Hunger Protest: Ooni of Ife Discloses President Tinubu’s Message to Traditional Rulers

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has revealed statement made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during an emergency meeting with traditional rulers. According to the monarch, President Tinubu suggested that Nigerians dissatisfied with his administration consider voting him out in the 2027 presidential election.

This remark came during a meeting on Thursday with traditional leaders, including the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III. The gathering was called in response to planned protests against economic hardships, set to take place from August 1-10, 2024.

Oba Ogunwusi highlighted President Tinubu’s commitment to dialogue and his determination to address the nation’s economic challenges. “The President has said, ‘Any leader that you don’t like, wait (until 2027) and vote him out.’ He is open to dialogue. We know that Nigeria faces many challenges. But are we going to destroy our nation by ourselves? Is that what we are all after?” said the Ooni of Ife.

The monarch emphasized the importance of unity and the difficulty of nation-building, urging all Nigerians to consider the broader implications of their actions. “It is very difficult to build, but it is the easiest to destroy. We are all stakeholders in this country and are stronger as a nation than individually,” he added.

This development follows President Tinubu’s earlier assurance that Nigeria’s economy is on the path to recovery, despite current challenges. With core and food inflation rates at 34.19 percent and 40.87 percent respectively, many Nigerians have expressed growing dissatisfaction with the state of the economy.