The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has debunked allegations that he is using his position to scout for those who are interested in travelling out of Nigeria on the basis of “cash and carry.” Oba Ogunwusi said he never collected any money from any of those he had been able to sponsor to different parts of the world, saying the petition written against him was baseless and an attempt to tarnish his image....CONTINUE READING
He made this known while speaking after special inter-denominational prayers were offered for him by religious leaders to mark his 8th Coronation Anniversary at his Ile Oodua Palace in the ancient town recently.
The first class monarch, who is the Co-Chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, saidhe had been able to sponsor about 1,000 indigenes of Ile-Ife abroad with the sole aim of developing the town, adding that the effect of his actions would be felt in the nearest future.
The monarch said almost all his aides and palace workers, including his palace chiefs (Emese) had opportunities to travel out of the country at one time or the other, saying it was part of his strategies to showcase the rich culture of Ife to the world and also empower the indigenes.
Oba Ogunwusi noted that he had struggled and ensured that the culture and tradition of the ancient town didnot go into extinction, hence, his constant appeals to those around him not to stay put abroad whenever they had the opportunity of following him on a trip.
Recall that one of the kings in Ife, Oba Adeyeba Sikiru-Adeniji, the Akoja II, Olujudo of Ile-Ido, Ife, petitioned the Osun State Government to set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the numerous allegations he raised via an open letter to the then governor.
The monarch had alleged, among other things, that the Ooni of Ife palace was engaged in visa racketeering.
“Oba Ogunwusi has done incalculable damage to the image of Ile Ife, Osun State and Nigeria when an Oba of his standing will want to travel out of the country and will start to scout for those who are interested in travelling out of the country on the basis of cash and carry using his official position to do visa racketeering.
“In return, he collects a whopping sum of money from them only to succeed in embarrassing Ile Ife, Osun State and Nigeria in general. This happened during his recent tour of the United States, United Kingdom and Canada,” he stated.
Reacting, Oba Ogunwusi asked indigenes of Ife who gathered at his palace to celebrate his anniversary to ignore such insinuations, maintaining that he never collected a dime from any of those he had assisted in relocating abroad.
He said each time he sleeps, he dreams of how to transform Ife and that the results of his actions would be seen in few years to come.
“I am here to serve Ife. I don’t even know how I do it. I sleep and dream of how things will transform in Ife. The blood that runs in my veins is Ife. Some pay me with evil but I pay no attention to them.
“I want to thank you all. I thank God that our culture has not gone into extinction notwithstanding the religions and other challenges. I inquired into Ife indigenes who had traveled out of the country, they were almost a thousand.
“Before God made me king, I went to a town in America, Chicago in IIIinois, it is called ‘Ile Oluji’. The town is populated by Yoruba people. I was told they started it almost 40 years ago. They were helping themselves and they are now so much and growing. I asked God to help me to also do something like that in Ife.
“In this palace, I have taken a thousand abroad. Some wrote petition against me, saying all sorts. I never collected any dime from anybody. I even bought tickets and other things for them. There is no country that Ife indigenes are not situated today. You may not know the worth of what I have been able to achieve, until 10 to 20 years after now.
“The culture of Ife makes a lot of meaning to me and I will continue to preserve it and show it to the world,” the monarch said.
