Ibadan’s Coronation Ultimatum: “Create Our State by 2027,” King Tells Tinubu
By: Abudu Olalekan
Heat. Thick as ogbono soup.
Drums. Thumping through cracked concrete.
Mapo Hall. Packed. Sweaty. Breathing the same air as history.
There he stood. Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja. Robes heavy with centuries. Crown gleaming.
His moment.
But before the cheers could even catch fire…
He dropped a truth bomb on President Tinubu.
“My people sent me a message,” Ladoja said. In Yoruba. Smooth. Low.
“Mr President. They said: Create Ibadan State. Before 2027.”
Silence.
Real silence. Not the polite kind. The oh-shit kind.
Tinubu? Just flown in from Lagos. Landed 1:45 PM sharp. Surrounded by governors. Big men. Important suits.
All of it suddenly… small.
Before 2027.
That’s not a request. That’s a deadline.
See, Ibadan’s been waiting generations. For this. For statehood.
Split between Oyo State. Always has been.
Felt like a wound. A slow burn.
Ladoja knows it. Lives it.
His voice cut through the hall like a machete:
“They said it’s their priority.”
Not “we hope.” Not “maybe someday.”
Priority.
You feel the weight?
Kings don’t beg. They remind.
Governor Makinde handed him the Staff of Office.
Symbol of authority. Heavy wood. Older than some countries.
Makinde’s speech? Polished. Proud.
“The succession process is now well established…”
“Free from contestation…”
“A source of pride…”
All true. Beautiful, even.
But here’s what he didn’t say out loud:
This coronation? It’s also pressure.
Tinubu sat there. Smiling. Nodding.
But deadlines don’t care about photo ops.
Picture the room:
Elders in flowing agbada, eyes sharp as flint
Youth checking phones under tables, restless
Chiefs whispering in corners, chewing kolanut
Tinubu’s aides, sweating in crisp shirts
Ladoja’s message wasn’t for Makinde.
It was for Tinubu.
Delivered face-to-face. In the sacred space of coronation.
Subtle? Maybe.
Diplomatic? Absolutely not.
Why 2027?
Because Nigeria’s next big political earthquake.
Presidential elections.
Tinubu’s running again. Needs every vote he can grab.
Ibadan’s 4 million souls?
They matter. Now.
Refuse? Risk fury.
Anger that echoes in market squares. In churches. In homes.
Grant it?
Suddenly, Ladoja isn’t just a king.
He’s the man who delivered.
For the first time in living memory.
Back in Lagos, Tinubu’s juggling crises.
Bandits. Floods. Empty stomachs.
Creating Ibadan State? Feels like a luxury.
But kings see kingdoms differently.
They see foundations.
Ladoja’s message was simple. Brutal even:
You have until 2027.
Or we move on.
No threats. Just cold, clear math.
Like counting yams before harvest.
Makinde’s prayer hung in the air:
“May this reign bring peace…”
Peace?
Only if Tinubu says yes.
The air crackled with unspoken words:
Will he?
Can he?
Will he even try?
Ladoja didn’t beg for crumbs.
He demanded the whole loaf.
By a date stamped in blood and hope.
Sunset came. Ceremony ended.
Tinubu left. In his bulletproof convoy.
Leaving Ibadan holding its breath.
Kings don’t make empty promises.
When they speak…
History listens.
So here’s the raw truth nobody’s saying:
Tinubu’s presidency could hinge on this.
Not bandits. Not fuel prices.
Ibadan.
Break this promise?
Watch Ibadan turn cold.
Silent.
Unforgiving.
Fulfill it?
Suddenly, he’s not just president.
He’s the man who gave a king his due.
The Staff of Office rests in the palace now.
Heavy with expectation.
Tick-tock, Mr President.
The clock started yesterday.
