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By Emmanuel Adeleke
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja ll, has commenced the 2023 annual Olojo festival celebrations by embarking on a seven-day spiritual seclusion.
During the seclusion, the monarch will be seeking the face of god (Olodumare) and ancestors of the land for the recovery of Nigeria’s economy and unity of the African people for prosperity.
The king, who spoke to newsmen, shortly before being escorted on a procession to the ‘ILE MOLE,’ ancient cult chamber located on Iremo road in Ile-Ife, commended President Bola Tinubu over his sterling Pan-African speech during the recent 78th United Nations General Assembly in the United States.
He called on the entire African continent and people across the globe to unite and be peaceful for the development and desired economic liberation.
Ooni urged relevant stakeholders in Africa to prioritise the unity of the continent, saying pan-Africanism is non-negotiable.
“President Bola Tinubu spoke very creditably well as a true Pan-African leader during the 78 edition of the UN General Assembly. I also respect Presidents Yoweri Museveni and William Ruto of Uganda and Kenya respectively for always consistently standing for Africa. I have met with them and we have always discussed Africa’s development.
“For the past eight years that I have been on the throne of Oduduwa, anytime I go into seclusion, there is nothing I ask the ancestors that doesn’t come into fulfillment. Therefore, I can rest assured that this time around, the actualisation of Pan-Africanism will come to reality,” Ooni stated.
Oba Ogunwusi, who lamented the suffering and hardship in Nigeria, said there is a need for the ancestors to step in so that Tinubu’s administration, will be the renewed hope in terms of friendly economic palliatives for the poor masses, good roads, uninterrupted power supply, affordable education, employment opportunities, and above all, actualisation of the ideological oneness that all and sundry in Africa have been hoping for.
He charged government at all levels to be more sensitive to the plight of the people and urged all and sundry to support the president so as to move the nation forward for stable national security and economic advancement.
“I will pray for the unity of Africa. Things are very hard. We all know the economic challenges that people are facing.
“The issue of restiveness of our youths would not go beyond control, before this are sensitive issues that we need to address before it goes out of hand.
“My prayer also would be to pray for divine intervention for the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in order to turn things right because expectations of people are so high,” Ooni added.