The Head of the Oduduwa Race Worldwide and Chairman, Southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council (SNTRC), Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, CFR, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ile-Ife, has reiterated his commitment to strengthening ancestral ties among the Yoruba people across Africa.
Represented by his spokesman, Otunba Moses Olafare, on Saturday during a historic visit to major Yoruba settlements in Ghana, including the Gua Dynasty led by Ga State Akwashong Mantse, Nii Kwatatei Kojo II, as well as Ussher Town, Ga Paramount Stool House, and Ga SĚi Yeleyli.
Speaking during the visit, Otunba Olafare extended the Ooni’s warm greetings to the Ga people of Accra and other Oduduwa descendants across Ghana, emphasizing the monarch’s deep cultural and spiritual connection with them.
“The Ooni is not a stranger here. He has been to Ghana more than thrice. I have come home to meet you my brothers, and I feel at home in your midst here this afternoon” he said.
He explained that the Ooni’s mission is to reconnect with all the Oduduwa descendants worldwide and to foster unity, peace, and cultural rebirth across Africa.
“We are one people. Nobody can distort our shared history. The Gua and Ogun dynasties not only share the same roots as said here. May I tell you that since you said Gua here is believed to be the first blacksmith and God of iron according to Ga history, your forefathers must have taken this practice along with them when they were migrating from Ile-Ife hundreds of centuries ago. Harnessing all these spiritualities together, it will help us to work for the progress of Africa,” Olafare stated.
Highlighting the significance of the Olojo Festival, the Ooni’svMedia director described Ogun as one of the 401 deities seconded to the earth by God. He was known as the pathfinder who first brought light to the world.
“Ogun was the first engineer and blacksmith on earth. The Olojo Festival celebrates his divine purpose. Since your ancestors migrated from Ile-Ife, the festival connects all of us as members of one big family globally known as the House of Oduduwa,” he added.
Olafare further emphasized the Ooni’s plans to strengthen the relationship between the Gua Dynasty and Osoogun, the spiritual head of Ogun worldwide.
“We will ensure that the Gua Dynasty becomes a vital part of the Olojo Festival. The Ooni, or the Osogun himself, will attend your festival in Ghana to deepen this connection,” he assured.
Speaking on Africa’s cultural heritage, the Ooni’s spokesman decried the exploitation of the continent by colonial powers.
“They came with the Bible and demonized our heritage. They stole our artifacts, which are now kept in British museums, only in the interest of their economic advancement. Today, we pay to see what belongs to us,” he lamented.
In his remarks, the Head of Gua Spiritual Dynasty in Accra, Nii Kwatatei Kojo II expressed gratitude to the Ooni for the visit, affirming the historical link between the Gua people and Ile-Ife.
“Our ancestors migrated from Ile-Ife, no doubt about that. The Gua Festival, which holds a day before Palm Sunday every year, shares a covenant with the rainbow and rain just like the Olojo Festival in Ile-Ife, which remains our ancestral home. We are also the children of Ogun that’s we still celebrate Ogun here,” the Ga chief explained.
He called for greater collaboration between Ghana and Nigeria to preserve and promote the Oduduwa heritage, stressing that unity among descendants of Oduduwa remains crucial to Africa’s development.
The “GUA, according to the history and customs of the GA people of Accra Ghana represents their deity of blacksmith and hunting tradition al profession, it symbolizes the spiritual essence and ancestral reverence central to the Ga people’s identity, their belief in the continuation of the spirit after death, and the role of ritual and priestly mediation in their culture, while OGUN spirit to the Yoruba people of Ile-Ife is deeply connected with the OLOJO FESTIVAL, an annual spiritual and cultural celebration that honors Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron, warfare, and hunting labor. Olojo means “Owner of the Day” or “Day of the First Dawn,” symbolizing creation, new beginnings, and the triumph of light over darkness. It also means the most remarkable day in the life of Ile-Ife, marking the end of the conflict between OLOFIN ODUDUWA and his best ally; OGUN, “Ojo ti o l’ojo.
The Ooni’s Director of Media & Public Affairs, Otunba Moses Olafare is on a 3 day visit to Ghana to represent the Ooni during Yoruba Cultural Heritage Isokan Festival 2025 to be held on Sunday.
