Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has extended his “best wishes” to Nigerians around the world in his New Year message posted on Instagram.
He said, “I welcome you all to the dawn of a new year and extend my best wishes to all your families, communities, and Nigerians throughout the world. The celebration of the year 2022 is a fantastic reminder of our joint invaluable efforts in combating the wildfire of the COVID-19 pandemic and all of its variants.
“Despite the stories of uncertainty that frustratingly affected our socioeconomic space and pushed many vulnerable small and medium-sized businesses to their knees, we must stay hopeful for a better year ahead.
“Indeed, we may not be able to comprehend the conscientious efforts of our frontline medical practitioners, the most painful moments of losing a loved one to the infections, or the discouraging challenges that our education had to adjust to, through it all, we must pay a special tribute to our collective bond, significant adaptation to the world of technology and innovation culture that is being driven by our ingenious young generation, and our incredible trust in our faith in Olódùmarè as the ultimate giver and preserver of life.”
The Ooni, who was silent about his wife Olori Naomi, added that the advent of 2022 must be celebrated with “remarkable confidence and hope for a better year ahead.”
“Our ambition as a nation should be to extend hope through our actions to those facing the most difficult and perilous conditions at the moment. While we proactively offer transformational support to various sectors of our economy most especially the less privileged in our communities, it is noble to recognise that we are one body in diversity,” he said.
Olori Naomi had on December 23 announced on Instagram her separation from the king, saying his public image was at variance with his “true self.”