The Palace of Olubadan of Ibadanland Oba Sen. Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II was agog on Wednesday as children, numbering about 500 and their parents within and around the Alarere area trooped to the Palace to meet with Santa Claus, popularly referred to as ‘Father Christmas’ as part of celebrations of this year’s Christmas festivity.
Speaking while receiving the Father Christmas alongside some of the children that paid him courtesy visit at the carnival-like programme, Oba Balogun rejoiced with the children and their parents for the occasion, the first of such to be celebrated by him as the Olubadan of Ibadanland and counseled the parents on the need to take proper care of their children.
The monarch, in a press release made available to journalists by his Personal Assistant (Media), Oladele Ogunsola told the parents that they should always be conscious of their responsibilities over their children which are God ordained. “I urge our parents to please know that should they fail on their children, they have definitely failed God. Give them sound home training as well as western education.
“Our children are our future. Whatever our achievements or accomplishments in life are, if our children are not the ones to be proud of, we have not achieved or made any accomplishment. I’m happy to receive these children in my palace today as part of this year’s Christmas celebration and I pray that the author of Christmas would preserve these children for us and make them responsible and respectable children in the society”, he added.
While congratulating the Christians for this year’s festivity, Olubadan reminded them of the essence of the annual event which he described as an expression of agape love and asked them not to be carried away by the fun-fare always attached to the occasion but to always reflect on its purpose and juxtapose it with their life styles towards making necessary amends for the essence of the occasion to be fulfilled.
He also urged them to use the occasion to pray for a peaceful and hitch-free elections holding early next year, reminding that “since this is the only remaining religious festivity preceding the all very crucial elections, we should use the opportunity to take our matter before the creator of heaven and earth and our all-knowing God in whose power alone resides success of the electoral exercise”.
At the occasion, organizer of the programme, who is also the Palace Chaplain, Pastor Olusoji Adediji said the purpose of organizing the programme was to praise God for upholding the palace since Olubadan came to the throne and to identify with the residents of the Alarere area which presently hosts the palace without laying emphasis on religious differences.
“I must acknowledge the open arms with which Olubadan accepts me and all my activities since he came to the throne not minding his religious background as a Muslim. I must say I’m not in anyway surprised because our referred father has never been a religious bigot but an open-minded person all his life and this has in no small way played a very big factor in his peaceful reign so far”, the Chaplain added.
Before the children visited the Father Christmas arena where they received free gifts, there were songs ministration, prayers for the monarch, his household, Ibadanland, Oyo State and Nigeria in general.
