Senate names committee room after late Olubadan

The Senate, on Wednesday, resolved to name one of its Committees’ Rooms after the late Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun.

Oba Balogun died on Thursday, March 14, 2024, at the University College Hospital Ibadan at age 81 after a brief illness, two years after ascending the throne on March 11, 2022.

Prior to becoming the Olubadan, Balogun was a senator, representing Oyo Central senatorial District between 1999 and 2003.

As a senator, he was chairman of the Senate Committee on National Planning and was a member of many Senate committees such as Appropriations, Security and Intelligence, Police Affairs and Defence (Army).

The Senate’s resolution to immortalise him followed a motion sponsored by Senator Sharafadeen Alli (APC Oyo South).

Alli, in his motion, informed the Senate that the late Olubadan was a leader par excellence, a community developer and a service-driven politician.

The attributes, he said, culminated into Balogun’s election as a senator between 1999 and 2003.

“The late Olubadan was a man of peace and custodian of the culture and values of the Yoruba people,” Alli added.

The two other senators from Oyo State, Yinus Akintunde (Oyo Central) and Addulfai Buhari (Oyo North), also contributed to the debate on the motion by informing the Senate about how the late monarch impacted positively the lives of those who came across him while alive.

Buhari said the book written by the late monarch, “Arrogance of Power,” given to him in 2003 when he won election into the House of Representatives had helped him a lot not to get disconnected from people who elected him into the National Assembly over the years.

The Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP Benue South), also eulogised the virtues of the late monarch in his contribution to the motion.

The Senate, after debates on the motion, adopted all the prayers sought as resolutions, one of which was to immortalise the late monarch by naming one of the Senate Committee Rooms after him.

The Red Chamber also held a minute silence in honour of the late Olubadan.

In his remarks, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, urged Buhari to make available copies of  “Arrogance of Power”, authored by the deceased to all senators to guide them aright at all times.