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Tag: Ooni of Ife

  • Ooni to celebrate Moremi in Lagos to empower women

    In an effort to empower women against oppression, the Ooni of Ife has initiated a musical drama to propagate African woman’s values of courage and strength as demonstrated by Queen Moremi Ajasoro.

    The 90-minute drama will be showcased from December in Lagos, according to Princess Ronke Ademiluyi, the Cultural Ambassador to Queen Moremi.

    “This unique project is going to be 90 minutes of dance, drama and music, telling the story of an African queen from Ile-Ife, South West of Nigeria.

    “It will take us back to the memory lane on how Queen Moremi risked her life and made the ultimate sacrifice to end trafficking and enslavement of her people, especially women and children,” Ademiluyi said in Lagos.The cultural ambassador spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.

    She spoke on behalf of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

    According to her, the 13-day stage performance to begin from Dec. 21 will stir courage and leadership abilities in the African woman.

    “The Ooni of Ife celebrates the courage of Queen Moremi Ajasoro with a maiden 90 minutes musical drama from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2, 2019, in Lagos,’’ she said.

    According to her, the House of Oduduwa Foundation of the palace has appointed Bolanle Austin-Peters Productions to come up with the legendary theatre performance.

    “It will propagate and rejuvenate the cherished values, culture and tradition of an African woman as demonstrated by Queen Moremi, who by unusual courage put herself forward in order to save her people,” the princess said.

    She called on African women to exhibit courage  and other leadership abilities for a progressive society.

    Ademiluyi told our reporter that proceeds from the musical drama would be used to assist and rehabilitate young women who fell victims of modern day slavery.

    “His imperial majesty, in line with his rehabilitation programmes, says the programme will key into his ongoing empowerment of victims of modern day slavery and trafficking under the House of Oduduwa Foundation,” she said.

    NAN.

  • Ooni’s ex-wife congratulates him, new queen

    Queen Wuraola Zaynab, former wife of Ooni of Ile Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has congratulated him on his wedding to his new wife, Olori Prophetess Naomi.

    Zainab took to her Instagram page on Monday to wish the king well on his marriage.

    On her page she posted a picture of herself with the caption “it was once said there is nobility in compassion, beauty in empathy and grace in forgiveness.

    “Congratulations to The Ooni and his new bride Shilekunola Naomi Moronke Oluwaseyi.

    Read Also: Ooni of Ife gets new queen

    “May God bless your union-HH Queen Zaynab”

    This simple act of the ex-wife has generated a lot of reactions from her followers online.

  • Video: Ooni’s evangelist wife

    Several months after the crash of his marriage to Benin princess, Zainab Otiti Obanor, the  Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi picks New Queen.

    The bride, Naomi Oluwaseyi, 25 is a prophetess and founder EN-HERALD  prophetic and interdenominational ministry based in Akure, Ondo State.

  • Ooni disowns ‘Outreach Foundation’

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwunsi Ojaja II, has dissociated himself from the activities of a group called “Ooni Outreach Foundation”.

    Ooni distanced himself from the group described as “faceless’’ in a statement by the Director of Media and Public Affairs his palace, Mr Moses Olafare, on Friday, in Ile-Ife.

    Olafare said the disclaimer became necessary due to reports the palace received on fraudulent activities of unscrupulous individuals who had been swindling the public under the guise of representing the Arole Oodua.

    He said the royal father had no link with with “Ooni Outreach Foundation” or any other group claiming to be raising funds to care for the needy.

    Read Also: Ooni picks new queen, a Prophetess

    The palace spokesman listed authentic associations belonging to the Ooni’s palace as “House of Oduduwa Foundation” and “Hopes Alive Initiative (HAI)”.

    He advised the public to verify from the palace any claim made by any other outfit beside the listed two before giving out donations.

    Olaife gave “Instagram: @ooniadimulaife; Twitter: @ooniadimulaife; Facebook: Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi – Ojaja II (@ooniadimulaife) as social media platforms personal to the Ooni.

    He cautioned against “nefarious antics and evil machinations always deployed by sacrilegious criminals, especially through social media platforms which they have created to dupe people.”

    NAN

  • Ooni picks new queen, a Prophetess

    Several months after the crash of his marriage to Benin princess, Zainab Otiti Obanor, the  Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi picks New Queen
    He announced the cheering news on his Instagram few hours after his 44th birthday.
    “I waited patiently upon the Almighty,the King of kings,
    He eventually did it amidst trials.  Oluwaseyi Naomi the greatest arsenal you can apply on this revered throne  with many rules and regulations and undiluted tradition, heritage and culture is the fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom. You are welcome home my beautiful adorable queen.”
    The bride, Naomi, 25 is a prophetess and founder EN-HERALD  prophetic and interdenominational ministry based in Akure, Ondo State.

    She started public ministry at the age of eighteen and became a full time evangelist in October 2011.

  • Why Ooni did not vote, by aides

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, did not vote because he sees all the governorship candidates in Osun State as his subjects, his aides have said.

    The Lowa Adimula of Ife, High Chief Adekola Adeleye, who said he is the Ooni’s second in command “to the left” explained the paramount monarch cannot be seen to be taking sides with any of the candidates.

    Our correspondent observed though there was a polling unit by the Ooni’s palace he did not come out to vote.

    “It’s not good for the Ooni to vote for any candidate. If he must vote, it will be for all the candidates because he’s the father of all.

    “But that’s not possible so the kingmakers advised him not to vote.  “He cannot take sides. All the candidates are Ooni’s subjects and so it’s better for a father to be neutral when his children are in a contest,” Adeleye told our reporter. Ooni’s traditional Aide De Camp said the royal father only blessed all the candidates, wished them well and prayed for a peaceful election.

  • Ife people are not idol worshippers, says Ooni

    Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi Adeyeye Enitan has said that Ife sons and daughters are not worshipping idols, by celebrating Olojo festival yearly.

    He said there is one God, adding that people irrespective of their religions call upon him in other to show their love to him what for he has done for them..

    He said the festival is a way of showing appreciation to God for sparing the lives of natives of the natives in Nigeria and Diaspora, and not to perform rituals.

    Speaking during a pre-festival conference in Ife, the monarch said the 2018 Olojo festival is in appreciation of Yoruba heritage, which according to him, has been existence from time immemorial.

    Ogunwusi said: ‘’ The festival could be traced to the creation of the world, which God made to exist in order to serve many generations.  People sleep and wake up daily, not by their might or wisdom, but by the mercy of God. To appreciate God for his unrivalled mercy towards man, the Ooni of Ife, his Council of Chiefs, and the natives of the town decided to celebrate the festival yearly.  What else does a man want from God than to give him the glory for creating and making him to witness another day.’’

  • Ooni of Ife calls for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has called for unity and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians, irrespective of their tribe, language or religion.

    Oba Ogunwusi made the call when Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, paid him a courtesy visit in his palace.

    In a statement on Sunday in Ile-Ife by Mr Moses Olafare, the Chief Press Secretary to Ooni, the monarch urged Nigerians to always preach peace and shun all acts capable of destabilising the country.

    “Nigeria is our country; we do not have anywhere to go. We should preach unity and give peace a chance so as to have a stable country that will be conducive for living.

    “I look forward to a day that all political parties will converge for the unity of the country and proffer solutions to the challenges we are facing,’’ he said.

    Oba Ogunwusi advised political leaders to prioritise infrastructure such as good roads, electricity, portable water, qualitative education, standard hospitals and job creation, among others.

    The Monarch also commended Gov. Dickson for his contributions towards the growth and development of Bayelsa State.

    Oba Ogunwusi lauded him for his good leadership style, simplicity and humility and for making life more conducive for people of his state.

    The statement also quoted Gov. Dickson as commending the Ooni for upholding Yoruba culture and for laying a good legacy for Nigerians to emulate.

  • Ekiti 2018: Oni, others can’t sabotage Fayemi’s victory – Bamidele

    The Director General of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organization, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) entertain no
    fear about the victory of its candidate in the July 14 governorship poll, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    Bamidele said he has implicit confidence in the leadership of the party in Ekiti State, including former Governor Segun Oni and his group working for Fayemi to make the victory a resounding and collective one.

    The Director General said these in a statement from his office and signed by his Media Aide, Ahmed Salami in Ado Ekiti on Thursday.

    Recently, Oni was linked to a litigation purportedly filed in Abuja seeking the nullification of Fayemi’s victory in the party’s primary on account of his failure to resign as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in line with the party’s constitution and guidelines.

    Commenting on the event that has been causing ripples in APC, Bamidele said he has no reason to doubt Oni and his commitment to Fayemi’s victory
    in this election.

    Bamidele said: “We are not ruling out the possibility of people having some ill-feelings about certain issues in our party, but that should not degenerate to the
    level where people can act as fifth columnists in their own party.

    “Ekiti APC can’t be immuned from crisis just like every other parties because we have diverse backgrounds and our temperaments differ in the way we handle issues. Let me say this, the doors of the party are wide open to entertain complaints and trash them in the interest of everybody.

    “This is not the time to suspect anyone unduly. We should see ourselves as one big family and prevent anyone from hiding under social media to break our ranks.

    Read Also: Ekiti 2018: Fayose will be caged on election day, says Fayemi

    “As the leader of Fayemi’s campaign for this election, we are ready to work with everybody and urge the leaders of all committees working within our campaign structures to be receptive to everybody and refrain from act that can lead to rancor and polarization before this election.

    “Dr Fayemi in his address after clinching the party’s ticket displayed humility by openly expressed his readiness to work with all groups. He later visited other 32 co-contestants for the ticket and this prevented the widely envisaged defections of bigwigs in APC.

    “We are not going into this race with divided mind. We are going into this election to win and we are rest assured that all our members will contribute to this victory.

    “We have no reason to be suspecting these men who decided to join the APC’s moving train, because our party is receptive and we have constitution that guarantees safety for all members.

    “There is no class differences in APC, you can only get that in PDP and that was why the party had always been in perpetual crisis. Our party has
    respect for everybody, regardless of whether you are old or new members.”

  • Ooni: education key to national growth

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has said education remained the paramount requirement for the nation to achieve all-inclusive development. The monarch spoke during the N2.5 billion endowment fund raising organised by management of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) in Osun State.

    Ooni said the future of Nigeria remained in the glory of its youths, stressing that governments at all level must make efforts to facilitate the access to quality education for all young people.

    The king called on wealthy Nigerians to contribute to provision of quality education across levels, saying the endowment would go a long way in fast-tracking the nation’s development.

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Sola Fajana, said provision of quality education required a tripartite partnership to develop infrastructure and sustain the existing ones. According to the VC, JABU is set to move to next phase of development in bringing modern infrastructure and quality training through for the endowment.

    Chairman, JABU Endowment Committee and Chief Executive Officer of Mutual Benefit Assurance Plc, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, explained why the school embarked on the N2.5 billion endowment fund, noting that it was to help the school keep its promise of providing efficient and effective service and knowledge delivery.

    He said: “With the rise in number of private and public universities in the country, particularly in the Southwest, competition to deliver efficiently has become fierce and JABU needs to keep to its promise to be the model for other school in terms of quality and efficiency.”