Oba Adesoji Aderemi: Aregbesola extols late Ooni of Ife 40 years after demise
- 40 years after his demise, the indelible memories of Oba Adesoji Aderemi have been overwhelmingly extolled
- Celebrating the late Yoruba monarch, interior minister Rauf Aregbesola described Oba Aderemi as a philosopher and legendary king who touched lives
- The late Ooni of Ife was the first and only educated Yoruba monarch to mount the royal stool and also rule as Nigerian governor at the same time
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Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior and former governor of Osun state, has canonised the memories of Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the late Ooni of Ife who also served as the governor of Nigeria's old western region.
Writing through his Twitter handle on Sunday, July 5, in celebration of the legendary king who died 40 years ago, Aregbesola showered a flurry of encomiums of the personalities of Aderemi, saying "memory of him has continued to be sweet, melodious and good."
"He was born in 1889 into a unique milieu in history. The Yoruba nation had just emerged from a ruinous civil war and in the throes of colonialism. It was also an era of the spread of Western education.
"He was the first educated person to be crowned king in Ife and perhaps the youngest among his contemporaries.
"Fate therefore positioned him to play a critical role in the emerging world of transition from the ancient to modernity, not just in Ife, but throughout the West," Aregbesola said.
Source: UGC
The minister also praised the late monarch for his philosophical wisdom and his enviable academic success.
According to him, Oba Aderemi was a knowledgeable king who did not mix political rulership with kingship and that greatly helped him to contribute excessively towards the development of education in Nigeria alongside Cheif Obafemi Awolowo.
"Oba Adesoji fitted this bill in all respects. He was a philosopher who became king and a king who ruled like a philosopher.
"One remarkable aspect of his reign was his association with Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Their iron sharpened iron, producing an explosive era of wisdom, maturity and people-centred leadership, not just in Ife but throughout the region and their sphere of influence.
"He reigned for 50 years from 1930 till 1980 and left indelible legacies in three areas. The first was in education. He knew the value of education and so personally championed education development in his domain. On account of this, he largely, if not singlehandedly, spearheaded the established of Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife," the minister also added.
Oba Aderemi died on July 3, 1980, leaving his footprints on the sands of time.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has commended a Nigerian man based in Japan for presenting a good image of the country abroad.
Presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, conveyed the Nigerian leader's good words and warm greetings to Ikenna Nweke in a tweet on Saturday, July 4.
According to the tweet, President Buhari is elated that Nweke returned a missing wallet and also turned down a reward from the Japanese authorities.
Airport cleaner who returned millions gets new apartment | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
