OBASANJO, A GREAT YORUBA LEADER, SAYS OONI

His Royal Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade last Saturday in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital urged the Yoruba nation to be grateful to God for having a personality like the former president Olusegun Obasanjo. The traditional ruler spoke during this year's Omo Olowu Festival, which held at the Gateway Secondary School, Ita-Iyalode, Abeokuta.

Oba Sijuade also used the occasion to eulogize the former military administrator of the old Oyo State and the sole administrator of Ekiti State, General Tunji Olurin, describing them as worthy sons of Yorubaland.

According to him: 'We Yoruba don't appreciate what we have. We are supposed to be grateful to God for giving us somebody like Obasanjo,'' he said.

The octogenarian monarch, described Olurin as somebody, who did not allow things to go bad. His words: 'I greet General Olurin, you stood firm when things would have gone bad in Yorubaland and remained steadfast.

During the celebration, Vice President Namadi Sambo, the Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, and Otunba Kunle Ojora and his wife were honoured with chieftaincy titles. While Sambo was honoured with the chieftaincy title of Otun Obateru of Owu Kingdom, Chief Oghiadomhe and Otunba Ojora were honoured with the titles of Asiwaju and Aare Apesin Ola of Owu Kingdom.

Speaking during the festival, the Olowu, Oba Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu, said the purpose of celebrating Omo Olowu Festival was to celebrate agriculture and the illustrious sons and daughters of the kingdom.