Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has revealed that efforts are underway to reconstitute the long-dormant Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, assuring traditional leaders and residents that the process will be concluded soon.
Speaking at the grand finale of the 2025 Ibadan Cultural Festival held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium on Saturday, Makinde addressed the lingering questions surrounding the council’s inactivity and the absence of support for key traditional rulers.
According to the governor, the council has been defunct since 2011, long before he assumed office. “Some people have asked me, what is happening to the Oyo State Council of Traditional Rulers? And I said, there was no council before I became governor,” he stated. “As a matter of fact, since 2011, there’s been no active council. But the Speaker of the House of Assembly is working on putting it together.”
Makinde also tackled criticisms over the lack of official support for the Olubadan of Ibadanland. He disclosed that instructions have been issued to all eleven local government areas in Ibadan to provide a befitting vehicle for the monarch.
“I have told the eleven local government areas in Ibadanland that they must provide a befitting vehicle for the Olubadan before the end of this month. They must do it,” he stressed.
The governor further pledged that once the council is reconstituted, all traditional rulers in the state would receive what is due to them in recognition of their status and cultural importance.
The Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs has remained inactive since the administration of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, largely due to disputes over leadership within the council, particularly on the push to install a permanent chairman, a move that had divided traditional rulers across the state.
