The crisis rocking Ibadan traditional institution deepened at the weekend with a threat by the estranged members of the Olubadan Advisory Council, indirectly calling for the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji’s abdication of the throne “if we are not comfortable with the administrative style of the palace.”Members of the Olubadan-in-Council in a letter made available to reporters yesterday affirmed that at present they were not comfortable with the administrative style of the palace. In the letter, which was in response to the Olubadan’s previous letter where the monarch stated that some people were calling for the banishment of the kingmakers, the members of the Olubadan-in-Council said those calling for their banishment should appreciate their role as the kingmakers who ensured the installation of Oba Adetunji in the first place “and we reserve the right to call for his abdication of the throne if we are not comfortable with the administrative style of the palace.”Members of the Olubadan-in-Council insisted that the same instrument that gave out the title of Imperial Majesty to Olubadan, gave out Royal Majesties and Royal Highnesses to them as High Chiefs and Baales.In the four-page letter, the members of Olubadan-in-Council, who were promoted to crown-wearing Obas by the administration of former governor Abiola Ajimobi, expressed regret at the turn of events, but they accused the Ibadan monarch of being responsible for the impasse because of what they described as his ”failure to take caution when your attention was being drawn to some of the palace missteps.”Recalling that the crisis rocking the traditional institution was not created by the review of the traditional system and their subsequent elevation to crown-wearing Obas, the members of the Olubadan-in-Council said: “Before the administration of former governor Ajimobi initiated the process of the Review of Ibadan Traditional Chieftaincy Declaration in 2017, two main issues had drawn a wedge between the palace and members of the Olubadan-in-Council.”The issues were the relegation of the members of the Olubadan-in-Council to mere onlookers and bystanders at the Olubadan-in-Council meetings, where the Oloris (as they were then) and some members of Your Imperial Majesty’s family were the decision-makers.”We are not aware of any of the Olubadans in the history of Ibadanland whose wives and family members were made members of Olubadan-in-Council. Our attempt to check this anomaly through protest was rebuffed and our personalities verbally attacked and recriminated by the Oloris in the presence of Your Imperial Majesty without a word of caution.”The other issue which drew our ire and which was a reflection of the denial of our patriotic contributions at the Olubadan-in-Council meetings was the criminal commercialisation of Ibadan Traditional titles the moment Your Imperial Majesty ascended the throne of Olubadan, which was a sharp departure from what we all agreed to and practised during the reign of Your Imperial Majesty’s predecessor.”It sounds odd, unthinkable and unimaginable that people now pay as much as N30million to be installed\appointed as a traditional chief in Ibadanland. This is against one’s antecedents and family contributions to the development of Ibadanland, which are the traditional yardsticks to measure qualification for appointment\ installation.”The implication of this ‘cash and carry’ approach is the appointment\installation of some people with a questionable moral background at the expense of decent and genuine people with a proven track record and whose genuine and verifiable source of income cannot meet the demand of the palace.”Equally, the highest bidder approach has led to the appointment\installation of two or three Mogajis for the same family/compound, while two or more Baales are appointed for some towns and settlements, following which some aggrieved persons are already in court to challenge Your Imperial Majesty. If we may ask, what kind of future is our revered monarch building for Ibadanland?”They said those people Olubadan said were calling for their banishment from Ibadanland were either shortsighted and shallow in thought or they were outright enemies of progress, adding: ”If they are not shallow in thought or shortsighted, they will appreciate our role as the kingmakers who ensured Your Imperial Majesty’s installation in the first place and reserve the right to call for Your Imperial Majesty’s abdication of the throne if we are not comfortable (as we are present) with the administrative style of the palace.”Again, if the imaginary people are not regressive in thinking, they will appreciate the fact that no society is static and development is a continuous exercise. If what the palace described as the ‘damage’ had not been ‘ inflicted on Ibadan traditional system’ over the years, Ibadan would still be ruled by Baale and not an Oba and our Oba would still be either His Royal Highness or Royal Majesty and not His Imperial Majesty as we presently have today.” The Royal Majesties said the description of the review carried out by the former governor Ajimobi ”as a damage inflicted on Ibadan traditional patrimony” ‘is laughable’, stressing that ”Kabiyesi will recollect that all of us at the initial stage were opposed to the review exercise until the meeting we held together with the governor in his office where he took time to explain the motive behind the exercise to us and which we, including Your Imperial Majesty, agreed and gave our blessings.
”It was after our departure and following Kabiyesi’s consultation with the Oloris that Kabiyesi changed tune. We need to put it to Kabiyesi that we were not part of the past governor's Office meeting with the Oloris and the decision taken there could not bind us.”Again, does it not amount to hypocrisy to hold on to the title of His Imperial Majesty, a creation of the much-vilified review? If the truth must be told, Kabiyesi, as long as you’re still carrying the title of His Imperial Majesty, there is no moral justification to continue casting aspersion on the review of the Ibadan Chieftaincy Declaration which gave birth to the title (HIM).”As pointed out earlier, the letter continued, ”we are repeating it that any promotion granted the Mogajis before Ikolaba title remains a nullity the moment such was done under the seal of Kabiyesi as His Imperial Majesty. It does not require rocket science to know that the two gazettes said to have been set aside which prescribed Ikolaba title as the entry point to the Olubadan throne also gave birth to the title of His Imperial Majesty.”Thus, the moment the two gazettes were set aside, the title of His Imperial Majesty was also set aside. It doesn’t add up to insist savouring the fruit of supposed outlawed gazettes and at the same time going against it. If we want to do away with the gazettes, the totality of their contents must be thrown away with them and not selective on which content to embrace and which we should not that will be a dubious and double standard.”