The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, will be leading other eminent personalities, including a former Governor of Ogun State and representative of Ogun East Senatorial District, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, to grace the 30th anniversary celebration of the Oodua People’s Congress on August 29, 2024.
The Chairman of the Planning Committee of the OPC’s 30th anniversary, Prof. Kolawole Raheem, made this known.
Raheem also revealed that to equally grace the grand celebration, which will include the commissioning of the N1 billion Oodua House and a book launch on the trajectory of the OPC as one of the foremost organisations in Nigeria, are South West Governors who are the hosts to OPC structures across the region.
Raheem, who addressed newsmen on Wednesday at Oodua House, located at 14, Ezekiel Street, off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos State, said a 30-man committee, saddled with the responsibility to oversee the planning and execution of all the programmes slated for the 30th anniversary, carefully selected prominent personalities that would grace the event.
He said: “Among these personalities are the six South West Governors that have since been host to all the OPC structures across the South West.
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“Apart from the governors, we have also invited many important personalities as the Chairman of the Day, Guests Lecturer and Book Reviewer.
“It may interest you that the father of the day is no other person than the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
“Kabiyesi Ooni is the foremost Yoruba Oba and he is the symbol of the Yoruba progenitor, Oduduwa.
“And OPC being a Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, we considered it an honour to have the Ooni of Ife being present at the event as the representative of our great progenitor.
“The Chairman of the day is His Excellency, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and former Executive Governor of Ogun State.
“The choice of Otunba Gbenga Daniel as the chairman of the day was informed by the significant and fatherly role he played during the factional crises that engulfed the OPC in 2005.
“Otunba Gbenga Daniel stood by the organisation and provided the needed reconciliation between the two factions that was led by the late Dr. Fredrick Faseun and Iba Gani Adams.
“As the governor then, he intervened and saved Yorubaland from further crises that could have engulfed the whole of the South West region.
“Another important personality that would grace the grand finale is the Guest Lecturer, Prof. Olufemi Otubanjo.
“Prof. Otubanjo was a prominent lecturer at the University of Ibadan for more than two decades.
“He was a Political Scientist that has garnered experiences across the academic space.
“He is now a Senior Researcher at the Nigerian Institute for International Affairs in Lagos.
“As we count on the prominent personalities that would grace the event, we would not forget to mention the name of the book reviewer in person of Prof. Siyan Oyeweso.
“Prof. Oyeweso is a well known Professor of History with long years of experiences in International Research and lecturing.
“He is now the current Chairman, Governing Council of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.”
The planning committee chairman added that the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, as the Chief Host of the event, will also be available at the grand celebration.
