Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi has lauded the leadership qualities of Minister of Transportation and presidential hopeful, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
The monarch, who spoke when the minister paid him a consultation visit at his palace, on Monday, in Ile Ife, prayed for God’s guidance as Amaechi seeks to occupy the seat of the president of the country.
According to a statement by Amaechi’s media office, the King said that not many Nigerians owned the type of resume the minister had.
“With the roll out of your resume, how many of you like that in Nigeria? Very few. For the last 23 years of this Republic, you have been relevant. Power belongs to God, it’s not by your might, it’s not by your power, nor by your doing.”
He said “in terms of leadership, it is God that gives power, and if you look at your history, for the last 23 years, you have actually gone through the ranks and file. You are not the only one in this country, but God has actually found in you favour, and by the very special grace of God, have the interest of this country at heart. It is very important. I know you are a fervent and hard believer of God Almighty, in anything you do, you pray to God. Don’t relent, do not relent, keep praying to God.”
“Leadership is stewardship. You’ve been to different leadership positions from different strata. In terms of governance, you’ve seen it all. But the one that you’re trying to aspire now, by the very special grace of God, it’s God that will take you there.
“We are praying for you from the throne of Oduduwa. On this throne of our ancestors, God will continue to guide you, God will continue to see you through, God will continue to favour you, honour you and put you through in everything you do. God will continue to honour you in your words, in your thoughts, in your actions. Everything you lay your hands upon will continue to prosper. God will guide you, guard you and see you through. You will never regret why you came out to show selfless service for this country. God will guide you right. Please remember this country for good, remember the goodness that can come out of this country, remember that you will continue to serve for good, not for your own interests.”
“By virtue of how God has shown you mercy, give mercy back to the public, show mercy back to Nigerians. You have to be selfless, give your best, even if it is going to cost you everything that you are, keep doing what you’re supposed to do.”
On his part, the minister promised to give more relevance to the traditional institution if given the opportunity to serve as Nigeria’s President.