On 25 September 2025, Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja marks his 81st birthday with a milestone few in Ibadanland ever reach.
As Olubadan-designate, poised to ascend the revered throne of the ancient city, his journey weaves together technical expertise, political service, and an unbroken climb through the intricate rungs of traditional authority.
Ladoja’s life tells the story of a man who has moved through several worlds — boardrooms, political offices, and palace corridors — all while maintaining a reputation for patience and understated authority.
Early Life and Education
Born on 25 September 1944 in Gambari, near Ibadan, to Alhaji Aruna Ladoja, a cocoa trader, and Alhaja Haleemat Ladoja, young Rashidi grew up in an environment steeped in commerce, faith, and communal life. He began schooling at Ibadan Boys’ High School between 1958 and 1963, before moving to Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, for his Higher School Certificate.
His academic curiosity took him to Europe, where he studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Liège in Belgium between 1966 and 1972. The discipline and precision of engineering would become a hallmark of his career and later shape his approach to governance and leadership.
A Political Career of Highs and Lows
Ladoja’s transition to public service came with his election to the Senate during the short-lived Third Republic in 1993. A decade later, he achieved the pinnacle of state politics when he was elected Governor of Oyo State under the Peoples Democratic Party in 2003.
His term was turbulent. In January 2006, he was impeached by the State House of Assembly, only for the Supreme Court to overturn the decision and reinstate him in December of the same year. The episode burnished his reputation for resilience and legal rectitude, qualities that have also characterised his traditional ascendancy.
For the people of Ibadan, his life story is more than personal achievement; it is a mirror of the city’s own evolution — cosmopolitan yet traditional, resilient yet forward-looking. As the drums prepare to roll and the crowns to be placed, Ibadan celebrates a son whose 81-year journey has led him, step by step, to its highest throne.