Ahead of this year’s Olojo festival, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has begun a seven-day seclusion rite in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he offered prayers for the nation’s peace, progress, and unity.
The monarch also admonished relevant stakeholders, particularly the traditional rulers across the length and breadth of the Oduduwa race worldwide, to embrace unity as the only veritable tool for enhancing socioeconomic growth of the South West region.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by Oba Ogunwusi’s director of media and public affairs, Comrade Moses Olafare.Olojo Festival, meaning “the Day of the First Dawn” is celebrated to mark the day the Almighty created the earth.
It is one of the oldest and most respected cultural festivals in Oduduwa land, symbolising creation, renewal, and the spiritual authority of Ile-Ife as the cradle of mankind.
Olafare said Ooni prayed for Nigerians across all regions to experience divine blessings, healing, and national recovery, urging them “to embrace unity, peace, tolerance, and love for one another.”
While contending that without these values, the country would continue to struggle with division and underdevelopment, Oba Ogunwusi encouraged the citizenry to rise above ethnic and religious differences, stressing that Nigeria’s strength lies in its diversity.“ I am praying for Nigeria and for Nigerians. I seek God’s mercy upon this land. May we all experience peace, unity, progress, and the blessings of the Almighty.
To the sons and daughters of Oduduwa everywhere, I urge you: be peaceful, be united, and let us work together,” he said.
Ooni, who charged political leaders to act responsibly and govern with fairness, justice, and compassion, noted that no society thrives when its leaders ignore the cries of the masses.
The seven-day seclusion is a period of spiritual purification during which the Ooni abstains from public appearances and engages in meditation and prayer.
It is seen as a sacred responsibility that connects the monarch with the divine and his ancestors, enabling him to intercede for his subjects and the nation.
Traditionally, the seclusion period also prepares the monarch for the climax of the Olojo Festival, when he will appear wearing the sacred Aare crown, a relic believed to be the original crown of Oduduwa.During the festival’s climax, the Ooni leads processions, ancestral rites, and prayers at significant historical sites in Ile-Ife.
These rituals reaffirm the town’s place as the spiritual heart of the Yoruba people and unite indigenes and visitors in celebration of cultural pride and heritage.
