New Year Mesasge: Ooni charges youths to see themselves as today’s leaders

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II), on Sunday night tasked Nigerian youths not to accept the notion or common statement that they are the leaders of tomorrow, saying they see themselves as leaders of today by being actively involved in concerted efforts, targeted at moving the nation forward on the progressive path to greatness.


He maintained that the popular saying that popular saying “leaders of tomorrow is a cloak of perpetual social bondage that must be rejected in 2018 as youths are globally taking over leadership position globally.”

In a New Year message endorsed by his director of media and public affairs, Comrade Moses Olafare which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Sunday, Oba Ogunwusi also symphatised and prayed for President Muhammadu Buhari over the health challenges of his son, who was recently involved in a motorbike accident in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

According to the message, “I share the feelings of Mr President and family at this present moment in respect of the health situation of their son, who had motorbike accident recently. May the Almighty Allah grant Yusuff Buhari quickest recovery and continue to uphold Mr President as he leads Nigerian into the new year 2018, which is going to be the year of gargantuan restoration for our dear country.”

The message reads, “Nigerian youths must free themselves from the cloak of leaders od tomorrow. Youths are taking over public leadership alleged over the world and Nigeria must not be an exception, but the truth is that the field cannot just be easily vacated by the elders. The Nigerian youths themselves must begin to get more actively especially in politics should they want to be taken seriously.”

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada is 45, Emmanuel Macron of France is 40, Kim Jong Un of North Korea is 35, Jacinda Ardem of New Zealand is 37 while the Prime Minister of Estonia, Juri Ratas is just 39. It is thus very saddening to see Nigerians even in their 40s and 50s still contesting for youth leadership in their various political parties and always begging for adequate involvement in public positions of authority when they should rather see themselves as unavoidable power bloc for stability and sustainability of Nigeria economically and politically.”

“The co-chairman of National Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria admonished Christians in the country to always emulate Jesus Christ in their co-existence with members of other religions, saying Jesus lived an exemplary life of tolerance, peace, love and forgiveness.”