The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has said there are many ways local resources can be used to develop economies of towns and communities to galvanise the larger economy.
Speaking with newsmen, explained that he had begun activities to show how local resources could transform the economy of Ile-Ife through manufacturing of equipment and creation of services to empower locals and attract people to the ancient town.
According to the monarch, he would use enough natural and human resources to create employment and promote local resources and talents.
Explaining his three-prong approach, he said: “Socially, we need to bring modernity to our social activities to the level that they will attract people to Ife. We need to blend the two properly in our vision for the new Ife in the age of social media. We have been trying to work on that and we have not lost focus of the values of our tradition; we are not going to lose that.
“We will blend it with the recent social norm and it will start from the area of social media; we will let people see things. The second one is the economic aspect of our development. I don’t talk the talk; I walk the talk.
“To the glory of God, we are using the raw materials to make economic impact in the lives of youths, Ile-Ife, the state and nation.
“We are blessed in this country with everything. We don’t need to go too far. There is nothing missing in Nigeria. Honestly, we should not be suffering. The country should not be a consuming nation but a productive economy. The dollar will come down naturally if we produce.
“The third one is tradition. There are so many traditional values that I will propagate. Our generation does not even understand Yoruba. There are several children who don’t understand their language.
“I want to bring the good old days back with empowerment programmes. I want to lead by example; I want to practise what I preach. In the palace now, we are building locally-made equipment – to process garri, cassava, groundnut oil, soya beans and soap. They have started working. We displayed those equipment here and the town is excited because things have continued to unfold and crime rate is reducing. This throne is a call to service; it is a call to humanity. It is a call to uplift the people.”
Ogunwusi is building a multi-billion naira resort in Ile-Ife.
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