Senator Rashidi Ladoja

-And The Man, Ladoja

Oyo State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, has felicitated the Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland and former Governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, who clocked 76 today.

Makinde, in a congratulatory message  made available to newsmen through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, described Ladoja as an exemplar and a worthy model for younger generations.

The statement lauded the Osi Olubadan for his life of service to the state and humanity.

He stated that Senator Ladoja has shone brightly as businessmen, governor and community leader, praying to God to give the former Governor sound health and continuous grace.

He said: “We rejoice with His Excellency, Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland and former Governor of Oyo State on the occasion of his birthday.

“We celebrate a man who has distinguished himself as a leader in all ramifications, having shone brightly as a businessman, a Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic, the Governor of Oyo State and as a High Chief of Ibadanland and respectable community leader.

“Baba Ladoja has lived a life of service to humanity and touched countless lives positively. He remains an exemplar and a worthy model for the younger generations.

“On behalf of the Government and good People of Oyo State, I rejoice with him and join the rest of Baba’s biological and political families, admirers and associates to wish him sound health and continuous grace.

“Happy birthday and many happy returns, Baba.”

The Man, Ladoja

Born on 25 September, 1944 in Gambari village near Ibadan, Chief Ladoja, a businessman was governor of Oyo State on 29 May 2003 on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He was impeached in January 2006, but reinstated in December 2006. His term ended in 2007. Ladoja became a member of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in December 2018.
He attended Ibadan Boys High School (1958–1963) and Olivet Baptist High School (1964–1965). He studied at the University of Liège, Belgium (1966–1972) where he earned a degree in Chemical Engineering. He obtained a job with Total Nigeria, an oil company, where he worked for 13 years in various positions before entering private business in 1985. His business interests, according to a Vanguard report, include Shipping, Manufacturing, Banking, Agriculture and Transportation. He was elected to the Senate of Nigeria in 1993 during the short-lived Nigerian Third Republic, he was a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) during the Abacha Political Transition. By 2000, Ladoja had become a director of Standard Trust Bank Limited.

Ladoja was elected governor of Oyo State in April 2003 on the PDP platform, and took office on 29 May 2003. He was supported by Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, a PDP power broker in the state. By August 2004, Ladoja and Adedibu were locked in a fierce struggle over allocation of government appointees. Ladoja was not supported by the party in this dispute. In an interview in late 2005, the PDP national chairman, Ahmadu Ali, as the Guardian reported, said that Ladoja should take instructions from Lamidi Adedibu.