YORUBA Monarchs have said the slow and steady approach adopted by President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle daunting challenges facing the country has shown that Nigerians have now elected a president with quality and good leadership traits.
The kings said this through the Chairman, Yoruba Obas Conflict Resolution Committee, the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, Okoro Ajiga1 in Ibadan after being conferred with an award of Entrepreneurship by one of the foremost Ibadan clubs, Omo Ajorosun Club at the weekend.
The monarchs said they were very impressed with the composure of President Buhari during his recent visit to the United States adding that he made the country proud by the way he responded to all questions put to him.
Oba Akinruntan stressed further that, “Buhari is very disciplined, well structured, very intelligent, well composed. He was well composed in the US with the way he answered questions that were directed at him. He was so confident and tackled each question one after the other.
“He was not ruffled or disturbed but felt homely. Nigerians have just elected a president with quality leadership. I want Nigerians to be patient with him because Nigeria’s problem is not something that can be solved overnight. It is only through a gradual process that we can solve it”, Oba Akinruntan added.
The appellation of ‘Baba Go Slow’ given to President Buhari which he himself acknowledged in far away US “is what best suits the country now in view of the enormous challenges confronting us and which need painstaking effort being deployed by the President”.
He added that used Ugboland in Ilaje area of Ondo State was very significant to the Yoruba.
According to him, “Ugboland is the first to arrive in Yorubaland and we are the owner of the Yorubas. A lot of people have testified to this and they include the Late Profs Atanda, Akinjiogbin, Ade Ajayi, Ogeh in their various classical books on history relating to Yoruba race. The same testimony has been given by Oba of Benin and Alaafin of Oyo”.
“We are the only town in Yorubaland that can boast of crude oil today and we can also take care of other Yoruba towns, so my counsel is for our people to read extensively so as to remove their ignorance and be able to make informed comments whenever the need arises”, he stated.
While appreciating those who conferred the award on him, he said, “I am happy for the honour bestowed on me by the Omo Ajorosun Club, although I never expected that Ibadan could honour me.
“I grew up here and I have understood a lot of things about this city. They are very accommodating and they are wonderful human beings. Many of the members of this club are my friends and they know a lot about me.
“This was the same way former President Bill Clinton invited me to US to honour me and I was also curious then as to why I was invited. Clinton told me that he read how I started my business with a meagre amount of money and that it was rare for many Nigerians to even remember how they started their businesses”.