IBADAN—THE Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Saturday in Ile-Ife tasked the Yoruba on the need to pull their resources together for the development of their cities and towns. Oba Sijuwade on the occasion of the launching of the N500 million Ife Industrialization Fund and this year's Ife day celebration said that with the situation of things in the country government alone could no longer meet the aspirations of the masses.
According to him, this year's Ife Day Celebration is unique and different from the previous celebrations. "It is unique because the Ife Development Board came to me and asked for my blessing to organize this event and they said that they don’t want me to trouble myself looking for who will come and donate for the town".
Oba Sijuwade remarked that the board said that they would be responsible for all the people especially Ife indigenes who will donate money for the industrialization of Ife and since Friday at the Gala night, Ifes have been donating money for the development of the ancient city.
Said he: "We shall follow this pattern in subsequent Ife Day celebrations. What is happening here today is an indication that Ifes can shoulder their responsibility. So I want other Yoruba sons and daughters to contribute to the development of their own areas."
Oba Sijuwade who thanked all those who made donations to the Ife Appeal Fund said that by next year, Ife would have witnessed a lot of transformation in terms of small and medium scale industries. The monarch assured all the donors that their contributions will not be diverted to private pockets, adding that all the members of the committee are men and women of proven integrity while at the same time he promised that money collected will be judiciously used.
Oba Sijuwade who announced a donation of N10million on behalf of traditional rulers in Ife division said that as a way of monitoring the usage of the donations, the Obas in the area have agreed that their pledge should be paid on monthly basis and this will be based on the progress on each of the project established by the Ife industrialization committee.
In his welcome address, the President of Ife Development Board, Prince Adeyemo said that the board was raising the fund as part of measures to create employment opportunities for the youths in Ife land. "We want to cater for our youths.
You all know that devil plays with idle hands. With the support of God and you all, we want to put something in place to engage the youth of Ife land and ensure that they contribute to the development of their own community and at the same time be good citizens.
According to him, "peace has returned to Ile-Ife, the cradle of mankind. Children go to schools unmolested. Workers resume without hitch. Traders and other business people earn their living. The good times are here again."
"But for the good times to endure, we need to empower the youth to dream great dreams, maximize their potentials and mobilize resources to replenish the lost prosperity of a great historic city and make Yorubas happy again. This is why we have invited you here today to be part of our effort at reviving industry and energizing our community for enterprises", Prince Adeyemo said.
