President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi on his emergence as the 51st Ooni of Ife and successor to the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade.
In a congratulatory message signed by the special adviser on media and publicity to the president, Femi Adesina, President Buhari rejoiced with Prince Adeyeye on his nomination as Ooni by the kingmakers of Ife after a keenly contested but peaceful selection process, and confirmation yesterday by Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
The Recorder recalls that the 51st Ooni from the Giesi Ruling House succeeds Oba Okunade Sijuwade who joined his ancestors at a London hospital on July 28, 2015, at the ripe age of 83.
The kingmakers had narrowed down the choice of the monarch to the Giesi Ruling House following the 1980 Ife Chieftaincy declaration.
As Prince Adeyeye prepares to begin the rites of ascension to the revered throne of his great ancestors, Buhari urged the Ooni-designate to commit himself to carrying all his subjects along in a new era of peace, stability and progress in Ife, in Yorubaland and in Nigeria as a whole.
The president called on Prince Adeyeye to be prepared to put his new position as Ooni and principal custodian of the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the Yoruba to good use in the service of his people and country.
Buhari also urged the Ooni-designate to dedicate himself to building on, and surpassing the worthy legacies of his much-acclaimed predecessor, Oba Sijuwade, and working with government and other traditional rulers across the country to foster greater harmony, peaceful co-existence and faster socio-economic development of his people and all Nigerians.
Adesina said: “As Prince Adeyeye ascends to the grand throne of the Ooni of Ife, the president prays that God Almighty will grant him the immense wisdom and courage he will require to oversee further progress and greater prosperity for his people.”
The president also wished the new Ooni a long and highly successful reign.
