The Arole Oduduwa & Ooni of ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, on Friday awarded one hundred Nigerian youth leaders who are doing well in their various endeavours including Seyi Awolowo and Bello Shagari who are grandsons of former Premier of the old Western region Chief Obafemi Awolowo and former Nigerian president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari respectively.
While addressing the cheering crowd gathered at the Oduduwa hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife to witness the event called Royal African Young Leadership Forum, an initiative created by the Yoruba overall king to celebrate exceptional Nigerian youths selected from across the country, the Ooni explained that the young population remains the major catalyst in boosting the economic growth of the country and indeed the continent of Africa. “Africa has one of the world’s young populations with stimulating depth of human capacity and arrays of entrepreneurial relentless spirit, new dreams, unquenchable energies and ambitions. “The united voices of millions of young populations in Nigeria and across Africa will certainly contribute solutions through their own ingenuities that would help in painting a picture of what they want for themselves, the future generations and the continent. “I am proud of the successes been recorded by our youths despite of the challenges, I hereby identify with them and I pledge to assist them to record more wins with the throne of Oduduwa.” The Ooni noted.
In his address, the Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare boasted that Nigeria has a brighter future especially with the immeasurable qualities possessed by the Nigerian youths. “This programme by the Ooni validates the fact that the traditional institution and other structures in the larger Nigerian system have a great role to play in creating the country of our dream. If you carefully look at the class of youths being honoured here today, you will agree with me that our youths are worthy leaders.
