Ooni Ogunwusi Cleans Ife and Environs for Tourism—–Engages 200 youths

As a precursor to making Ife a tourist destination in Nigeria, Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi has commissioned a multi-million Naira Environmental Sanitation programme tagged Gba’femo (clean Ife) on Thursday, September 16, 2016 in the front of the palace, Enuwa square, Ile-Ife.

The programme anchored by Gba’femo Motherland would also be championing for the first time in history a multi-million Naira cleaning competition among all the streets in Ile-Ife and its environs every month. The cleanest street would receive an award of One Hundred Thousand Naira per month.

Accompanied by his queen, Olori Wuraola, Ooni Ogunwusi while commissioning the project with two new Leyland trucks and waste disposal bins declared that “environmental sanitation or cleanliness is crucial in the drive to make Ile-Ife a tourist destination.

Oba Ogunwusi further explained that the ancient town has to be prepared ahead for the millions of tourists expected to visit the ancient historical city from next year. This is why about two hundred youths has been selected and enlisted for the take-off of the programme in collaboration with the Local Government Authorities. Therefore, the women and elders are called upon to co-operate with them in order to make it successful.

Giving further insight into the programme, he said, “we should not leave every responsibilitie to Government alone. We are the ones that voted for those in position of authirity. Thus, we are also part of the Government. Therefore, we need to support Governments at all times to make our environment clean, neat and healthy.

“It is part of Ife anthem to uplift Ile-Ife. It is when we uplift our community that Government would be encouraged and give necessary assistance to our community.”

Getting philosophical, he added, “the event of today is a great one before our creator. This is because God dwells in cleanliness. This is why the event is special to me.”

Declaring that henceforth environmental sanitation and cleanliness in all ramifications should be properly observed and carried out  in all the nooks and crannies of Ile-Ife and its environs , Ooni Ogunwusi charged all the residents to ensure that Ife city becomes the cleanest city in Nigeria.

He said that the programme begins from each household. It is the women that ensure cleanliness of the home, therefore, all the women in Ile-Ife and environs should give priority to environmental sanitation and cleanliness, the monarch quipped.

He also charged the environmental sanitation vanguard in the palace to ensure the replication of the clean palace environment observed in the last six months despite visits by thousand s of people daily to the palace to the whole community.

Earlier, Tunde Agboye while addressing the crowd of audience at the event said that Ooni Ogunwusi has challenged the youths, women and elders of the community to be actively involved in environmental sanitation and cleanliness of Ile-Ife and environs.

He added that the two new Leyland trucks and waste disposal bins provided by the monarch would go round the city to collect refuse  and dump them at a designated dump site where it would  be recycled and converted to wealth. It would be waste to wealth programme.

Ife traditional Council led by  Obalufe Idowu Adediwura and others spoke glowingly in support of the programme initiated by Ooni Ogunwusi. They all appealed for support  and co-operation of all and sundry in Ile-Ife and its environs to make the programme successful