Kelvin Bowoto
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo paid glowing respects to the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Mahood Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, on Thursday, stating that his reign, albeit brief, was significant.
Obasanjo claimed the late Oba Balogun as a personal friend, asserting that the visit was his responsibility.
Oba Balogun, who received the Staff of Office as the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadan Land on March 11, 2022, joined his ancestors on March 14, 2024, barely 72 hours after celebrating his second-year anniversary, and was buried in his Aliiwo ancestral house the following day, Friday, March 15, 2024.
Obasanjo stated, “The late Olubadan was not a foreigner to me; he was a friend, and it is my responsibility to pay this visit to his family.
“He carried the position very well; he was ‘Gbobaniyi.’ We would have rather that he stayed with us for a much longer period of time, but God knows best.
“As it is said in Yoruba, ‘o wuni ka jeran pe lenu, oofa ona ofun o je,’ that is, as much as we want to hold the meat in our mouth, the drawer from our esophagus won’t allow us.” As I already stated, God is the ultimate authority. What would our attitude have been if death had not arrived when it did and something worse had occurred?” Obasanjo stated.
“We thank God for him; it is not how long, but how well,” the former president said.
The former president was accompanied on his tour by Otunba Oyewole Fasawe and Arole Gbenga Adewusi, among others.
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Obasanjo’s curt condolence note in the condolence register read, “Kabiyesi Balogun, sleep in your creator’s bosom.”
Responding on behalf of the family, which included two of the Oloris, Olayinka and Olufunmilayo, as well as a handful of the children, Bobajiro of Ibadan Land and former Oyo State Head of Service Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu stated that the former President’s visit was a manifestation of real affection.
Aremu noted that Obasanjo displayed true friendship through the visit, which was an expression of the Yoruba proverb that whoever identifies with someone in his or her absence is actually a friend of that person.
“There is nothing our late father can do for anyone now; he is no longer in a position to provide anyone anything, material or intangible, so everything anyone does for him now is done out of genuine love and care for him, not to receive anything in return.
“The family appreciates Your Excellency, and it is our prayer that God will preserve you more for the country in general and for Yoruba in particular,” he said.
Welcoming him and his entourage earlier, Oba Hamidu Ajibade, the Ekerin Olubadan, recalled that the former President was one of the dignitaries who paid the late Olubadan a visit before his coronation, and his return now after his death was a clear demonstration of the two of them’s love.
He appealed to Almighty Allah to repay him for the good works and love shown to the late Olubadan’s family, and he asked him not to make the visit a one-time affair but rather something that should be done on a regular basis as a way of connecting with them.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
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