The Oluwo of Iwo-land, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale, has stressed the need for the Ilorin Emirate and Iwo kingdom to come together in a bid to further promote economic and manpower development between the two communities.
The Iwo monarch who stated this in Ilorin when he visited the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, at his palace said the visit was to solicit the support of the people of Ilorin especially through the Emir in order to ensure that areas of common interest are identified.
Oba Adewale was accompanied by some traditional rulers and chiefs.
He said: “In Iwo land, all that we stand for is Islam and we discovered that Ilorin Emirate is a front-runner in the propagation of Islam. With our proximity with this revered city of knowledge, we can’t afford to lose out in the numerous opportunities that are available both at national and international levels.
“Iwo has the first mosque in the whole south-western region, which was converted from a shrine in 1655. On several occasions, I have condemned the worship of deities in its entirety. Not that I said we should forget our culture, but to promote peaceful co-existence in our domains.”
He however, extolled the virtues of the Emir in making life more meaningful for the people of Ilorin Emirate, through his quality leadership roles among his subjects even as he pledged his unalloyed loyalty to further foster and actualise robust working relationship.
In his response, the Emir of Ilori, and Chairman Kwara State Traditional Council, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari , publicly announced that, “As from today, I hereby declare that Ilorin Emirate and Iwo land have become one.”
The emir, therefore, assured the Oluwo that as the gateway between the north and south, Ilorin would continue to play leadership roles in the propagation of Islam and morality vis-à-vis peaceful co-existence in the country.
