The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi has justified youths’ anger and hunger, proffering training, mentorship and other empowerment initiatives as recipes.
Ooni said hunger triggered youths’ anger and the only way to get them out of the anger is to continue to empower them.
The monarch stated this during the commencement of his fifth-year coronation anniversary and graduation of Ojaja II Fashion Training Institute (OFTI) students in Ile-Ife.
“In line with the celebration of my 5th year on the throne, I have mapped out plans to empower 5,000 youths to be financially independent and be able to feed others.
“I hereby call on Nigerian leaders, political, traditional and religious leaders to know that it is now a necessity to empower the youths. Out of our earnings, let us dedicate part to the empowerment of youths in our areas. We must consider this as a necessity and what should be done on a regular basis.
“We just had a sample of youth restiveness and it should be a lesson to all of us that nobody can handle their anger, so it is about time that we know that it is unwise to keep money in the bank while the needy continue to wallow in poverty,” he said.
Speaking on whether constitutional roles should be assigned to traditional rulers, Ooni explained that such would hasten Nigeria’s journey to prosperity, as traditional rulers remained the closest to the people.
“We were with President Muhammadu Buhari two weeks ago and the issue was discussed and we are making progress. We have roles to play, we are not competing with them and I believe that we shall get there.” The Ooni added.
At the event, 65 youths who successfully completed their trainings as fashion designers were empowered with instruments and equipment procured by the Ooni, with support from the International Breweries, Ilesa and other partners.
On behalf of the beneficiaries, Comfort Adebisi thanked the Ooni for the gift of new working equipment and the training which she described as the best.
Similarly, some victims of human trafficking, 55 in number, who were repatriated from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Omar and other parts of the world stormed the palace to thank the monarch for giving them a new life.
