The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, a foremost traditional ruler in Yorubaland, has dismissed his critics who accuse him of socialising too much.
The monarch made the comment in an interview with Premium Times published today.
He stated that his predecessor, Oba Okunade Sijuwade was more social than him, but there was no social media during his time.
He also stated that he is not bothered by the criticisms, stressing that he is more interested in blending tradition and modernity.
His words: ”I like to keep my eyes on the ball – very focused —-to get things done. They compared me with my predecessor, who reigned when there was no social media.
”But, these days, you will only lose out if you don’t blend tradition and modernity. That’s the major problem. When I was crowned the Ooni, I said I would blend tradition and modernity.
”They said I attended Davido’s party, and people were shaking my hands. I just laughed. You know, every news is news—either good or bad. It depends on how you spin it.
”This whole thing you are talking about is that they compare me with my predecessor. My predecessor ruled when there was no social media, but he socialised more than me.
”People like to talk about me a lot. I don’t know what I’ve done to them. They must speak about everything I do. They say a lot about me but know little about me.
”Let them continue to talk. Let me continue to build a legacy supporting my dream and aspiration of blending tradition and modernity.”
The monarch also stated that Yorubas and Igbos have strong ancestral links.
”I tell people and many people don’t understand, that there is a strong link between the Yorubas and the Igbos. Let me use those two races. They are very ancient races.
”It’s been proven that these two races are the oldest in the world. But when I try to establish the link between Yorubas and the Igbos, a lot of people take it as a controversial thing,” he said.
