Foremost Yoruba monarch, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, has shared photos of his wives on Instagram to mark the International Women’s Day.
He used the occasion to acknowledge the key role women play in society.
The Ooni shocked many when he married 6 women in quick succession last year his estranged wife and mother of his only son, Olori Naomi Silekunola walked out of the union. She took to her Instagram account to announce her decision but refrained from giving reasons.
Before Naomi was Zainab Otiti Obanor who quietly left the palace without a hint on the reason for her decision.
After Naomi, the monarch went on a marriage spree to highly accomplished gorgeous women. The new wives in order of arrival into the palace are: Queen Mariam Anako, Elizabeth Akinmuda, Tobi Phillips, Ashley Adegoke, Ronke Ademiluyi and Temitope Adesegun.
In a lengthy post to Commemorate the International Women’s Day, the Ooni took to his social media pages to say,
“Today, on International Women’s Day, our ambition must be to renew our pledge of building a global society in which women are given equal honour and the resources they need to achieve their fullest potentials. Our amazing birthright, cradle, adolescence, and even adulthood are inextricably tied to their aprons. Without their sacrifices, hard work, invaluable efforts, our societies would have fractured, household cultures would have been negatively impacted, and communities would have suffered.
“Despite some difficulties and struggles, as well as the gender imbalance that still exists against women in our political landscape, boardrooms, employment, and gender gap in earnings, our national economy’s unprecedented dynamism would not have been possible without their magical powers, competence and resilience spirit. They are the engines and symbols of our economic growth from house to house, community to community, as our lives thrive and flourish because of them.”
The revered monarch listed a number of Nigerian women, both those in the great beyond and those alive, and said the landmark contributions that Nigerian women make across all fields of human endeavour must be celebrated every day.
He said, “We must reminisce on their powerful contributions to our national treasure through the prism of history. Legends such as Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Margaret Ekpo, Alimotu Pelewura, Mama Aduni, Ladi Kwali, Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta, Mabel Segun, Nana Asma’u, and we can see millions of others indelible footprints on our national history.
“We must celebrate the continued outstanding efforts of our women through icons such as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Aminu Mohammed, Yemisi Edun, Mariam Olusanya, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and other inspiring women who keep shattering the glass ceiling with their incredible stories.”
“We must continue to celebrate every day landmark contributions that our young women are making across all fields of human endeavours.”