Olubadan is dead! Nigerians mourn

Wednesday! What a day of mourning in Ibadan the biggest city of Oyo State with the demise of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Samuel Odulana as the news spreads round the state capital like wild fire.

The death of Oba Samuel Odulana was confirmed by Sen. Lekan Balogun, one the High Chiefs of Ibadan,  today Wednesday in Ibadan though he died in Ibadan after he was said to have lost consciousness in the evening at about 7.30pm on Tuesday in his palace in the Monatan area of Ibadan at the age of 101 years. Oba Odulana was the first king to attain the age of 100 years on the throne. Oba Odulana, was the 40th Olubadan to ascend the throne on August 17, 2007 at the age of 93 after the death of Oba Yunusa Ogundipe, Arapasowu 1.

Mrs Folasade Bankole, one of the monarch's daughters affirmed that her father was a rare gem. “He lived the way he wanted to live and died the way he wanted to die. He achieved all he set out to before his death. We thank God for his life.’’

The Aare Alaasa of Ibadanland, Chief Lekan Alabi, described the demise of Odulana as a big loss to the people of Ibadanland. He said “ He was a repository of history and an icon of culture, education and justice. We will miss a great king in the entire Yorubaland, Nigeria and indeed Africa. “ He was among the rare kings of the century in Africa and the world. He was 101 years old and we pray his soul would find repose in heaven.’’ 

Odulana was born April 14, 1914 in Igbo Elerin, Ibadan to Pa Odulana Ayinla. He began his elementary education at Saint Andrew’s School, Bamigbola, Ibadan in January 1922 and transferred to St. Peter’s School, Aremo, in 1929. He completed his middle school education at Mapo Central School in 1936 and was an army officer during the 1939 World War II. After his return from World War II in 1945, he was appointed to be in charge of the demobilization of returning soldiers in Lagos.

He briefly worked with United Africa Company as a produce clerk before commencing his teaching career at the Church Missionary Society Elementary School, Jago, in 1938. Odulana also taught in several schools from 1939 to 1942 and was with the Colonial Office Education Department in 1964.

The late monarch went into politics in 1959 as a member of the House of Representatives and was appointed parliamentary secretary to the late Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

He was Minster of State for Labour and in 1964, he led the Nigerian Parliamentary delegation to the London Constitution Conference to restructure the former British colonies of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia).

Odulana joined the royal chieftaincy line in 1972 as the Mogaji of Ladunni compound in Ibadan, and in 1976, he was conferred Jagun-Olubadan.

He was a co-founder of several organisations such as the Ibadan Economic Foundation and the Ibadan Progressive Union.

The monarch was conferred with the honorary degree of Doctor of Management Technology by the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, in December 2005.