I stand before you to present His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeyè Eniitàn Babatunde Akandé Ògúnwusi, Ojajá II, Qoni of the Ife and Arole Odùduwà for the conferment of the Degree of Doctor of Letters, Honors Causa of this foremost citadel of learning and culture.
Chancellor Sir, I must confess that it was with great trepidation that I accepted this daunting assignment to be the public orator charged with the responsibility of presenting the citation of the Àrolé Oduduwa before the magnificent assembly gathered in this not less emblematic chamber eloquently baptized as Odùduwà Hall.
The reason is not far-fetched, your excellencies! Here I am, a common mortal, with no antecedent credential as a certified arókin, yet elected to speak, nay! recite the citation of an immortal, daring, so to say, in the strictest British tradition required by this kind of ritual, to order the Aróle Odùduwà, the Olofin Adimúlà, Olóri Aládé himself to "stand and remain standing"! while I present him to the whole world for this award.
Ha! Chancellor Sir, ìṣe ńlá lẹ ránmi o! (what you have given me is a daunting task!). I take courage however, in the nobility of the cause at hand, and I embrace with gratitude the honour done to me as the one entrusted with such a mission. I therefore stand ready. Distinguished Chancellor, béèni, mosetán latijisé oba!. So, here I go my Lords...
Any unwary chronicler may assume that Qoni Adeyeyè Ogunwusi only attained national and international fame and recognition after he ascended the revered throne of Ooni as the custodian of the House of Oduduwa, but alas, such an assumption would be far from the truth. As his biography reveals and his biological sire Omo-Oba Oluropo Ogunwusi always affirms, Qoni Adeyeye was born into greatness as someone predestined to be great. This is eloquently attested to by the names and attributes he was given at birth as we intend to expound presently.
Born to the family of Prince Oluropo and Madam Wuraola Ogunwusi of the Giesi Royal House, Agbédégbede Compound in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba race, his family history reveals that his birth had been predicted long before he was conceived. Even as the fifth child in a family of seven, his birth circumstances warranted that he be named Enitàn (child of history).
Babatunde (the sire has returned). And no other could have predicted what sort of history the new arrival would represent better than his royal grandfather himself who named the newbom Adeyeye, meaning in the deepest assonance of Ile-Ifè idiom Ile-Ife idiom Ooni ko déin-loo-yeo-löyè-ooba (this new arrival is the one who befits the throne) thus pronouncing him spontaneously and simultaneously the de facto and de jure Prince Héritie and Heir Appareil to the crown that belongs to the Gièsi Ruling House.
Being a veteran broadcaster with the Oyo State Broadcasting Corporation fossul, young Prince Adèyeye spent his early years in Ibadan where he had his education up to the Polytechnic level. His passion for Ajé Ogúngúnniso made him study accounting, and, within years of his graduation, he quickly found his way to become a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. Con Ogúnwüsi is not only a Chartered Account, he is also a certified Technical Accontant.
Another passion of his being estate development, the future Arolé Oduduwa in his career days ventured into and invested in real estate, becoming along the line a member of the Global Real Estate Institute apart from being a certified member of the Institute of Directors, a testimony to his talent at managing people resources.
An accomplished Estate Magnate, even as a oung prince already had to his credit numerous developmental projects in many great cities of Nigeria and beyond. Today, his beloved people of Ile-Ife have benefitted immensely from this particular professional and entrepreneurial acumen of their king through the creation of a world-class estate facility aptly named The Ife Grand Resorts and Industrial Park, first of its kind in this part of our land.
Those were the impressive credentials that the well-travelled, rich and charming Prince Ogúnwüsi brought along when, through the unanimous consent of Olódúmare and the Irúnmolès, he was informed by the oracles of the land that the destiny of leading his people has devolved on his young shoulders.
After a rigorous selection process under strict adherence to the ageless traditions of Ile-Ife, the then Prince Adeyeye Ogunwusi was proclaimed by the revered college of Ife kingmakers on 26" October 2015 as the Oòni-elect. And, having completed to the delight of all and satisfaction of the ancestors every prescribed rite of the land, he was duly crowned as the 51"Ooni of Ifè on 26th October 2016 at the young age of 41.
Young, strong, dedicated, dynamic, wise and visionary. Ooni Adeyeyè Eniitan Babátunde Akande Ögúnwüsi, Ojájá Il instantly became the darling of his generation who see in him an exemplary personality endowed with the divine attributes of royalty. His achievements so far as a First-Class king and the recognised spiritual father of the Yoruba nation worldwide are directly connected to his personal von deep conviction and innate understanding of his role as the Arole Oduduwa.
On ascending the throne of the Qoni, one of the very first official acts of the new mont was the creation of the House of Oduduwa Foundation, a royal directly connected to the throne of the Ooni with the objective of promoting the cultural economic, religious, social and political interests and wellbeing of the entire Yoruba nation and the Nigerian polity at large.
As an astute and experienced technical accountant and captain of industry. Ooni Ogunwusi has, in the course of the first five years of his glorious and peaceful reign, been able to deploy his acumen toward the overall uplifting of the Yoruba and Nigeria societies through great and outstanding cultural, social and economic projects initiated and executed in collaboration with recognised and competent Institutions and corporate bodies, including the Obafemi Awolowo University with which the House of Oduduwa Foundation signed one of its first Memoranda of Understanding, midwifed by our own Institute of Cultural Studies (llé-Irunmolé) within the existing Town and Gown Policy of this University.
Major outstanding initiatives and projects sponsored by Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi through the House of Oduduwa Foundation have brought significant improvement to the quality of life of the people of Ile-Ife and its environs as well as the larger regional and national polity as a whole, with timely, coordinated and effective interventions.
Today, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi's notable achievements can be listed in areas as diverse as peace and nation building efforts, promotion of industrialisation and empowerment of the teeming youth, most especially, the female population of Ile-Ife, promotion of a renewed and intense tourism inflow to Ile-Ife through physical and institutional upgrading and rebranding of traditional festivals of the okánlenirinwó irunmole (401 deities) who make up the rich Yoruba pantheon such as Olojo, Edi, Ajé, Òsáárá, Obàtálá, Obalüfon, Yemóó, Olokún, Ifá, etc.
Other areas of direct intervention of the Qoni include the restoration and uplifting of Ife monuments and sacred groves as well the celebration of traditional Ifèò heroes and heroines such as Ogún, Oranmiyàn, Oramfè-Onile-Ina, and the legendary Mórèmi Ajáasoro whose imposing statue at the new thematic park in Okèrèwè, inaugurated In 2018, now rivals the American Statue of Liberty.
Qoni Ögúnwüsi has also deployed his extraordinary talent and vision through a notable investment of his enviable energy and resources toward the creation of an enabling environment for a successful re-launch of tourism, trade and general growth and goodwill, not only in Ile-Ife, but also in the entire region.
By so doing. Ooni Ogunwusi has been able to gradually transform Ile-Ife into a formidable contender for the of local, national, regional and international tourists, thereby attracting a renewed visibility and positive notoriety to the town, with a lot of it robbing off on the University community as well. One of the most irrefutable p e proofs sof Ooni Ogunwusi's commitment to the preservation, promotion and development of Yoruba Art, Culture and Civilisation is the recent launch of the Casa da Herança de Oduduwa (House of Oduduwa Heritage) Rio de Janeiro in far away Brazil as a critical Yorubá cultural outpost institution equipped with a world-class virtual museum.
Furthermore, the OJAJA TV, initiated by the Ooni in 2015, and operating in diverse locations of the Yoruba-speaking regions as well as in distant diaspora locations. including Benin and Brazil, also stands as a constant testimony to the Qoni's commitment to culture, thereby making him a worthy partner to our University whose well-respected and globally articulated motto is "For Learning and Culture.
A royal diplomat per excellence, and a resourceful philosopher-king who is very passionate about the preservation of the age long Yoruba history, culture and traditions, Ooni Ogunwusi has restored great respect to the institution of obaship as the keji-brisa endowed with semi-divine powers to advocate for the people, making of self their mediator with the different tiers of government.
As the legitimate father leadership quality with an unalloyed commitment to the general well being of the the Yoruba people, Ogni Ogunwust has been able to demonstrate a sterling land through his timely engagement with issues of great and grave consequences for the entire population, deploying, where necessary, both physical and metaphysical mechanisms and approaches to issues and problems confronting the entire populace as was amply demonstrated in his various initiatives and effective intervention at local, state, regional and national levels during the peak of the dreaded COVID-19 global pandemic.
Ooni Ogunwusi is also a renowned philanthropist who is committed to improving the lot of the less-privileged in our society. Through the House of Oduduwa Foundations well as his recently-created Hopes Alive Initiative (HAI), the Ooni has empowered numberless individuals via direct employment projects such as the Adire Oòdua Textile Hub where free training is available to anyone interested in learning the secrets the traditional art touch of modernity
Chancellor sir, although this is not the first Honorary Doctorate Degree to be conferred on Ooni Ogunwüsi, the Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causay that is about to be awarded to the Oòni under your hands this day comes with a historic label. Let me explain better Sir. Today, Ooni Adėyeyê Enlitan Babatunde Akande Ögünwüsi will join the exalted rank of his predecessors-Ooni of Ife to be awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa of this great University.
Sir may 1, in essence, crave your indulgence to remind this august assembly that this same honour was accorded to Ooni Adesoji Tadenikawo Ayinlà Aderemi during the 1" Convocation Ceremony of the then University of Ife in 1967 while his successor, Qoni Okunade Sijúwadé, Olubúse ll, was equally so honoured in 1986. Our collective act today is therefore a historic fulfilment of our avowed vocation as a university that conjugates knowledge with tradition.
Chancellor Sir, because this is an unusual moment when we honour an unusual personality, permit me to break, or at least, bend a bit, the established protocol as ritually mandated at an oc ike this. This is because I have a message for my king and it can only be delivered to him in poetic form as dictated by our celebrated culture:
Kábiyesi! Lésinmoongùn Qoni! O kuoriiré oni o! Akandeôléwa-lowó, Ojájafidiote jalë. Aláse Orisa Okeleyin Moore! Qonitiigòkè Esinminrin kówi eruusègi mi pahun! Otitiarin-kilèómi, Olóri Aládé!...as the ageless teachings of our mothers always drum it into our consciousness since our most tender age, the merit of the messenger is confirmed only in the quality of the message, therefore Kabiyesi Alase, permit me to declare at this point the accomplishment of my mission here by singing to you in the language of our Ifè progenitors: "Ooniránniñsé náájábòó hàn, oòniránniñse naajabo hàn, Qonii tànàbò re monré o è!".
That done, my Lords, spiritual and temporal, I can now acquit myself of the final and most delectable part of my duty here today.
Most distinguished Chancellor Sir, as I take my bow from this podium while the royal awardee steps forward to receive a well-deserved accolade, it is my utmost pleasure to present before you a great man, a passionate citizen, a compassionate king dedicated leader, a proud scion of Oduduwà, the visionary progeny of the Yoruba nation, the 401 "Irunmoolèò of the Yorùbá pantheon His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Eniitan Babatunde Akándé Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife, and Arole Odùduwà, for the conferment of the Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) of this great University.
Professor Félix Ayoh'OMIDIRE Professor of Yoruba Diaspora, Brazilian and Afro Latin American Studies, Director, Institute of Cultural Studies (lle-Irunmolé), OAU
11th December 2021
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