The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Friday said that the entire South-West region has thrown its weight behind President Bola Tinubu to address the security challenges facing Nigeria.

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Oba Ogunwusi, who condemned the politicisation of the current challenges, said that the traditional institution would collaborate with political leaders to make Nigeria better for all.

“God has brought our leader, the current President, President Bola Tinubu, to lead us. Traditional leaders are not talking about politics; we are talking about how to save our people and our race.

“That is way beyond politics. So, for us, we have concluded; the entire South-West to pass a vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu.

“We need to support him to save Nigeria; it’s very important,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“You condemn this leader, you condemn that leader. So, which one are you going to use eventually?

“All these politicians have been there from Day One. What have they done? Nigeria is bigger than them. It’s not their personal entitlement. It is not their heritage; it is the heritage of the people living here.

“Why should they be bringing politics into security matters? Enough of this,” he added.

The monarch also warned against sinking the nation because of politics, saying that Nigeria’s interest should be paramount.

“What we’ve realised, and it’s the truth, is that Nigeria is bigger than all of us. And we are the people who are involved in the country, Nigeria, and we need to protect everything that has to do with the country.

“We traditional rulers, the traditional institution, we’re the closest to our people. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s very important now we need to actually close the ranks with our political leaders.

“It is very obvious they cannot do it alone. We need to work with them. It’s about time for all of us to realise that we can’t in any way sink our nation because of politics.

“Why are we in this situation? It is because of politics. Nigeria was, at some point, very safe. You could go to the north, you could go to the south. We never had problems of banditry,” the Oba said.

‘We’ll Send Them Back’

When asked whether he had discovered that there was a gradual movement of some terrorists into the southern region of the country, the Ooni said, “Yes, we have discovered that, and that’s the truth, and that’s the reason why we’re coming together.

“We are enforcing and strengthening our local guards; we are very strong. We, traditional institutions, we’re very strong when it comes to that.

“And this current government has already worked and declared that they will work with the local hunters. We have forest guards now; they’re very efficient.

“We don’t joke with them. We’re going back to our ancestral roots.”

He also said the South-West region would face the evaders headlong and send them back. The South-West region of the country is the most accommodating.

“So, for us, we are facing it headlong. We have intelligence information. They are coming closer to us, and we’re going to send them back.

“It has happened in the past. In the 18th Century, in the 17th Century; we have actually done that. We’ve never been conquered, and it’s not going to happen again,” the Ooni added.