The Ooni of Ife, HRM Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi on Thursday said the greatest concern facing the traditional institution is the possibility of unscrupulous persons hijacking the proposed protest to foment crisis.
The Ooni said, “People that are planning to go out there to protest, it’s their civic right, but let them put a face to it and don’t let it be hijacked by people that have ulterior motives.
“That is our stand. We condemn such acts fully, we the traditional rulers are more engaged with the people, especially the youth, coming out to start looting, to start breaking down law and order. We are parents, we are traditional rulers, we are closer to them, we are going to go back home and continue to engage them”.
Speaking further, the Ooni said: “Stewardship from the Federal Executive Council, directly to the traditional rulers has never happened in our nation before, never. This is the first time we’re all experiencing it.
“We have traditional rulers that have been on the throne for 40, or 50 years. Today is the very first time we will be addressed properly by the Federal Executive Council. So there is a proper bridge and closure of governance from the governed and the people that are in charge of government.
“So it’s a very beautiful take home for us because we don’t lock our palaces, we are more exposed to the people that we actually rule over. So it’s a different twist and spin from our dear President and I want to use this medium, on behalf of all traditional rulers, to appreciate him, no leader in Nigeria has ever done it. So for us, it’s all-encompassing”
The Ooni also cautioned those planning to embark on the protest saying it is very difficult to build, but easy to destroy.
He continued, “The President has said it and he will continue to say it, any leader that you don’t like, wait and vote him out. He is open to dialogue. We know that challenges are so many in Nigeria, we know that, but are we going to destroy our nation by ourselves? Is that what we’re all after?
“We should talk to ourselves. It’s important for us to know that today, it’s a completely different spin. The government, ably led by the President, is willing to engage and dialogue and bring governance very close to the people”.
