The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has urged governments at all levels to tackle prevailing poverty in the country by implementing favourable economic policies capable of promoting wealth creation through trades and investments.
He made the appeal during the 2020 edition of the annual celebration of Aje Festival at his Ile-Oodua palace.
In a statement forwarded to the Tribune Online in Osogbo on Thursday, Oba Ogunwusi decried the current economic condition of the country which he described as pathetic, adding that the country’s wealth must be enjoyed by all Nigerians.
According to the monarch, “as it stands today, Nigeria has a population of few men and women controlling the economy while countless others are languishing in poverty. We cannot continue like this.
“For us to progress as a country, we must ensure that our wealth goes round especially to the poor and other vulnerable members of the society. We cannot keep having strikingly rich few Nigerians and uncountable ones wallowing in abject poverty,” Oba Ogunwusi asserted.
While explaining the basis for the Aje Festival celebration, he explained that “it is a unique way through which the Yoruba people globally remember the deity which is known for wealth and riches,” stressing that “Aje is a deity which is known for wealth and riches. Its annual celebration as you have witnessed today is to acknowledge its relevance to us as people, especially its indispensable nature to us.”
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Oba Ogunwusi stated, “did you see the struggle for it during the procession to and from the Aje temple? That is the spirit of Aje, all of us are not rich because it is not easy to accumulate wealth.
“We are not devaluing the currency by spraying it to our people, we only do it on a special day like this to spread happiness. In the olden days, it was cowries, sometimes ago it was coins, nowadays it is naira notes and we hold it very high esteem,” he added.
In her remark, the coordinator of Aje festival, Princess Toyin Kolade, expressed happiness for the massive turnout of participants from within and outside Nigeria, just as she thanked the Ooni for his support for the festival.
Speaking on behalf of the international participants, Mr Rodrigo Abdon, from Brazil described the festival as an awesome representation of the African rich cultural heritage.
“What I see here today has further represented the economic potentials of the enviable Yoruba cultural heritage and Africa at large. I see arts, I see dance, I see music, I see paintings and many others like we have in Brazil. The people are also receptive, very accommodating and it shows the good nature of the land. We are really feeling at home,” Rodrigo stated.
The traditional rulers who graced the cultural event included Alapomu of Apomu, Oba Adenekan Afolabi; Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adewole; Olugbon of Ile-Igbon, Oba Olusola Alao; Onigogo of Igogo-Ekiti, Oba Sunday Adewumi; Elerinmo of Erinmo-Ijesa, Oba Michael Ajayi; Onigbaye of Igbaye, Oba Morounfoye Okunola; Olubogun of Ibogun-Ifo, Oba Fakayode Faluade; Aragberi of Oragberi, Oba Funso Makanju; Oloba of Oba-Ile, Oba Adekunle Oyeyemi; Eburu of Iba, Oba Adeogun Ogunoye; Onitetiku of Owode-Ota, Oba Wasiu Ogungbayi; Asoya of Ile-Isoya, Oba Muraina Adedini; Obalufe of Iremo-Ife, Oba Idowu Adediwura and a host of others.
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