By Odolaye Bàá Waki Aremu
I see Olubadan Olakulehin’s demise as a gift the SW collectively needs at this time. Considering how well the Yorubas are known globally to romanticizing their Tradition and how passionate they make love to their Culture.
In fairness to him, our departed Kabiyesi practically lived on borrowed time anyways. And factoring the brutally long waiting list on the roadmap to becoming an Olubadan. Baba’s short reign was clearly an afterthought.
And if all permutations are in order and peradventure Rashid Ladoja becomes the next Olubadan, I shall be glad to embrace him as possibly one of the realest Kings of a major city of the SW. And at just 80, Rashy is a certified spring chicken by any or all Olubadan metrics. He might just become the Passover King of the bunch – just because he ‘passes over some of the others’ – in qualifications, experience, in carriage and possibly in wisdom.
The region has suffered the dearth of worthy kings in the last half-a-decade. Asides the Awujale of Ijebu who is equally marking his time, and a few others. It’s difficult to point to many others considered custom-made for their thrones and I shall vehemently debunk their worthiness to those respective thrones and those crowns.
One is a Perambulator – a notorious, gallivanting propagandist without self-regard or inhibition for himself or for the stool he presently occupies.
There is the ridiculous ‘Emir’ or Emperor with the bucket-crown, and with the identity-crisis. Essentially empty and superloud at the same time. Constantly in need of validation but constantly denied! The Jean-Bedel Bokassa of his own little chalet.
The recent Owner of the Palace, against expectations is slipping and gradually falling already.
The Giant at Ogbomoso is seen adrift at sea and clueless on the hows of being a King. His pulpit served him better than his present throne. He ought to have been left permanently alone in his Church-Kingdom.
We want a wise Oba in Yorubaland. Even when we know he may be less relevant in contemporary times than he could have been. Ceremonial, but a respectable Monarch ought to be good enough. Better than some Clowns, wearing beaded Crowns, while shuffling around.
Even when we consider them a bit outdated, on the other hand we still love the idea of an Oba that walks, talks, thinks and acts like an Oba! We need to enjoy our self-delusion of our Obas as earthly deputies of the one Sky God. We really don’t like Prima-Donnas!
For all intents and purposes- Olubadan Rashidi Ladoja ought to certainly be the ‘Pay-Per-View’ King the SW needs at this time of our lives! We are certainly tired of Audio Obas chasing Cameras, mini-Mics, running away on Vlogs and befriending Vloggers upandan. We are done with Content Creating Traditional Rulers!
Finally, in this new Olubadan, by your grace God… please let it just be the other way around.
“Any artist out there that want to be an artist and want to stay a star, and don’t have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the record, dancing…come to Death Row!” – SUGE KNIGHT, (August 3rd, 1995 at The Source Awards).
