The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has requested constitutional review in order to accord more powers to monarchs in the country.
According to Guardian, Ooni made the call at the eight anniversary of the Nigeria Most Influential Awards organised by Vglamour magazine, at the weekend, in Abuja.
The revered monarch equally urged Nigerians to be more patient with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, adding that the Tinubu is not a magician or is he a messiah.
Ooni, represented by Onifegunwa of Ifegunwa in Ile-Ife, Oba Adedire Adewole Solomon, described the 2024 budget presented to the National Assembly by the President as a promising one.
“The budget is a promising one and I want everyone to know that things are so bad and it is not easy to bring up good things. It is a gradual process. The President we have now is doing it gradually. The President is not a magician or a messiah. We all know that it is not easy. If you are going to be great, you will be chastised but you have to remain focused,” he said.
While bemoaning that a situation where even a council chairman is more powerful than the monarch does not augur well for the country, Ooni said, “What we need as traditional rulers is that the constitution must be reviewed. There is a clause in the constitution that makes the traditional ruler less powerful to the extent that even a local council chairman has power over a monarch. It is not done. There should be a review.”
He then called on politicians to move closer to the grassroots, adding that every humanitarian deed has a reward.
Meanwhile, Founder and National Coordinator of Tinubu Support Organisation, Aminu Suleiman, backed Ooni’s plea with Nigerians to exercise patience with the President.
Suleiman described the current economic crisis as a test from God, urging Nigerians to pray for their leaders.
He said, “We are among the first people that began the journey with the current President because we all know his capacity. We just need Nigerians to exercise patience with him because he met a lot of challenges.
“Everyone knows that insecurity and many things are going on. Insecurity is a major problem because without a secure environment, you won’t be able to do many things. I think he is going to tackle security first and other things will follow. We can’t blame anyone for this. It is from God.”
The Publisher of VGlamour magazine, Vivian Lam, also disclosed that the awards were designed to honour excellence, innovation, and purposeful leadership across all various sectors in Nigeria.
She said the awardees had in the past used their influence to stand in the gap between the government and the people while also impacting individuals, youths, women and children, adding that the process of picking winners was rigorous but highly transparent.
