by Dolapo Adelana

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has for the first time personally spoken on the alleged faceoff between him and the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu.

Oba Ogunwusi, who spoke in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, said he had no problem with Oba Akiolu, stressing that they are brothers and have been close for many years, according to The Nation.

The monarch, who was accompanied to the state by his wife and other palace guards, said, “We did not have a problem. It is being overblown by the media. Like I said, I respect him. I had a relationship with him when I was a prince and when I was an entrepreneur in Lagos. I will continue to respect him.

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“It is very unlikely that you will see a successful Nigerian that has not passed through Lagos. So, give honour to whom honour is due.”

The Ooni congratulated the government and the people of Rivers State for the peaceful relationship with the state’s Yoruba community.

He gave his royal blessing to the government and the people while calling for unity and oneness in the country.

He said, “It is to the glory of God that we landed in Port Harcourt to celebrate with the people the 50th anniversary of the state and to celebrate one Nigeria and one country. Our major objective is to continue to foster peace.

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“I am going to meet with the amiable governor; the number one citizen of the state and the good people of Port Harcourt for us to know that we are all one. I also thank God Almighty for making the state very active and still waxing strong.

“The state is 50 years and by the special grace of God, there will be many more years of prosperity. Another beautiful thing that actually made me very happy is that I saw a lot of Yoruba that came to welcome me.

“You can see that we are really intertwined in Nigeria. We are living together in peace and harmony. It is the same back in the entire Yoruba Kingdom. We have a lot of people from this side of the world living there. So, we should all continue to live in peace and harmony.”

On the activities of herdsmen, the Ooni said, “It has to be approached with a lot of caution. You can see that meat is a necessity for us; everybody eats meat because of the protein and fibre content in it.

“This is a very sensitive thing about our nation and as a result of this, we should apply a lot of caution. If it was properly coordinated across board, we will get the best out of it. The herdsmen are rearing their cows for human beings.”

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