Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has been requested to elevate some important Baales in Ibadan by the Maja-Maja Indigenous Organisation (MMIG), a socio-cultural group made up of indigenes of Ibadan, the state capital.
The Baales, according to the group, should be promoted to the position of Obas.
They stated that this was required in order for the Olubadan of Ibadanland to achieve the title of 'Imperial Majesty.'
The appeal was made in a statement signed by Abdulkabir Akinpelu, the group's president, and Aderemi Adebisi, the group's secretary.
It was claimed that elevating Baales from neighbouring villages to lesser kingships under Olubadan and other Ibadan High Chiefs would make the Ibadan chieftaincy system unique.
In a statement made accessible to DAILY POST on Monday in Ibadan, the duo said that history had revealed that some Baales in Ibadan's villages were referred to as Obas.
It went on to say that such communities have been fighting for recognition as Obas for decades, and that the reforms enacted by the immediate previous governor, the late Abiola Ajimobi, were not all terrible.
It advised Makinde not to consign the reform to the dustbin of history.
"However, we would like the Governor to take into account those aspects of Ajimobi's reform that will benefit the Ibadan chieftaincy system."
"By elevating Baales to the level of lesser kings under the Olubadan and High Chiefs, the next Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, will be able to fully achieve 'Imperial Majesty' status."
"History has proven that some Baales of several communities under Ibadan were formerly addressed as Obas before Ibadan subjugated them.
"And they've been clamouring for decades to be recognised as Obas," the group added.