The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi in the company of his new wife, Mariam Ogunwusi, on Saturday commemorated the dawn of the first day of creation with the annual Olojo festival.
It is the first public appearance of the new Queen since the first-class monarch married her weeks ago. The king used the event to preach love and unity among Yoruba people and Nigerians.
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The annual Olojo festival attracted dignitaries including the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola who represented President Muhammad Buhari at the event.
The spiritually inclined event was in commemoration of the dawn of the first day in recognition of the beginning of the existence of man.
Before the Saturday event, the Ooni of Ife went into seclusion where he was believed to have interfaced with spirits and performed some necessary rites.
His coming out is believed to signify a new beginning as the traditional ruler blessed his subjects, the Yoruba race and also prayed for peace in Nigeria.
The monarch called on all and sundry to support the government and security operatives to end insecurity in the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Aregbesola charged Nigerians to restore the old glory of the country in farming, saying that the bedrock of Nigeria’s economy was famously known to be agriculture.
Excerpt from President’s speech read, “Olojo festival was an event in the olden days to showcase farm produce, profits made in farming and agriculture at large.
“It will gladden my heart if Nigerians could restore the old glory of farming; this Olojo festival too should also bring back the old days of showcasing farm produce, hard work and good character.
“The festival should not be for merriment alone. Merriment should come after work. There should not be merriment without work. Working is the antidote to poverty.
He further said, “I must also say that security is our collective effort. We should not leave security matters to security agencies alone. If we leave security agencies to handle security issues alone, there will not be adequate security.
“We are collectively responsible for the provision of security. The government will do its own while the people should also support the security agencies. We should report any suspicious move or person in our environment to the security agents.
“I appreciate Ooni’s effort in ending insecurity in Nigeria. Collectively, we will end insecurity in Nigeria.”
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