Ooni of Ife
Speaking on Sunday when he hosted Ife Klub 1, a group of eminent
sons of his kingdom based in different parts of the country, the Ooni of
Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has appealed to sons and daughters of Ife all
over the world to assist in developing the town, declaring that Ile-Ife
was now free of witches and wizards.
"This Klub worked with my last two predecessors and is now working with me, so by the grace of God it will never disintegrate.
"I must stress to you all that the wellbeing of Ile-ife is
paramount to me because we are like the proverbial white chicken who
doesn’t appreciate its value. Whereas, it is in its home that the
chicken is not highly regarded, it is highly valued abroad.
"God himself resides in Ile-Ife and that is the truth. There
are many Ife sons and daughters who the land has blessed but they
abandon their roots. They say there are witches in Ile-Ife that kill
children, or that if they establish businesses at home, witches won’t
allow them to prosper. There are no witches here that will disturb
anybody anymore. They now want to have money and send their children to
school too."
The monarch appealed to his people to contribute towards the
development of the kingdom, saying he is putting in his best to ensure
that Ile-Ife becomes a leading tourist destination.
"Some are making money in Ife, yet they don’t contribute
anything to its development, rather they take their monies to Ibadan,
Ilesha, Lagos, London and America.
"The Almighty has restored Ile-Ife’s glory and we must not let
it go dim. So many people of Ife origin have refused to come back home
and this is why we are making concerted efforts to put many things in
place to attract them.
"An example is the palace that we are redeveloping which will
be an edifice of pride for all Ife people because it’s not only for the
King. Tourists from far and near will come here and marvel at the
fabulousness of this palace.
"They will also get to learn about our rich cultural heritage.
Do you know that people from China, Indonesia and other far flung places
visit the Buckingham Palace in England just to witness the change of
guards?
"Crowds troop the palace everyday just to see this and their
culture is helping their economy. This is why I am surprised that even
Ife indigenes seem not to cherish their heritage. Plans are in motion
already to reposition Ile-Ife but we should not leave everything to the
Ooni. Those of you with businesses should come and establish in Ife."
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