High Chief Owolabi Salis has commended the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, for endorsing the decision of the Olubadan-in-Council to make Chief Owolabi Olakulehin, an ex federal lawmaker, the new Olubadan of Ibadan.

Salis who is also the Olori Eyo Agere of Lagos and Jagun Bashorun of Ibadanland, noted that Makinde did not allow any political consideration or prejudicial narrow preferences of any sort to unilaterally tamper with the democratic nomination of the new Olubadan-in-waiting, in accordance with the equitable tradition of established rules of Royal succession.

He congratulated the newly nominated Olubadan for his remarkable sense of resilience, while praying that God would bestow him with wisdom, strength and long life,not only to preside over the throne of his ancestors,but also contribute to the growth of Ibadanland,Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.

He commended the Ibadan Chieftaincy Law of Royal succession, describing it as the best among other existing systems and therefore worthy of emulation in view of its all-inclusive embrace, which entitles every indigenous family in the land to aspire for the royal throne, by rising through a traditionally instituted system of hierarchy.

The lawyer therefore described the hierarchical succession as a salute to the wisdom of the ancestral forebears of Ibadanland, in socio-political engineering, in view of the unifying and integrative effects arising from the equalitarian all-inclusive access to the throne.

“In a socio-cultural setting in which every family of indigenes each has equal rights and entitlements to royal succession,the all-inclusive arrangement not only brings about a sense of belonging but also prevents a royal superiority complex in which the exclusive royal aristocrats would look down on others as inferior.This is indeed the beauty of Ibadan royal succession,and a salute to the creative imagination of the founding fathers of Ibadanland”

He noted that most Chieftaincy systems the world over, especially in Nigeria, seem to portray a master-slave relationship in terms of the deliberate discriminatory exclusion in which an Oba is succeeded by his child or chosen member of his family, or from other designated royal houses in the land,which implies that others which are traditionally not entitled are inferior second-rated and unreckonable bunch of natives.

“It is against this background therefore that I urge other communities to study the chieftaincy succession template in Ibadanland for emulation in view of the fine values of harmony, fairness, unity, equity, justice, peace and non discrimination, which it promotes.”

He urged the generality of Ibadan indigenes both home and abroad, not only to join hand in making the coronation of the new Olubadan a memorable one, but to also ensure at all times,to contribute their own quota to the continuous development of their fatherland.