The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, on Sunday moved into Ile Mole, Iremo Quarters, Ile-Ife, for a seven-day seclusion as the ancient Olojo Festival kicks off in the city.
The monarch appeared in his usual white traditional attire laced with colourful ancient beads on his way out of the Ile Oodua Palace of Ife.
He told newsmen that he will use the spiritual moment of seclusion as a point of contact with God Almighty towards the total eradication of the coronavirus as well as for peace and stability in the country.
Oba Ogunwusi explained that Olojo is a festival that connotes a strong indication of God’s creation and the day of the first dawn on earth.
“I am going into seclusion, I am going into fasting and prayer in the ways of our ancestors.
“As you know, we’re gradually winning the war against coronavirus and we must indeed be thankful because we are not superior to those countries being crippled by this pandemic.
“After the seven-day seclusion, there follows the climax of it, which is the procession of the sacred Aare crown with which we will pray for the entire nation and humanity.
“Every move of the Aare procession is highly significant, including the junctions of spiritual and historical significance where I would make supplications and prayers to our ancestors.
“The first junction indicates where the first dawn came and that is where we must stop, followed by where the pathfinder deity, which we call Ogun sighted the first dawn and that is Oke-Mogun.
“When I came down from the hill, there was turmoil among the deities because Aare is the first monarchical crown.
“At some point they all converged in Ita Oranfe, where they all agreed that kingship and organisation should commence and that is where the modern day democracy and other forms of government emanated from,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that during the seclusion rites, the monarch would be incommunicado and not grant audience to anyone.
