The Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi-Ojaja II, on Saturday, presented a royal Award of excellence to the Executive Chairman of Itire-Ikate LCDA, Hon. (Dr) Ahmed Olanrewaju Apatira, in recognition of his contributions to the development of adire traditional attire.
The award was presented to the council chairman during this year’s Olojo festival and cultural exhibition held in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
As part of his administration’s commitment to empowering the youths in the state, Hon. Apatira, established a textile hub in his district for the production of adire textile and also hosted the Adire indigenous textile exhibition, a project initiated by the Queen of Ife Kingdom, Olori Ronke Ademiluyi-Ogunwusi.
The hub created job opportunities for unemployed youths in the district.
Speaking at the grand reception, Apatira appreciated the Royal father while describing the honour as a call to the service of humanity.
He pledged his administration’s commitment to job creation and investment in the development of local textile industry.
He said, “It was a great honour to have received this call to duty and recognition from the most distinguish frontline traditional ruler in Africa – His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi-Ojaja II .
“This Merit Award of excellence is a continuous reminder that he who works hard will stand before Kings, because I strongly believe that there is no nobility in poverty and it doesn’t matter what part of the world you come from immediately you substitute recklessness for diligence, your true potential becomes a reality.
“This, to me, is not just an award. This is a symbol of responsibility-to uphold the Omoluabi spirit — the spirit of integrity, the spirit of perseverance, and the spirit of nobility.
“To this end, we will continue to empower the youths through vocational training and employment creation.
“Our administration is poised to rescue our youths out of uncertainties. When productively engaged, the youths can be agents of positive development and generational change, but if misused, they can be destructive and chaotic.
“I, therefore, urge the government at all levels to invest massively in the future of our youths, as we always have in Itire-Ikate LCDA, in order to bring their potential to reality.”
Others on the Chairman’s entourage are the Deputy Majority Leader of the council, Hon. Olaoluwa Agbeyangi, Supervisor for ICT, Hon. Tunde Lasisi, Supervisor for Special Duties, Hon. Niyi Akintewe, Chairman and Members of Itire-Ikate Tradesmen and Artisans Association, amongst others.
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