The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Chief Gani Adams has promised to bring together all political gladiators in the south west in order to bring massive development to the region.
He equally said traditional rulers and social cultural organisations must unite to brainstorm for the future of Yoruba race.
Adams, who spoke at the 5th World Congress of the Oodua Progressives Union (OPU) in Akure, Ondo state capital at the weekend said about 70 imminent individuals had been set up to serve as Aare Advisory Council.
Adams is the convener of OPU which is association of sons and daughters of Yoruba race in diaspora currently launched and in operation in eighty-four countries across the world.
“What we are trying to do now is to work together to unite our traditional rulers, political leaders, socio-cultural groups, in Yoruba land for a common goal.
”We are having 70 individuals to serve as Aare Advisory Council to ensure that will have amicable peace. They are not chiefs. They are people with integrity and intellectuals that have good antecedents. They are to work out modalities to achieve peace in our land,” Adams stated.
According to him, the annual OPU World Congress was about the future of the Yoruba race, through building a formidable economic blueprint, strong investment base and socio-cultural advancement among our sons and daughters who are adjourning in America, Europe, Northern America, Asia and other Africa countries.
“Our aims and objective is to promote our cultural identities and foster unity among the Yoruba race anywhere they live in the world by bringing them together at the annual event hosted at a state capital in the South West. The last congress was hosted in Absolutely, the Ogun State capital 2018“, he added.
Adams who also doubled as the national coordinator of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), declared that there are several tourist centers in the South West region that could enhance the economic life of the land, challenged governors in the six states to invest and develop tourist potentials in their states.
His words: “On several occasions, I never hide my feelings challenging all our governors, especially in the southwest to develop the tourist potentials of their various states. Many of you that stay in abroad can testify to this, you know how much you spend on visits to tourist and recreation sites.
“It may interests you to note that we have several tourists centres that are good enough to be turned to money spinning ventures for Nigeria as a country.”
The chairman of the planning committee of the World Congress, Sola Agboola remarked that this year event was designed to further expose members to rich and economic values of the tourist potentials in the South West, especially in Ondo State where the congress was held.
Agboola, who is the Northern America coordinator of OPU noted that members had resolved during the congress to invest more at home with the benefit of increasing the economy and education development of the region.
Earlier, the convener of OPU led delegates of the congress to pay a royal visit to the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi at the palace where the delegation paid homage to the traditional ruler and the Deji-in-Council.
While welcoming the Aare Onakakanfo and other members of OPU to Akure, the traditional ruler urged the visitors to feel at home and enjoy the rich cultural settings and home grown hospitality of Akure people and Ondo state as a whole.
The monarch hailed the convener of OPU for his forthright to bring the Yorubas in diaspora together as one union with the main objective of attracting more of their interest back home to their father’s land.
Oba Aladetoyinbo promised the convener and members total support of all the traditional rulers in Yoruba land whenever and whereever the need arises. decried divisions among monarchs in the region.
He urged other leading traditional rulers in the land, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Eniitan Ogunwusi and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi to lend their support to the Aare Onakakanfo to work together by uniting all traditional rulers in the region, saying there would not be development without unity.
