9th November, 2024
By Victor Adeoti
Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwoland in Osun, stated on Saturday that the economic hardship currently facing Nigerians required divine intervention.
Oba Akanbi made this remark during the fourth annual celebration of “Odun Olodunmare” held at his palace in Iwo.
The traditional ruler emphasised that Nigerians should turn to God for forgiveness and seek wisdom to tackle the country’s economic challenges.
“When situations are as tough as this, we should encourage everyone to return to God, as I am doing today,” he said.
“If there are any transgressions of ingratitude towards God, He can forgive us. We need God’s intervention, and we all must turn back to this one God, who can grant us the wisdom to lift these burdens from our shoulders.”
He noted that Nigeria’s mineral resources, which are abundant, could be sufficient for prosperity if only Nigerians sought divine wisdom.
“If we are not ungrateful and share in the only request God has of us, then the creator of the world, who has entrusted these resources to us, will teach us how to utilise them without foreign intervention,” he stated.
Oba Akanbi, however, acknowledged that the current economic difficulties were not exclusive to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to him, the nation’s economy has been challenging since the administration of President Shehu Shagari.
“It’s not only today that the economy has been difficult. Every government since independence has faced economic hardship. During the Jonathan and Buhari administrations, people complained, and after Tinubu’s administration, people will still complain,” he remarked.
On the significance of the “Odun Olodunmare” celebration, Oba Akanbi said it provided an opportunity to worship the living God unreservedly.
“Nobody deserves worship except God, and we cannot share this with anyone. Today is about culture and tradition, and that’s why you can see both Muslims and Christians here, worshipping God without any deity involved,” the traditional ruler explained.
