Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has
urged the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to ignore anybody, who
called Moremi Ajasoro a traitor.
He said such view did not take away anything from the reality of who Moremi was.
Though Soyinka did not mention anybody’s
name, observers noted that the social critic was referring to Olugbo of
Ugbo, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan, who had controversially referred to the
late Moremi as a traitor that was not worthy of celebrating few days
after the Ooni inaugurated a statue in her honour.
The Nobel laureate spoke at a book
launch which was one of the activities lined up to mark the one year
coronation anniversary of the monarch in Ile Ife on Wednesday.
He said, “There is controversy about the
origin of someone whom we know as the origin of Yoruba race, kingdom,
black race and humanity. The controversy may continue for long but the
reality is that Kabiesi, the Ooni of Ife above all, Ile Ife is the
cradle of humanity.
“We know what we know; we know what we
accept and believe and that remains the fact. I have just gone to see
the statue of Moremi and the controversy on Moremi. I learnt that some
people said that Moremi, the heroine, is a traitor. That does not touch
any part of reality of what Moremi is or was. And I don’t want you
(Ooni) to spend any time or energy at all responding to counter or
alternative theories. It is not necessary.”
Soyinka, who added that the influence of
the Ooni and Ile Ife as the cradle of mankind transcended this region,
said the Ife monarch was recognised and referred above other Obas
outside the shores of Nigeria.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and
Soyinka, who were among dignitaries that graced the book presentation,
also hailed Oba Ogunwusi for making spirited efforts to unite the Yoruba
race.
The former President said Oba Ogunwusi
had done very well to unite Yoruba monarchs and had embarked on the
transformation of Ile Ife in the past one year on the throne of his
forefathers.
Obasanjo said, “I commend His Imperial
Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, for his unification agenda and for
ensuring that the Yoruba race remains undivided.”
He stated that he had been watching the
unification and transformation moves of Oba Ogunwusi with keen interest
immediately after he ascended the throne.
The former President described the moves
“as a very good thing,” adding that unity would bring peace and
development to the people.
He urged the Ife monarch not to relent in ensuring that the entire Yoruba race was brought together.
The Ooni later told journalists in an
interview that he would not relent in his efforts towards ensuring the
unity of the race and to emancipate Ife youths from unemployment and
poverty.
He said peace in Yorubaland was critical
to the peace of Nigeria and Africa, adding that peace in Yoruba land
was non-negotiable.
Oba Ogunwusi said he was aware of the
economic crisis when he was inaugurated as the 51st Ooni of Ife but he
decided to make a difference in the lives of his people despite
recession.
The monarch stated that he focused on
agriculture, tourism and youth empowerment to restore peace and
tranquility to the once troubled town.
The Ooni stated that the communal clash
between Ife and Modakeke left post-war effect which turned some of the
youths to miscreants.
He, however, noted that through his
efforts, most of the youths had now been given hope, while peace had
been restored to Ile Ife.
Oba Ogunwusi said, “We know the
situation of things in Ile Ife before I came. We know that dollar is not
affecting what we produce on our farms and we focused on three things-
agriculture, tourism and youth emancipation.
“We encourage our youths to produce and I
am a promoter of local goods. Everything I wear is produced locally
excluding my wristwatches. My beads and shoes are produced here.
“The Ife-Modakeke war left our youths to
be heartless and carefree but now Ife has become one of the most
peaceful towns in the country.”
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