The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeiye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, said the powers of traditional rulers are diminishing and that there is need for a constitutional review to give more power to Nigerian monarchs.
According to Oni, a situation where even local government chairmen have more power than traditional rulers is not good for Nigeria.
The traditional ruler, represented by Ooni Fegunwa of Ile Ife, Oba Adedile Adewole Solomon of Ifegunwa, during the 8th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Most Influential Awards (NMIA) organized by VGlamour Magazine in Abuja, He stated.
As traditional rulers, what we need to do is to review our constitution,” he said. We have a constitution that says the government has full power over the traditional rulers. There are provisions in the constitution that weaken the power of the king, so much so that even the chairpersons of local governments have power over the monarch. It should be reviewed,” he said.
On President Tinubu’s N27.5 trillion budget for 2024 submitted to the National Assembly, he said;
‘This budget is promising and I want you all to know that a lot is going to happen, things are going to get worse, and it is not going to be easy to come up with something good. It is a gradual process. The president we have now is doing so gradually. The Oni is close to the President, advising him, and what we are seeing now will make us all smile as time goes on, and by this time next year. The President is not a magician or a savior. We all know that it is not easy. If we try to be great, we will be condemned, but we must stay focused.”
Onifegunwa described Oni as a monarch who puts the interests of his people first.
Onifegunwa said of Oni, “His position is good, but his personality is important. Ooni is very simple. He is down to earth. Therefore, he knows what the people and the community need. Position is not important, but how close he is to the grassroots. The other day Oni told the MPs that they live in affluence and luxury, but how many of them could go to a town or village for a week? We kings can do it.
In other words, this is what Oni does. He is the one who gives alms to the people and helps the less fortunate. He spends 10 million Naira everyday. Many people come to him for help, and he sponsors many for them. Ife has a foundation and people from all over the country come to him for training and he pays them out of his own wallet. He also makes sure that our culture is revived, despite the fact that he is young and well-educated”.