Ten of the 11 members of the Olubadan-in-Council on Wednesday endorsed the nomination of Senator Lekan Balogun as the next Olubadan of Ibadanland.
The Council also denied that a legal tussle could scupper the succession to the Olubadan throne.
Here are things to know about the new Olubadan-elect of Ibadanland, the 79-year-old Dr Lekan Balogun
· After his primary school education, young Lekan was enrolled at CAC Modern School, Anlugbua. Then he was staying with one of his brothers, Late Hamzat Adewale Balogun, who was a civil servant but was studying privately for the General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level (GCE O’L). He was also subscribing to Rapid Result College in the UK to enhance his performance in the examination. But Lekan was secretly reading his brother’s correspondence which became very helpful to him when he wrote his qualifying test which was like ‘G4’ at the time.
While in the second year of the three-year modern school programme, Lekan sat for the Qualifying Examination and passed. Therefore, he left school without completing the programme.
· For his undergraduate programme, he enjoyed university scholarship while his post-graduate studies were sponsored by the Social Science Research Council. He returned to Nigeria and took up an appointment with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
· He travelled to the UK where he studied for his O and A levels certificates while doing a part-time job to sustain himself- all under 18 years of age. A highly cerebral student, gaining admission into the university was not a problem for him. In fact, he had the task of choosing from many offers after which he settled for Brunel University. He left the university in 1973 with a Masters degree in Administration and Economics.
· He holds a Doctorate, Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Public Administration; Public and Social Administration and Economics from Columbus International University, Brunel University and Manchester University all in the United Kingdom.
· He was once a Research Fellow with the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; a Director with Triumph Newspaper, Kano; Editor of the Monthly Magazine – “The Nigerian Pathfinder” as well as Management Consultant for Multinational Organizations such as Leyland, Exiat Battery and Nigerian Breweries. He’s a renowned technocrat, author and philanthropist.
· Senator Lekan Balogun sits on the Board of several companies with interests in Oil and Gas, Distributive Trade, Management Consulting, Mechanized Farming and Export of non-oil items as well as Travel and Tourism. Erstwhile Administrator/Head, Industrial Relations, Recruitment and Scholarships, Planning and Development at Shell Petroleum Development Company.
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