The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, is dead.
He was aged 81.
Oba Balogun spent two years on the throne of his forefathers, having been presented the Staff of Office by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on March 11, 2022.
He died after a brief illness.
He will be buried by 4pm today, Friday according to Islamic rites.
Confirming his death in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, on Thursday, Makinde said Oba Balogun died Thursday evening at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
The governor described the late monarch as a towering figure akin to an Iroko tree.
He wrote, “With total submission to the will of God, I announce the passing unto glory of our father, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland.
“A mighty Iroko has fallen; Oba Balogun has joined the ancestors.
“In Kabiyesi, Ibadanland had a cosmopolitan and well-experienced Olubadan, who made indelible marks on the sands of history and achieved greatly within a short while.
“On behalf of the government and good people of the state, I condole with the immediate family of the Oba Balogun, the Olubadan-in-Council, the state Traditional Council and the people of Ibadanland. It is my prayer that God grants repose to the soul of our late monarch.”
“The passing of Oba Dr. Balogun marks the end of an era for Ibadanland, leaving behind a profound void in its rich history and heritage,” he added.
The late Olubadan was born on October 18, 1942.
