Founder and President of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, has sent a congratulatory message to the Giesi Ruling House and the people of Ile-Ife over the emergence of Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi as the Ooni-Elect.
Fasehun, who holds the chieftaincy title of “Ataalase Oodua” in Ile-Ife, promised that OPC would stand solidly behind the 51st Ooni, and assured him of his and the organisation’s unflinching support.
In a press statement circulated in Lagos today, Fasehun said the rancour-free emergence of the monarch, from the many eligible aspirants, showed that the Yoruba were a great people who cherished their cultural heritage.
The Ooni-Elect, Prince Ogunwusi, hails from the Giesi Ruling House in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Wishing the Ooni a long and successful reign, Fasehun said in Yoruba: “Kabiyesi o, ki ade o pe l’ori, ki bata pe l’ese.”
Describing the Ooni-Elect as the God-appointed custodian of Ile-Ife, the cradle of Yoruba life and civilisation, Fasehun, who is also the National Chairman of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), urged him to lead the struggle for Yoruba unity.
“Ten successor kings would usher in ten different eras, but Ooni Ogunwusi must bring himself to build on the solid foundation of peace, dignity and development that his predecessors have laid for Oodua sons and daughters within Nigeria and in the Diaspora,” he said.
The OPC Founder especially eulogised the background of the Ooni-Elect as a successful Businessman and Philanthropist, saying, these qualities must be marshalled for the positive development of Ife and Yoruba people.
Fasehun urged the Ooni to forge a united front with other Yoruba monarchs in order to protect Yoruba interests within the Nigeria project.
“Ooni Ogunwusi is taking the throne at a challenging period in Nigeria’s socio-economic life, and he must lend his voice and his experience as a humane philanthropist and a successful entrepreneur to pushing for the development of Nigeria and the welfare of our people,” Fasehun said.
