Biography/Profile/History Of The 41st Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Saliu Adetunji

High Chief Saliu Adetunji becomes the 41st Olubadan of Ibadanland, his coronation is currently being held at the famous Mapo Hall, in the ancient city of Ibadan, Yorubaland.

Behold The Balogun of Ibadan land, High Chief Saliu A.O. Adetunji. He is the CEO of Babalaje Music, and said to be the one who discovered musician K1 the Ultimate. ...

Olubadan, who jumped the queue in the line of succession to the throne due to the demise of the Otun Balogun of the land, Chief Sulaimon Adegboyega Omiyale, was versed in the making of both native and English dresses until when he met the late Badejo Okunsanya, the scion of a record label owner and veered into the music industry, marketing of records produced by his customers and later founded his first record label, Baba Laje Records in 1960. 

Thus ended his tailoring profession as he stepped into alluring and flamboyant music industry.

He later founded and became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a conglomerate of three music marketing companies with subsidiaries known as Omo Aje Sound Studio, Adetunji Label . The Olubadan-to-be is well known for his humility, a trait that turned his life around for the better.

Being a managing director and big boss notwithstanding, he was known to execute his customers' orders to the letter.

Another trait that put him in good stead and which set him apart from others, was his entrepreneurial spirit which propelled him out of the lowly placed tailoring vocation and turned him into one of the biggest record label owners in the South-West of Nigeria.

In an interview he granted last year, he narrated how he benefitted from his initiative and quick thinking."A record seller had given me some records to play so as to entertain my customers when they came to sew or pick up clothes I had sewn for them. But to my surprise, rather than listening and enjoying the records, many of those customers were more interested in buying the records from me.

"I sold everything and took the money back to the man who supplied me the records. That was in 1960. The man then revealed to me that he and my dad had been in business together in 1940 and thereafter took me to other record marketers. That was how I started," he narrated.

Chief Adetunji was later to be known as the man behind the discovery and success of popular leading Fuji star West, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, and before him, the likes of Salami Balogun, Alhaji Amoda Shijuade, Daudu Epo Akara, Saka Olayigbade, and many more.

The system that would see Chief Adetunji as the next Olubadan is not hereditary, but rather a graduated system in which descendants of certain households graduate through 21 stages to mount the throne of the ancient city.

Many would believe that Adetunji's ascension to the throne, coming 45 days after the demise of the former Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, can aptly be described as an act of God.

Going by the Olubadan succession system, which recognises the civil and the military lines as royal lines, and the hierarchy within the Olubadan-in-Council, Adetunji's right to the throne would have materialised only after the reigns of the former Balogun Olubadan, High Chief Sulaiman Omiyale, and the Otun Olubadan, High Chief Omowale Kuye, if they had all lived long enough to mount the throne.

The highest – ranking high chief in the military (Balogun) line, Omiyale, was next to the late Olubadan while Kuye (from the civil line) followed in the order.

But on November 7, 2015, Omiyale died at the age of 91, paving the way for Adetunji, who was next to Omiyale, to ascend the position of the Balogun.

He was Born on August 26, 1928 to the family of Raji Olayiwola and Suwebat Amope Adetunji in the Alusekere compound, Popoyemoja, Ibadan, the new Olubadan is the eldest of his father's 17 children.

His mother came from the Balogun family of Apomu while his father was a renowned Ibadan indigene. Like many influential figures in those days, Adetunji's father had more than one wife. Of the four children that his mother had, he (Adetunji) and his brother, Ambali (76), are the surviving ones.

List Of All The Olubadan who have reigned In Ibadan:

Lagelu was the 1st Olubadan
It should be noted that there were many Olubadan after Lagelu that were lost in history

Ba'ale Maye Okunade (1820–1830)
Ba'ale Oluyedun
Ba'ale Lakanle
Bashorun Oluyole 1850
Ba'ale Oderinlo 1850
Ba'ale Oyeshile Olugbode 1851–1864
Ba'ale Ibikunle 1864 (He was to be installed but died before ascending the throne)
Bashorun Ogunmola 1865–1867
Ba'ale Akere I 1867–1870
Ba'ale Orowusi 1870–1871
Are Ona Kakanfo Obadoke Latosa 1871–1885
Ba'ale Ajayi Osungbekun 1885–1893
Ba'ale Fijabi I 1893–1895
Ba'ale Oshuntoki 1895–1897
Ba'ale Fajinmi 1897–1902
Ba'ale Mosaderin 1902–1904
Ba'ale Dada Opadare 1904–1907
Ba'ale Sunmonu Apampa 1907–1910
Ba'ale Akintayo Awanibaku Elenpe 1910–1912
Ba'ale Irefin 1912–1914
Ba'ale Shittu Latosa (son of Are Latosa) 1914–1925
Ba'ale Oyewole Foko 1925–1929
Olubadan Okunola Abass 1930–1946
Olubadan Akere I 1946
Olubadan Oyetunde I 1946
Olubadan Akintunde Bioku 1947–1948
Olubadan Fijabi II 1948–1952
Olubadan Alli Iwo 1952
Olubadan Apete 1952–1955
Oba Isaac Babalola Akinyele 1955–1964
Oba Yesufu Kobiowu July 1964 – December 1964
Oba Salawu Akanni Aminu 1965–1971
Oba Shittu Akintola Oyetunde II 1971–1976
Oba Gbadamosi Akanbi Adebimpe 1976–1977
Oba Daniel 'Tayo Akinbiyi 1977–1982
Oba Yesufu Oloyede Asanike I 1982–1994
Oba Emmanuel Adegboyega Operinde I (1994–1999)
Oba Yunusa Ogundipe Arapasowu I (1999–2007)
Oba Ayoola Paul Ayodele I July 2007-September 2007
Oba Samuel Odulana Odungade I (2007–2016)
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And now, Saliu Adetunji 2016- ?? ….May his reign bring fortune to the entire Yorubaland!