Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi has expressed his delight in living long on the throne like the 82 year-old Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo who would be celebrating his 50th coronation anniversary in January 15, 2020.
According to 9news Nigeria correspondent in Ibadan, Oba Adeyeye made the statement at the opening of activities commemorating his 5th year coronation anniversary in Ibadan. He thanked the Almighty God for His blessings and goodness over his life. He also expressed appreciation to the Alaafin for praying for him.
He prayed to God to give him the opportunity to spend a long time on the throne like the Alaafin. He said, “God will continue to bless Alaafin with more longevity in life. Alaafin has urged all of us to live in unity. God that enthroned him will continue to bless him.”
Explaining why the event started from Ibadan, the monarch said it was because all the towns in Yorubaland have a stake in Premier Hotel, Ibadan, venue of the anniversary lecture. He stated: “Why we started this celebration in Ibadan is that all the towns of Oduduwa have a stake in Premier Hotel, which was built in 1960 with €1 million.”
According to Oba Enitan Adeyeye, “Nobody knows tomorrow. My journey of life is laced with miracles. When Oba Sijuwade passed on, I called Elegushi. I can’t forget that day. But, he didn’t pick and later, he returned my call and we started the journey to the throne together.”
“We have been together for long. I have also been very close to many traditional rulers before I became the Ooni, including the Olofa of Offa, whom we have been together for more than 30 years. I am very happy today. My joy is full, for God has made me spend five years on the throne. Though the challenges are daunting, we thank God still. I called the Alaafin the day I was chosen as Ooni. I decided to go to him so as to strengthen the unity and bond in Yorubaland. I thank my families, especially my father.”
Oba Enitan was full of thanks to every important dignitary that graced the occasion. He expressed thanks and gratitude to the representatives of all the South-West governors and all traditional rulers present.
In his words, “I am very close to the Sultan of Sokoto. By virtue of his training, he has been to all parts of the country. He is very warm and amiable. I want to commend him for his commitment to the unity of the country. It has been a wonderful five years working with Sultan and other traditional rulers in the country.
In his remark, Oba Adeyemi implored Oba Ogunwusi not to relent in his peace advocacy, just as he lauded the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar for speaking truth to the power in his recent statement that the Northern part of the country is the worst place to live in Nigeria.
He said, “I want to commend the Sultan of Sokoto for speaking truth to power on Friday when he said the North is the worst place to live in Nigeria. I appreciate your boldness. Not quite long after you made your remark, a first-class traditional ruler was shot dead by gunmen in Ondo.”
While praying to God to grant Ooni longevity of life on the throne, Oba Adeyemi said “you (Ooni) should not relent in your efforts on peace advocacy. Enemies would not prevail over all traditional rulers in Nigeria. Ooni will live long as a king and we shall not hear about your death.”
