My last meeting with Alaafin was on peace, reconciliation – Ooni

From Lateef Dada, Osogbo

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has described the passage of Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III as a loss to the entire Oduduwa race.

In a statement by his Director of Media & Public Affairs, Moses Olafare on Saturday, Ooni noted that his last meeting with Alaafin was on peace and reconciliation of some politicians in Yorubaland.

He stated that the late Alaafin was a worthy elder whose entire life was dedicated to the promotion of the prestigious Yoruba culture and the advancement of humanity.

“We have lost a great icon, a great monarch who saw Oyo through civilization and modern development without jettisoning the cultural sacredness of the throne first occupied by Alaafin Oranmiyan The Great.

“Ile Oodua Palace and the Ooni had a great working relationship with the late Alaafin who gave his best in resolving major conflicts in Yoruba land and uniting all sons and daughters of Oduduwa globally among other landmark achievements.

“The late Alaafin is one of the privileged elders who contributed to the growth of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and also saw the country through military and democratic eras with unquantifiable positive inputs.

Ooni Ogunwusi, the Co-Chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), recalled his last encounter with the late Oyo monarch early last month when they both held a closed-door meeting of peace and reconciliation with some frontline politicians of Yoruba origin at Ibadan where Alaafin made a promise to make his first visit to the Ooni before the middle of this year.