Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi has called on the National
Assembly to fashion out constitutional responsibilities that are
developmental for traditional rulers in Nigeria, saying they are closer
to the people than government.
The new Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye
Enitan Ogunwusi Speaking when he paid courtesy call on the Emir of
Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari in Ilorin, yesterday, Oba Ogunwusi
also said he was ready to cooperate with the Emir in the interest
of development of Nigeria, adding that his mission was based on spirit
of love, unity and development. Oba Ogunwusi, who said people first
come to traditional rulers when problem arises, added that they should
be honoured and accorded roles to encourage peaceful coexistence “For
developments that are genuine and people-oriented, the
National
Assembly should evolve constitutional responsibilities that are
development oriented for our traditional rulers so that everybody will
have a taste of the government. This will far more effective because
our traditional rulers are closer to the people than the government”,
the monarch said.
While he called for unity among traditional
rulers across the country, he urged them to concentrate on issues that
unite people than what could divide them. “If we focus on matters that
are common to us, with this in our subconscious nature, we will know
that we are one and from one God”, he said.
Also speaking, the
Emir of Ilorin commended hands of fellowship being extended by the Ooni
across Nigeria and beyond, saying that, “ln Islamic parlance, kings are
moulded in the shadow of Almighty God.” The Emir also said that
Nigerians are brothers and sisters, calling on Nigerian leaders to
imbibe spirit of oneness for the country to grow in unity.
He
described Kwara State and Ilorin, in particular, as
strategic geographical location in the country, saying that the
unique position of the location between the North and South should
be exploited for unity of the country.