The first class monarch in Ondo State, made the declaration when he hosted the Ondo State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mr. Sam Amaramiro Pepple, in his palace.

The monarch said the NYSC scheme was a baby of the traditional institution and well valued because of the sensitive roles it is playing to integrate the citizens and residents into becoming an indivisible entity.

The Olowo described the ancient town as the land of peace, honour and tradition, just as he stated that Owo, the state of the town meant, Respect.

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The royal father said he wanted government at all levels to support NYSC, citing the enormity of its tasks and responsibilities.

He said the scheme deserved better funding.

The monarch said that the palace had become a second home for the successive NYSC coordinators in Ondo State, and promised to assist in whatever way his assistance would be required.

He noted that NYSC scheme was the best programme to have happened in Nigeria.

The king prayed for the success of the NYSC boss, and thanked the scheme for the tangible contributions of the members of the service corps to the society since its establishment 51 years ago.

The state coordinator, Mr. Sam Amaramiro Pepple, said that he had come to the palace to seek royal blessings and establish relationships just like his predecessors.

Pepple, while assuring the palace of his unwavering support, appealed to the monarch to continue to keep and enhance the strong tie he had established with the NYSC scheme in the state.

Pepple said that he would be looking forward to wise counsel, guidance and advice from the throne.

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The made the assertion on Monday when he delivered the lecture on Culture and Tradition of the Yorubas to the 2022 Batch ‘B’ (Stream II) prospective corps members at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State.

Oba Ogunoye implored Nigerians, especially the youths to go back to the virtues which made the country the toast of the world.

His words: “Nigerians are known for virtues such as honesty, hard work, industry and resilience to overcome all challenges but the trend wherein the present generation have resorted to cutting corners or engaging in sharp practices have debased those values and the results are what is pronounced in every facets of our life.”

“As youths that have been mobilised to serve the nation, you need to promote cultural awareness and pursue vigorously campaigns that will take us back to the glorious era when honesty was the hallmark,” he said.

He added: “In those days, if you purchased goods and agricultural products, you put a corresponding amount of money where you took those goods but reverse is the case today and I want to admonish you as leaders that will take over the administration of this country in the foreseeable future to reverse this trend for the benefit of all.”

The Olowo said that all hands must be on deck to prevent our culture and tradition from going into extinct.

“It has become worrisome that the younger generation are not as aggressive as our fathers in preserving our legacy but rather prefers to move with civilisation thus relegating our culture and tradition to the background.

“I want to let you know that no culture is superior to another but we need to preserve our cultural heritage so that the generations yet unborn will have identity to identify with in the comity of nations.

“Yorubas are distinct ethnic group in Nigeria today and our people cherish respect and greetings a lot. I want to advise you to accord them that respect and be humble, and if you do so, I am assuring you that you will enjoy your stay in their midst. We love visitors and strangers who will not deride our culture and those things we hold in high esteem and sacred.”

The monarch who retired as Permanent Secretary in the services of Ondo State Government said that Owo Kingdom was a land of honour and peace and one of the earliest kingdoms in the country.

“We have festivals that have international recognition and one of such is the Igogo festival which is celebrated with pomp and pageantry and people from all walks of life gather at the ancient Owo Kingdom to identify and celebrate with us,” he said.

Giving the historical perspective of the ancient kingdom, the king said that Owo Kingdom had a very strong link with Ile-Ife which is regarded as the cradle of the Yorubas.

He also expatiated on the  architecture, religion, politics, commerce, regalia, sculpture, dialect of the great people of Owo and enjoined the prospective corps members to study their host communities, integrate properly and settle down to the task of nation building.

The custodian of Owo heritage lauded the NYSC management for the establishment of Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, SAED, programme and encouraged the prospective and serving corps to embrace the intervention.

“You may not want to agree with me because majority of you want to work in offices but I want to charge you to take advantage of the SAED programme and learn one or two skills to make your future a guaranteed one. Agriculture is the way forward and any professional can make a lifetime living by subscribing to it and other subsets of SAED from the orientation camp and throughout the service year,” he said.

The event witnessed the performance of ‘Umoba Ologho’, the palace music troupe that is exclusively meant to entertain only the imperial majesty.

The State Coordinator, Mrs. Victoria Nnenna Ani eulogised the Olowo of Owo Kingdom for the rare honour he had bestowed upon the patriotic Nigerians by agreeing, and personally coming around to deliver the lecture supported by the Olowo in Council.

Ani informed the king that the prospective corps members had been disciplined and well behaved since they reported to camp six days ago.

The State Coordinator, while appealing to the corps participants to listen attentively and benefit from the words of wisdom of the king added that they should see and count themselves lucky to have the rare privilege of having in their midst a first class traditional ruler who participated in the scheme in Jigawa State to give them a lecture on Culture and Tradition of the Yoruba.

The monarch donated handsomely to support the camp activities while the prospective corps members presented gifts to him and the Olowo in Council.

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The monarch made the remark at his palace while fielding questions on the operations of the scheme in the last 47 years.

The royal father who started his mandatory one year service at Kazaure in Jigawa State before relocating to Oyo State said that corps members had improved the lives of people in all communities through impactful projects.

Oba Ogunoye said NYSC was the best thing to happen to Nigeria as it had brought peaceful co-existence and erased the misconceptions and mutual distrust palpable in the land after the civil war.

“NYSC has made interaction between people from different cultural backgrounds and ethnics possible. The language barriers have been done away with.

“It is a common knowledge that some corps members after their service year remained in the state of deployment and establish various businesses or take up paid employment.

“Also, some corps members from different geopolitical zones decide to establish relationship which develop and blossom into marriage thus uniting people of different backgrounds.”

The traditional ruler while assessing the scheme posited that corps employers should desist from rejecting the services of corps members on national service.

“One of the worrisome and unpleasant attitudes of corps employers is the rejection of corps members’ services. By doing so, you are indirectly telling them they are not welcome in your community which will definitely dampen their morale.

“When I was in the active service before ascending the throne of my forefathers, I made it a point of duty not to reject corps members and whenever I was privileged to know that some were rejected, I ensured that we fixed them up.

“By not rejecting their services, the patriotic Nigerian youths from all parts of the country will give their best to build their various communities which invariably will translate to a better society.”

The royal father said he believed that Nigerian youths would be better leaders if the right atmosphere was created for them.

“Corps members are doing well in various sectors of the economy they are posted to. In the healthcare services, they are complementing in the area of primary healthcare while those who are posted to education and agricultural sectors are in the forefront of changing for the better the face of those sectors.”

The lawyer and administrator who ascended the throne last year called on all stakeholders to ensure that security and welfare of corps members were treated as utmost priority.

“We should treat the corps members as our sons and daughters because many of them are visiting the states of deployment for the first time and the manner we protect them will go a long way to influence them to want to stay after service.”

He advised the members of the service corps to integrate with their host communities and see their deployment as a divine arrangement.

“To my children in the national service and the prospective ones, see your deployment as a divine arrangement and settle down to contribute your meaningful quota without fear or trepidation.

“On the final analysis, I want you to eschew negative tendencies such as drug addiction, cyber crimes or fraudulent activities which will automatically truncate your dream in life. You have a lot to offer and I want you to remain focused so that you can remain good ambassadors of not only NYSC but your respective families as well as your state of origin.”

In her brief remarks, the NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs. Grace Akpabio, appreciated the monarch for remaining a treasured mentor to the corps members posted to Ondo State.

Akpabio explained that his commitment to the security and welfare of corps members stood him out, hence his selection to assess the laudable scheme.

The NYSC boss prayed for the wisdom of God which surpassed all human understanding to adjudicate on matters affecting his subjects and perfect health to administer his kingdom.

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The newly crowned monarch made the assertion when played host to the Ondo State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs. Grace Akpabio, and her management team.

The monarch opined that the establishment of the laudable scheme had eroded the primordial knowledge and beliefs which made one ethnic group to suspect the other.

According to the Olowo of Owo, NYSC over the years, had  encouraged social and cultural integration which he said was the basis on which suspicion had given way to mutual trust.

He said those who observed the mandatory one year service in a particular state and community were staying back to contribute meaningfully to the development of their second home.

“NYSC has remained the only catalyst that has made it possible for citizens of this country to see themselves as one indivisible entity. You can imagine how the programme has promoted inter tribal marriages thus fostering the much anticipated national unity.

“I want to inform this gathering that the coming together of graduate youths from different ethnic groups and backgrounds to contribute to the overall development of this nation has great influence on our being as no ethnic group can operate as an island.”

Oba Ogunoye who is a lawyer by training promised to use his position to attract development to NYSC in Ondo State.

“The corps members are doing great in all the communities they are posted and as a custodian of people within the Kingdom, we shall do the needful within the ambit of the law to provide at all times, a conducive environment for them to function effectively.

“I will liaise with the relevant security agencies within the local government, notably the Police, Department of State Security, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as well as local vigilance group to monitor and secure the corps members in my Kingdom”.

The retired career civil servant who rose to the peak as Permanent Secretary before ascending the throne of his forefathers acknowledged that corps members were germane to the development the country desired.

The retired Permanent Secretary promised to liaise with the Chief Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre, Owo, to provide a more befitting accommodation and ensure adequate security for corps members serving with the institution.

The king, while thanking the state coordinator for coming with her management team and the corps members to felicitate with him on his coronation announced that the corps members should see the palace as their home.

“I want to thank the state coordinator who has always acceded to my request for corps members when I was in the Civil Service, a very accommodating and detribalised Nigerian who is making waves with the development she is daily bringing to NYSC in the Sunshine State.”

Speaking earlier, the state coordinator, Mrs. Grace Akpabio felicitated with the Olowo on his ascension to the throne of his forefathers and prayed that his reign shall be peaceful like that of his ancestors.

The state coordinator appealed to the royal father to use his position in the state to influence the establishment of NYSC Local Government Committee in all the Councils in the state as all previous efforts had not yielded any positive result.

Akpabio used the opportunity of the visit to present to the traditional ruler the sketch of the house plan for the Corpers Lodge prepared by the corps members serving in Owo Council area for a befitting accommodation as the present arrangement is said to be grossly inadequate for one of the highest corps employers in the state.

The coordinator was accompanied to the palace by Assistant Directors in charge of Corps Monitoring and Inspection; Corps Discipline and Reward; Human Resource Management and some representatives of corps members serving in the ancient town.

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The governor’s message follows reports he received from one of the Senior Omolowos (kingmakers), Chief Jamiu Ekungba on the outcome of the selection process which, according to him, was peaceful, democratic and procedural in line with the customs and tradition guiding the selection of an Olowo.

According to a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Donald Ojogo, the governor said even as the state government awaited a formal communication from the kingmakers as required by law, he was enamoured by the peaceful conduct that heralded the emergence of the Olowo-elect.

Specifically, Governor Akeredolu commended the peaceful manner in which the selection processes went since they began.

This, according to him, posited an enviable narrative that had dwarfed the needless tension which enveloped the ancient city of Owo since the commencement of the selection processes.

He said it was therefore apposite to submit that the ingenious democratic template enunciated by the kingmakers had produced the choice of Owo indigenes as demonstrated by the outcome of the selection.

The governor said he considered that as highly commendable and an enduring legacy for Owo kingdom.

While wishing Prince Ogunoye God’s wisdom and grace as he prepared to ascend the throne of his fore-bearers, Akeredolu appealed to the Olowo-elect to unite all sons and daughters of Owo kingdom.

He particularly enjoined Ogunoye to extend hands of fellowship to other contenders to the ancient throne before his emergence.

He said as Owo kingdom awaited the traditional rites that would culminate in the final coronation of the Olowo-elect, the governor said he was optimistic that Owo indigenes would take maximum advantage of the moment of fresh breath and savour the peaceful ambience that had berthed in the kingdom.

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Ogunoye got 14 votes out of the 15 votes cast by the 15 senior Omolowos who have the sole responsibility to select the king for the ancient town in an election conducted by officials of the local government.

Ogunoye is from Ogunoye ruling house of the town.

In his appreciation speech, the Olowo-designate, who lauded the electoral process, promised to preserve and promote the customs and traditions of the town.

Promising a clear departure from the past, Ogunoye gave an assurance that peace would reign during his era and all contentions would be resolved.

He asked for the collaboration of other contestants  to make Owo town great.

Also speaking,  Oba Kofoworola Oladoyinbo, the Ojomuluda of Ijebu-Owo, urged the Olowo-designate to conduct himself as befitting his current status.

Oladoyinbo also urged him to caution his supporters against displaying excessive exuberance so as not to promote violence, adding that he must be magnanimous in victory.

He said other princes who contested were also qualified to be king, urging him to collaborate with them in developing the community.

Source:  NAN

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He described the death of the king as a big loss to Nigeria at a time the nation’s leadership needed wise counsel and experience to solve the various problems confronting her.

He described late Oba Olagbegi as a humane monarch who contributed immensely to the development of Owo in particular, Ondo State and Nigeria, in general.

Saraki, in statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that the late royal father would be remembered for his peaceful disposition and the  leadership he provided in the education sector.

He stated that the legacies of hardwork, integrity and patience the late monarch left in the Nigeria Law School where he rose through the ranks to become the Director General would remain a reference point for a long time.

Saraki said: “The Olowo of Owo was one traditional ruler whose impact extended far beyond his domain. His contributions to the development of tertiary institutions in the country as chancellor of the Universities of Benin, Abuja and Jos respectively at various times during his lifetime speak volume.

“His demise is a colossal loss to the country in particular and humanity in general. He shall be dearly missed.

“Even before ascending the throne of his forefathers, Oba Olagbegi was an epitome of royalty, calm, full of wisdom and dignity personified,” Saraki stated.

He commiserated with the immediate family of the deceased, the Olowo-In-Council, and the people and government of Ondo State over the irreparable loss.

He prayed God to grant the soul of the deceased eternal peace and his family and loved ones the fortitude to bear the loss.

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