Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, has said he would devote the rest of his life to charity and service to humanity.
Adams, who spoke on Wednesday, a day to his 50th birthday, said he is dedicating the milestone to God and to the memory of those that have lost their lives to COVID-19.
In a statement by his special assistant on media, Kehinde Aderemi, the Yoruba leader said he would be focusing more on charity to the poor and the less privileged people in the society even as he promised to continually touch the lives of the people positively.
Adams, who marks his birthday annually with several activities including visits to motherless babies’ homes, informed also that Nigerians, especially from the South West, would begin to feel his impact through initiatives that would add value to their lives.
He explained further that the idea was to concentrate more on building the future of the people through skill acquisition programmes and human capacity development initiatives.
His words: “I am not getting younger.
“Attaining this glorious age is never by my power or might. It is simply by the special grace of God.
“God has been so wonderful to me and the rest of my family.
“Therefore, at 50, I think I need to do a lot more in enriching the lives of the poor people in the country.”
“As the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, it is important to look beyond the present situation in the country and see how we can be of help to people that have lost hope.
“It is wonderful putting smiles to the faces of several people through charity.
“It is quite interesting impacting people’s lives positively and that is exactly what I want to live my life for.”
Adams also reiterated the need for an egalitarian society, saying the challenge before Nigeria’s leadership is the struggle for a better society.
He urged the government to enhance social equality and equal rights for all and sundry, pointing out that social equality remains the nexus of an egalitarian society.
“We need to do our job at all times, playing the role of watchdogs to the government in the overall interest of the people.
“We need to tell our leaders the truth, especially on issues that have direct impact on the lives of the people.
“The way the health crisis of the Coronavirus global pandemic was managed in Nigeria as well as the attendant social and inequitable distribution of palliatives to the people, really exposed the failures of the government.
“It shows the level of our leaders’ insensitivity to the plights of the people and that is the reality of our situation,” he said.