Being the Speech of the Incoming President, Jagun Olubadan Suraj Abiola Iyiola, to the General Assembly During His Inauguration!

The Chairman, Board of Trustees, the Elders, our Patrons, Patronesses, all the outgoing NEC Members, and all the Members of the General Assembly.

I would like to thank you all for placing your confidence and trust in me to serve as your next President. It is an honour for me to be present here tonight to accept the position of National President, Ibadan Descendants Union – USA, an organization with a proud past and a more exciting future we will be prouder of.

And, as I refer to IDU’s proud pasts, I wish to specially acknowledge the achievements of our outgoing President, Dr. Mrs. Olubunmi Afonja. Madam President, we have benefitted so much from your sterling tenures as president. Your leadership of the organization was steady, assured, and pragmatic, and most of all, it bequeathed a clear vision for the changes that the IDU National needed. It is a vision and strategy that are right, that are necessary and that befit the IDU and by extension, the City of Ibadan.

Madam President, thank you so much for your endearing service to us, and to Ibadan.

And so, to the futures…! This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. Choosing me as the president-servant throws me into a chaos of challenges that I have started steeling myself to tackle and succeed. I will endeavour to represent IDU’s best interest. Over the next two years, we will continue to build on our strengths, not losing sight of our weaknesses, as we also take on new directions.

We will continue our programs that strengthen our commitments to the advancements of Ibadan through the Ibadan Initiative Program’s (IIP) 3 core areas: Community Development, Education, and Health.

We will also retain and renew our commitments:
* To encourage and deliberate on all issues affecting and paramount to Ibadanland;
* To promote the cultural heritage of Ibadanland;
* To support such charitable objectives as may be deemed fit by the Union;
* To foster the economic growth and development of Ibadanland; and
* To promote the growth and attainment of a higher academic standard in education
and more opportunities and assistance for our youths, among others.

We cannot accomplish these noble objectives by only convincing one another; instead, we have to reach out and enter into other communities, network and make necessary contact.

Ladies and gentlemen, as I round off this address, it’s essential that I remind us that we have a global organization – united by our values and rich with talents. If each of us puts in what we can, we will find that we can get what we need – and also achieve so much more beyond our expectations. So, now is the auspicious time to MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Everyone, no matter who you are, has the power to do something that improves lives.

I hope you are as enthusiastic as I am to see what kinds of changes we can make together from 2022 to 2024. YOU! Make a Difference.

Thank you, all, for this honour. It’s my fervent hope that you all will walk with me to tackle this chaos of challenges headlong so we can take IDU to higher grounds.

August 2, 2022

“Had a congenial tête-à-tête with the number one citizen of Ibadanland, Oba Dr. Mohood Olalekan Balogun, Oba ton gba idobale oba!

Let me share a little story about how we greet and relate with the Kings in Ibadanland….

Bashorun Gaa of old Oyo was renowned for obsessive power, yet when he was greeted ‘Kabiyesi’, he objected and shouted, “No! K’araole laa k’Osorun (‘May you be well’ is how the city greets Bashorun).”

When a kingmaker covets the throne, he invites trouble and disaster. He is no longer a watcher of the king; he has become an object in the range of the king’s binoculars. That is why those whose lot it is to put princes on the throne retreat after every coronation.

The Yoruba put it in this elegant way: move near the king in seven steps; stay far from the king in six steps (sunmo Oba ni igba emeje, sa fun Oba ni igba emefa).

Kabiyesi la n ki Oba Alade. Karaole la n ki awon ijoye. Loogun ofe la n ki jagun-jagun.

It is wisdom harvested from the facts of history that the blood of kingmakers paints the footmat of the throne.

So, wherever you meet me and need to greet me, just say “Karaole” or “Loogun ofe” 😀.

History was made on 24th of June 2022 as Ibadan was agog when Abiola Iyiola was installed as the first Jagun-Olubadan from Anlamole dynasty since 1829. Anlamole is a famous family, who was one of the 1st settlers in the ancient city of Ibadanland.