.Economic crisis test from God, says Tinubu Support Organisation
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has called for constitutional review to give more powers to traditional rulers in the country.
The monarch also pleaded with Nigerians to be more patient with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying that the President is not a magician or is he a messiah.
He made the call at the eight anniversary of the Nigeria Most Influential Awards (NMIW) organised by Vglamour magazine, at the weekend, in Abuja.
Ooni, who was represented by Onifegunwa of Ifegunwa in Ile-Ife, Oba Adedire Adewole Solomon, described the 2024 budget presented to the National Assembly by the President as a promising one.
“The budget is a promising one and I want everyone to know that things are so bad and it is not easy to bring up good things. It is a gradual process. The President we have now is doing it gradually. The President is not a magician or a messiah. We all know that it is not easy. If you are going to be great, you will be chastised but you have to remain focused,” he said.
Ooni, who lamented that a situation where even a council chairman is more powerful than the monarch does not augur well for the country, said: “What we need as traditional rulers is that the constitution must be reviewed. There is a clause in the constitution that makes the traditional ruler less powerful to the extent that even a local council chairman has power over a monarch. It is not done. There should be a review.”
He, therefore, urged politicians to move closer to the grassroots, adding that every humanitarian deed has a reward.
Meanwhile, Founder and National Coordinator of Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO), Aminu Suleiman, re-echoed Ooni’s plea with Nigerians to exercise patience with the President.
Suleiman, who described the current economic crisis as a test from God, called on Nigerians to pray for their leaders.
Suleiman said: “We are among the first people that began the journey with the current President because we all know his capacity. We just need Nigerians to exercise patience with him because he met a lot of challenges.
“Everyone knows that insecurity and many things are going on. Insecurity is a major problem because without a secure environment, you won’t be able to do many things. I think he is going to tackle security first and other things will follow. We can’t blame anyone for this. It is from God.”
On her part, Publisher of VGlamour magazine, Vivian Lam, said the awards were designed to honour excellence, innovation, and purposeful leadership across all various sectors in Nigeria.
She said the awardees had in the past used their influence to stand in the gap between the government and the people while also impacting individuals, youths, women and children, adding that the process of picking winners was rigorous but highly transparent.
