Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja has been crowned the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland. At the historic Mapo Hall, the former senator and governor received his staff and instrument of office, legalizing his power as the imperial majesty, the Olubadan of Ibadanland.The event was huge and classy.
Many Ibadan stakeholders claim that the coronation remains the best in the history of the town. The coronation ceremony, which was attended by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, attracted key traditional rulers like the Alaafin of Oyo and the Sultan of Sokoto, among others.
However, there are unverified claims that Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja is the first governor to ever become a monarch in the history of the country. Findings by WITHIN NIGERIA disclosed such claims are untrue and misleading.
A check revealed that five former governors, namely Alfred Diete Spiff, Muhammadu Illiyasu Bashar, Awwal Ibrahim, Mohammed Sani Sani, and Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja, have been crowned as kings of their respective towns after their tenures.
ALFRED PAPAPREYE DIETE SPIFF
He is the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass in Bayelsa State. He was the first military governor of Rivers State. He was born on the 30th of July, 1942. He served as a military governor from May 1967 to July 1975 during the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon.
Diete-Spiff, an Ijaw, completed his secondary education at St. Joseph’s College in Western Cameroon. He attended Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England. He was commissioned as a ship’s diving officer in 1964 after joining the Nigerian Navy. He was a naval lieutenant commander aged 25.
MUHAMMADU ILLIYASU BASHAR
He was a major general and military governor of Gongola State during the regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo. He also served as a military governor during the regime of General Muhammadu Buhari.
He held the posts of Commander of the 6th Brigade of the 2nd Division, Onitsha, and General Officer Commanding 2nd Mechanized Division of the Nigerian Army, Ibadan.After retirement, Jega took an active part in the chieftainship lobbies in the 1980s.
On 5 June 2005, Jega was named Emir of Gwandu in Kebbi State, replacing Alhaji Mustapha Jokolo. 20 years later, the Supreme Court of Nigeria upheld and confirmed him as the substantive Emir of Gwandu.
AWWAL IBRAHIM
He was born on September 8, 1941. He served as governor of Niger State from October 1979 to December 1983 during the Nigerian Second Republic. He was elected on the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) platform.
He attended Provincial Secondary School, Bida, from 1956 to 1961 and continued further studies at the School for Arabic Studies, Kano. He earned a degree in English from Abdullahi Bayero College in 1967 and a master’s in 1970. He joined Ahmadu Bello University in 1967 as a lecturer of languages.
He became the Emir, or Sarki, of Suleja in 1993. His accession resulted in rioting and destruction of property by opponents. He was deposed on 10 May 1994 by General Sani Abacha. After the return to democracy, Awwal Ibrahim was restored to his title of Emir of Suleja on 17 January 2000.
MOHAMMED SANI SANI
He was born on the 24th of October, 1943. He served as governor of Bauchi State from January 1984 to August 1985 during the military regime of Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
Sani, a native of Zuru, joined the army on the 10th of December, 1962, and attended training courses with Ibrahim Babangida. He attended the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England. He was commissioned on the 25th of July, 1963. He was appointed Lieutenant Colonel, Commander of the Brigade of Guards, by General Murtala Muhammed.
He retired as a major general on the 3rd of September, 1990. He later became the Emir of Zuru, in Kebbi State. He died after a brief illness in London, on the 16th of August, 2025, at the age of 81.
RASHEED ADEWOLU LADOJA
Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja was born on the 25th of September, 1944. He is the 44th Olubadan of Ibadan.
He was a former senator representing Oyo South from 1992 to 1993 and a former governor who served from 2003 to 2006 and from 2006 to 2007.
In August 2025, he was officially approved as the 44th Olubadan-designate by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. He has been officially crowned as the 44th Olubadan.
