OONI: EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FOR HONOR AT ROYAL AFRICAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP FORUM
By OKI SAMSON, Trek Africa Newspaper.
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja Il
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has urged Nigeria Government and Africa leaders to take advantage of our huge population of the youths as catalyst for development and her economic growth.
He highlighted that as a nation and the whole continent of Africa, the world is more reliant on us more than ever before because of the exciting young populations that abound.
He however expressed concern that the youths are not celebrated enough, adding that the sheer size, young population explosion, innovation development, sophisticated creative culture and the continent’s diversity distinctiveness are true potentials that are attracting global attention into the continent.
The Ooni stated this on Monday in Lagos at a press briefing covered by Trek Africa Newspaper on the maiden edition of the Royal African Young Leadership Forum (RAYLF) which he initiated.
According to him, as the initiative is just to look inwardly and go through a very thorough screen process, pick out the very best youths between the range of age 19 to 39.
L-R: Personal Assistant to the Ooni of Ife, Tomisin Olawale; Founder, Royal African Youth Leadership Forum/ Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and Chief Executive Officer, the Royal Court of the Kingdom of Ife, Dr. Ayobami O. Oyedare, during the Press Conference on the forth coming Royal African Youth Leadership Froum/ Awards in Lagos.
“We have been on this journey trying to pull ourselves together. We have global outreach offices in very key countries of the world, and we realized that the youths, especially in Nigeria, are not well celebrated, and that is the reason why we came up with this initiative. So far so good, we are making a lot of progress.
“We have to celebrate ourselves. If we don’t celebrate ourselves, who will?
“The truth be told, we don’t celebrate our youths enough, to give them a sense of belonging and words of encouragement. We have a lot of very bright minds, both male and female, doing exceptionally well all over the globe. A lot of Nigerian youths are doing so well outside the shores of this country, and even within the shores of Nigeria and the entire Africa as a whole. They haven’t been well celebrated in this country. We all need to come together, harness and set up a very formidable force form us to encourage one another, for us to project the youths of this country in a very positive light.
“So, I took it upon myself that come what may, we must celebrate them. From beginning of this week to the end of this week, we are celebrating the ones that have been selected. That are doing so very well in their various fields of endevour, and they are making very positive impact in the entire nation’s development.
“It is very important for us to know that the pioneers of our dear country and the entire continent of Africa; they were under the age of 40 majorly when the scramble for independence across the entire continent of Africa happened in the 50s and in the 60s.
“As the Ooni of Ife, the progenitor of the entire Yoruba race, to the glory of God, before I clocked the age of 40, God has helped me to achieve one or two things in life, and when I clocked 40, I ascended the thrones of my forebearers, and from my speech during my coronation I dedicated this throne to the youths of the entire continent of Africa, specifically Nigeria as a whole.”
He added that unfolding the maiden edition of the Royal African Young Leadership Forum (RAYLF) is an audacious mission of his peace and unity outreach.
