Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, has joined his ancestors at the age of 91.
The monarch passed on Sunday, just hours after the death of his longtime friend and former president, Muhammadu Buhari, was announced.
Adetona ascended the throne on April 2, 1960, and reigned for over 64 years, making him one of the longest-serving traditional rulers in Nigerian history.
His friendship with Buhari dated back to the 1980s and was cemented under extraordinary circumstances.
In 1983, shortly before Muhammadu Buhari’s military coup, then Ogun State governor Olabisi Onabanjo had signed a formal order to depose Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona. The removal was set to take effect on January 2, 1984.
However, the military coup of December 31, 1983, which overthrew Nigeria’s civilian government, abruptly halted the plan. In a twist of fate, Buhari’s intervention inadvertently safeguarded Awujale’s throne.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
