>
If they don’t want to see me, I will go to their doors and I have already started. So, the most important thing for me is to focus on the youths. I love to get them something to do. We should stop this habit of supremacy. No! They should focus on the youths and unity.
Those were the words of Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, stressing that he would strive to make other traditional rulers in Yoruba land shun supremacy politics and focus on youths and unity.
In an interview with The Nation, Ooni Adeyeye pledged to extend hands of love to fellow traditional rulers.
His words: “I like to walk the talk. Number one, there is nothing like supremacy; it is only God that is supreme. He is the King of kings, higher than anyone. There is no parent that would not pray that his children should be greater than them. It is all politics. When I was a prince, so many kings had me as their son.
For me, it is very easy for me to reach out to them. When I got to the throne, I reached out to all major Yoruba kings and obviously we are united. United we stand. So the Yorubas are gradually coming back, together. There is no supremacy; everybody has his strength. In Oyo Kingdom, there is strength; they have even contributed to Ile-Ife, many years ago just the same way Ife kingdom has contributed to the development of Oyo kingdom. The Ijebu Kingdom has contributed. So everybody has made their own contributions. The most important thing for all of us is to come together and continue to do great things.
The biggest and largest economy in the world starts with ‘United’ (referring to the United States of America). It was possible because they are united. It is easier for me. If they don’t come to me, I will go to them. If they don’t want to see me, I will go to their doors and I have already started. So, the most important thing for me is to focus on the youths. I love to get them something to do. We should stop this habit of supremacy. No! They should focus on the youths and unity.
The youth are getting frustrated. I am a youth, I feel their pulse; I have been there. We have to get them something. We need to unite all our royal fathers. I am very happy I am extremely close to the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Saad Abubakar. He is a prominent traditional ruler from the North and he has fully pledged to work together with me. He personally came to the commissioning of the Ife Grand Resort; he spent two days with us in Ife. What else is more than that?”