The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has unveiled plans to tackle truancy and out-of-school menace among school children in South West region of the country.
As part of efforts in achieving this, the monarch inaugurated a Foundation for Traditional Rulers’ Intervention on Truancy Prevention, School Enrollment and Engagement in the six Yoruba States with Kogi and Kwara states ahead of his 50th birthday anniversary in October this year.
A statement by Ooni’s Director, Media And Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, on Wednesday, disclosed that the initiative was inaugurated at the Ile-Ife palace of the foremost traditional ruler.
Headed by Oba Adekunle Adeogun-Okunoye, the Eburu of Iba, Osun State, the Foundation has other traditional rulers across the six South West zone as well as Kogi and Kwara States including Onigogo of Igogo (Ekiti State), Larooka of Wanikkin Ife (Osun State), Olukotun of Ikotun-Ile (Kwara State), Adeboruwa of Igbogbo (Lagos State), Oloba-Uso of Oba-Uso (Ondo State), Onpetu of Ijeru (Oyo State)
and the Olujumu of Ijumu (Kogi State) as Directors while Olafare serves as Deputy Secretary of the Foundation.
Oba Adeogun-Okunoye, according to the statement, explained that Ooni has put in place the foundation in fulfilment of his quest to ensure that the traditional institutions in Nigeria and Yoruba states in Nigeria particularly must work for the masses especially complementing government’s efforts in curbing truancy and out-of-school syndrome in the society.
He said, “This organisation is a creation of our father, the Ooni of Ife in his capacity as the overall leader of all the traditional Rulers in Yourubaland which covers the present six South West States and Kogi and Kwara states. We’ve been saddled with the responsibility of implementing a program for traditional rulers’ intervention on truancy prevention, school enrollment, and engagement in the Ooni’s readiness to complement efforts of the government at all levels in addressing major social problems of truancy and out of school children.
“With this development, our Arole Oduduwa the Ooni will be engaging all traditional rulers in Yorubaland in the implementation of a community based traditional approach to solve the menace of truancy and out of school children.”
The committee’s Chairman who doubles as the Foundation’s Director General added that Ooni Ogunwusi has premised the programme on the on-going agitation of the traditional rulers for constitutional role and the persistent efforts of traditional rulers to work with government on addressing challenges, especially those that directly affect youths and girls.
