Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has lauded the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi for his strategic leadership role in the war against the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Governor Fayemi gave the commendation in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday while receiving two motorized fumigators donated to the state by the Ooni Ogunwusi as part of the monarch’s contribution to government’s efforts at curtailing the spread of the ravaging Coronavirus.
Fayemi said the government and people of Ekiti State were appreciative of Ooni Ogunwusi’s gestures and collaborative efforts in the war against the covid-19 pandemic.
Governor Fayemi said: “You made Ekiti the final port of call in your very passionate effort to rid Yorubaland and indeed Nigeria of this invisible scourge that is ravaging the entire globe and we can’t but be grateful to you for always having us in mind.
“You are always at the forefront of anything that has to do with progress and development which is what our kabiyesis are known for in history. They are always at the forefront of efforts to defend, to protect and to promote their communities and their kingdoms, and it is no surprise that this is what you are doing on this occasion as well. I want to thank you on behalf of all of us in Ekiti.”, the Governor said.
Presenting the fumigators and a drone to the Governor, Ooni Ogunwusi stated that it became imperative for him to assist the government at this critical time to check further spread of the virus in the country. He added that the drone which came with the fumigator is to be used in areas not accessible to vehicles.
Ooni Ogunwusi disclosed that the fumigators were fabricated locally in Nigeria by experts using local materials. He also revealed that mixtures used for fumigation were put together by a World Health Organization (WHO) consultant, Prof. Olapeju Esima of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
The traditional ruler, urged Nigerians to look beyond the present challenges and explore all available resources for the development of the nation after the pandemic is conquered. He added that the equipment could be used for planting massive vegetables and used to spread liquid fertilizers in very large farms, thereby improving agriculture yield.
Ooni Ogunwusi lauded Governor Fayemi for the prompt and proactive response of the state government since the breakout of the pandemic in Nigeria.
According to the monarch, “We are here to proffer solution in a modernized way because we have our ancestors who have been doing it for many years which they call ‘ero’, it is the same concept of fumigation, it is very important to keep people healthy and to disinfect the entire environment where you will share food.
” It is very important for us to know that focusing on our hands, face, nose and mouth is not sufficient, what of your clothes, shoes, we know that these things are droplets that can drop on your clothes and shoes where experts say it can last several hours.
“This is one of the post Covid-19 pandemic efforts, because we know ourselves as a nation and we like to do gathering in churches, mosques and parties, how would you exercise social distance from those activities, so we need to come up with ingenious ways to solve the problem.
“We are more particular about hygiene, but what is critical is that our leaders should look inward on how to better the economy now, that is not our role, our role is to support them as traditional rulers, but for us going forward, this is very important as food.”
