The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Senator, Dr. Mohood Olalekan Ishola Balogun CFR (Ali Okunmade II) has been admonished to rally his subjects both at home and in the Diaspora to bring developmental initiatives to Ibadanland.
The admonition was given recently by Ibadan-born, UK-based mental health practitioner, cultural ambassador and philanthropist, Princess Bolanle Hassan-Fasan, while delivering a speech at the maiden edition of the meeting of Ibadan Professionals (IP) in Beijing, China.
Hassan-Fasan also urged well-to-do Ibadan sons and daughters especially those in the Diaspora to always think about their homeland and join hands with the royal father in ensuring the ancient city attains its potential.
She noted that Ibadan, the largest city in sub-Saharan Africa, the third most populated city in the country, home of the only traditional democracy in Africa as well as home to many firsts in Africa and Nigeria like the first television station in Africa, the first radio station in Africa, the first stadium in Africa, the first five-star hotel, the first general hospital in Nigeria among others, should be.made to take its rightful place among the world’s greatest cities, adding that the ancient town can be dubbed as the nation’s knowledge hub in view of the array of tertiary educational institutions such as the premier University of Ibadan, the first teaching hospital, the University College Hospital (UCH), the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the over 120-year-old Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN),
The cultural ambassador observed that the clarion call for a greater Ibadan is timely now that a pathfinder, inspirational leader and erudite scholar, is the occupier of the highly revered traditional stool, saying that ” there’s need to leverage these masterstroke and the knowledge base of this historic and fantastic city to transform it into an economic hub. No doubt Ibadan has what it takes to be ranked among the greatest cities in the world.”
“Thankfully, our royal father has left no stone unturned in ensuring that the city is free of the menace of land grabbing and activities of hoodlums which had hitherto deprived diasporians with genuine intention to invest in the town.
“I urge everyone of us to take advantage of the new order; we need to synergize, mobilize and collaborate in our collective efforts to lift our homeland to its deserved glorious heights,” she said.
