to him.
In everything you do, you always apply the Engineering principle. Tell us about it?
It is because it’s analytical. It leads to result faster.
So, I’m grateful for this your visit. So, don’t forget that we will call on you. You know, you didn’t do your NYSC. in Ibadan. Maybe if you had done it in Ibadan, we would have excused you.
That’s what I told them when I was going to go in to Politics. I said, I never had an opportunity of doing Youth Corp, I left school in 1971, Youth Corp started 1973.
So, I escaped it. So, now let me go into Politics and do my own Youth Corp. And I’m happy that I did.
Who and who are coming for your coronation?
You will see the creme-de-la-creme of the society that will be there? Yes, at the Coronation. Let me start from Mr. President. He has confirmed that he will come. Captains of industry will be there. And then nearly all the governors will be there.
Legislators will be there. So, people from all works of life will be there. Various shades of politicians.
Because, they know, I’m no longer a politician. I’m now a father to all. So, you can see that we are going to have a very beautiful outing.
