After industrialist Chief Harry Akande’s death at 77 on the 5th of December 2020, throwing his family members, friends and business associates into mourning, life must definitely go on as sweetness is the remembrance of the righteous.
Despite the tearful moments, the race for who succeed Akande as the Agbaoye of Ibadan land has began. The race for who fills the lacuna left by the generous late billionaire who holds the highest honorary chieftaincy title in Ibadan land, which he was bestowed with until he breathed his last on that fateful day. For more than a month, the seemingly tortuous search for a fitting ‘son of the soil’ replacement, who must be very wealthy, powerful, influential and well connected, had gone on.
After wide consultations by Ibadan high chiefs and kingmakers, they finally settled for Kola Karim as he is foldly called, a former Oyo state guber aspirant, shipping magnate and stupendously wealthy boss of Shoreline Natural Resources as the next to be bestowed with the prestigious Ibadan high-ranking title. The billionaire Polo bluff is an astute and visionary businessman who owes a vast business empire with substantial investments in many key sectors of the economy.
We gathered that; his emergence was approved by all sundry as it came with no opposition, given his stylish and affluence background. Many agree that despite stiff competition for the title, Kola who is the youngest of them all is a round peg in round hole as the title would befit him with his status and charisma. Incoming Agbaoye of Ibadan Land is also the current Chairman of the Board of Directors of Costain (West Africa) plc, Nigerian Ropes plc, serves as a Director in seven other companies, including Shoreline Power Company Ltd, Shoreline Energy International Ltd, Ecobank Nigeria Plc, Schlumberger Testing & Production Services Nigeria Ltd, Trans Amadi Facilities Ltd, grange
The official date for the title coronation party and rites is yet to be announced but source averred that; it would be ground breaking as the whole Ibadan will standstill as Kola will attract those who matters most in the country’s political, business and societal space to his coronation party. “Kola would spare no cost to throw the biggest party of 2021. He is ready to host the whole country in Ibadan”.
