By Moses Olafare
The Natural Father of the Oduduwa Race Worldwide and the Ooni of Ife, Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,CFR, Ojaja II, yesterday wrapped up his 3 day working visit to Balyesa state where he held meetings with relevant stakeholders including former president of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Governor of Balyesa state, Senator Duoye Diri, and Chairman of the state Council of Traditional Rulers and members of his council who expressed excitements to host their national Ooni Ogunwusi who doubles as the Permanent Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council(SNTRC) and Co-Chair, Notional Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria(NCTRN).
OONI AND SULTAN, GREATEST KINGS IN NIGERIA – Former President Jonathan
Hosting Ooni Ogunwusi and his entourage at his Otuoke country home in Otuoke town near Yenagoa on Thursday described the African foremost monarch as a great gift given to Africa, saying whenever the National government wants to do something in the country, the two most prominent kings they call are the Sultan of Sokoto and the Ooni of Ife, calling them the two greatest kings in the country.
“Your Majesty, I used to tell you that I’m from Osun state, I did my NYSC in the town of Iresi in Osun state, maybe that was why I was very close to Osun state while I was the President. You Osun people may not know the importance of the Ooni because he’s your traditional ruler. When I was there as the President, I met a committee of National Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, Sultan and Ooni were the permanent Co-chairmen of all the Nigeria’s traditional rulers, Sultan for the North and the Ooni for the entire South. That tells you the pedigree of the Ooni of Ife when it comes to kingship in Nigeria”. President Jonathan said.
CROSS CULTURAL FRIENDSHIP, BEST FOR PEACE IN NIGERIA – Ooni of Ife
Ooni, the number one Yoruba king also on Friday met with members of the Balyesa State Council of Traditional Rulers in Yenagoa in which they all deliberated on issues bordering on the economy and security of the nation, adopting cross cultural visits and communication as veritable tools to unite the Nigerian people(s) for peace and tranquility to reign in the country. He seized the opportunity to solicit the state traditional rulers support for the President Tinubu administration with prayers to succeed exceedingly in his renewed hope agenda for Nigeria
Ooni Ogunwusi thanked the traditional rulers in Balyesa who turned out in their numbers to welcome him to a warm reception, reaffirming his interest in the peaceful coexistence of all the diverse peoples of Nigeria.
“We have no other country except Nigeria. What Nigeria needs to progress is peace and there can not be peace without unity of purpose, this is where the government needs our support. Let us all lead our subjects alright as traditional rulers of this country for Nigeria to have peace so that various developmental policies of government’s Renewed Hope Agenda can positively manifest in the lives of all our subjects across the country. To do this, we must encourage cross cultural communication and visits like this.” Ooni said.
GOVERNOR DUOYE DIRI VISITS OONI, COMMEND HIS LEADERSHIP STYLE
The Governor of Balyesa state on Friday paid a private visit to the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi,CFR, Ojaja II, at his Presidential lodge inside the Golden Tulip Apartments and Resorts in Yenagoa describing the Ooni’s visit as long overdue and golden opportunity for the people of Balyesa to see the great Nigerian king for the first time. Governor Diri express his intention to bring Ooni Ogunwusi back to the state when Balyesa will be celebrating it’s 29th year creation anniversary celebrations which comes up later this year.
“Your Majesty, government and the good people of Balyesa love you so passionately and we see this your coming as our opportunity to invite you to be our Special Royal Father Of The Day later this year during 29 years anniversary of our state creation. You are a leader we all love and respect. You have so far comported yourself with royal dignity of majestic simplicity, your humility is second to none and I am so happy with the high esteem in which our traditional rulers here hold you.”. governor Diri said.
BALYESA STATE TRADITIONAL RULERS HOST OONI, PLEDGE TO WORK WITH HIM FOR PEACE
Speaking on behalf of the Balyesa traditional rulers, Chairman of the state Council of Traditional Rulers who is also the king of Agada town in Bayelsa, His Royal Majesty, King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV. the Ibenanaowei of the Ekpetiama Kingdom described the Ooni’s visit to Balyesa as historic being the first state out of the 17 states in the entire Southern Nigeria to host the Ooni after his official inauguration as the Permanent Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council(SNTRC) last year. He commended the Ooni for being a leader who stops at nothing to foster unity among the traditional rulers in the country, particularly in the Southern part of the country.
“You are a great leader we can trust, that’s why we all support you as our Chairman, you are a leader with an enviable charisma and that’s why you are being so envied. You have always preached peace and unity of this country. Even though you are from the South West, you have always treated traditional rulers from all the 2 other geopolitical zones(South East and South South) with absolute equal interest of development. We will continue to give our support to you and Sultan of Sokoto as the permanent Cochairmen of our National Council, Balyesa is fully behind you sir.”
King Dakolo said.
ACCOMPANIED BY WIFE AND OSUN MONARCHS
Accompanied by his beautiful Queen; Olori Elizabeth Ogunwusi, two members of the Osun State Council of Obas and Chiefs; The Alaagba of Aagba Kingdom, HRM, Oba Rufus Olayinka Ogunwole and the Onigbaye of Igbaye; HRM, Oba Joseph Okunlola Oni, a Cabinet Member of The Ooni-In-Council who is The Jagunosin of Ife Kingdom; Highchief Olufemi Kayode Collins, Ooni’s Director of Media and Public Affairs; Otunba Moses Olafare, a retinue of security details and traditional aides known as Emese Ooni, the permanent chairman of the Osun State Council of Obas and Chiefs has remained resolute in his adoption of Cross-cultural communication being his strategy of exchanging information effectively between people from different cultural backgrounds in Yoruba land and Nigeria as a whole, considering differences in language, customs, values, beliefs, and communication styles-both verbal and nonverbal. He believes that the country’s diversity is a blessing not a curse and must be viewed as strength not weakness if we have to develop as a country.
The 3 day working visit of the Ooni of Ife to Balyesa state was climaxed Saturday evening when he hosted former President Goodluck Jonathan who had come in company of his wife and former Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan at his Golden Tulip Apartments and Resorts lodge in Yeanagoa
Signed;
Otunba Moses Olafare,
Director, Media and Public Affairs,
Ooni’s Palace,
Ile-Ife.
