The Ooni of Ife, Oba Babatunde Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, and the Yoruba Council of Elders have issued a powerful call for unity among the Yoruba people to confront the escalating insecurity plaguing the region and Nigeria at large.
A Royal Summit for Security and Heritage
This urgent appeal was made public on Friday, December 5, 2025, following a significant courtesy visit by the YCE leadership to the Arole Oodua Palace in Ile-Ife, Osun State. The delegation, led by YCE President Chief Jibade Oyekan, held closed-door discussions with the foremost Yoruba monarch on critical issues affecting the nation.
In a communiqué signed by the Secretary-General of the YCE, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, and shared with the press in Ibadan, the leaders declared that insecurity remains the most pressing challenge facing Nigeria today. They emphasized that solving this menace cannot be left solely to government security agencies.
Empowering Traditional Rulers and Rethinking Land Ownership
The council stressed that traditional rulers must be formally empowered and their authority recognized to effectively combat crime and ensure community safety. They called for a strengthened partnership between communities, traditional institutions, and security agencies to build a safer society.
Beyond security, the meeting tackled the sensitive issue of land ownership by non-indigenes in Yorubaland. The YCE articulated that land is not merely an economic asset but a core component of cultural heritage and national identity. To preserve this for future generations, the council proposed a shift from outright sales to long-term lease arrangements.
They cited the historical 19th-century Hong Kong lease between China and Britain as a potential model for such sustainable land use agreements. The delegation urged both federal and state governments to revisit the constitutional roles of traditional rulers in land administration, arguing that this would stabilize communities and reduce damaging political polarisation.
A Decade of Leadership and a Blueprint for the Future
The visit also served to celebrate the Ooni's tenth anniversary on the throne. The elders offered prayers for his continued reign and commended his efforts in promoting Yoruba unity, cultural preservation, and social development.
Palace officials, responding on behalf of the Ooni, welcomed the resolutions and expressed optimism about the proposed collaboration. They reaffirmed the monarch's commitment to ensuring traditional structures play a relevant role in modern governance.
Observers see this high-level engagement as underscoring the growing influence of traditional institutions in national discourse. The resolutions explicitly caution against repeating mistakes seen in other regions, notably referencing the Palestinian crisis as a warning where mismanagement of land and communal tensions fueled severe insecurity.
By championing unity, proactive community engagement, and culturally sensitive land policies, the Ooni and the YCE aim to create a replicable model for collaborative action across Nigeria. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmed commitment from both parties to work tirelessly for a secure, stable, and prosperous Yorubaland.
