Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, called on the country’s international and local stakeholders to support Nigeria in standing up to terrorism through the virtues of cooperation, unity, and honest dialogue.
The monarch spoke during the promotion ceremony of the Otun Chieftaincy Line at Olubadan Palace in Oke Aremo, Ibadan, while addressing the President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Francis Wale Oke.
Oba Ladoja urged an end to the division of Nigerians along religious or ethnic lines, stressing that no faith was immune from insecurity and violence.
“War and terrorism know no religion,” he said. “Christians, Muslims, and traditional believers are all victims of the same insecurity challenges.”
Reacting to the international community’s concerns about the alleged persecution of religion in Nigeria, especially from the United States, Olubadan said that terrorism in Nigeria was not a religious war. He therefore tasked Bishop Oke to extend this message to the leadership of CAN and all other religious groups to promote mutual understanding and harmony.
His Majesty bemoaned the continuous insecurity despite the efforts and heavy spending by the government and called for collaboration, peace, and mutual respect among leaders and citizens.
In a similar vein, the Obas promoted a number of high chiefs into the Otun Chieftaincy Line during Oba Ladoja’s reign: Oba Eddy Oyewole as Otun Olubadan, Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi as Osi Olubadan, Oba Hamidu Ajibade as Asipa Olubadan, Oba Adebayo Akande as Ekerin Olubadan, and Oba Kola Babalola (SAN) as Ekarun Olubadan of Ibadanland.
