AARE  ONAKAKANFO,  MOST PROMINENT YORUBA TITLE-WAHEED ODUSILE,NUJ PRESIDENT, SAYS

Speaking yesterday when he led members of the executive of the Union, on a courtesy visit to congratulate Adams on his new status, Odusile, said the leadership of the association considered it imperative to pay the courtesy call to identify with the Aare and meet minds on the current issues in the country. He applauded the efforts of Aare Dr. Gani Adams for promoting unity in Yorubaland.

  Expressing concern on the spate of insecurity in Nigeria, particularly, on the activities of the herdsmen across the country, he however, expressed confidence in the ability of the Aare Adams in promoting the interest of the Yoruba race, urging him to use his new position to seek peaceful  co-existence among the various institutions in Yorubaland, particularly, among the traditional rulers.

‘’We congratulate you on your new status as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, your position, by all standard, is no mean status in Yorubaland. The situation in the country is becoming worrisome. As Yoruba leader, we urge you to  use your office to call Yoruba leaders to come together and find lasting solution to the issue of the Herdsmen and other security issues in the country’’.
  Responding, Aare Adams charged the leadership of the fourth estate  of the realms to champion the call for restructuring and true federalism in the country, where every federating unit will develop at their own pace.  He said the role of the press in nation-building cannot be over- emphasized, describing journalists as the mirror of the society. Adams urged the Union to be vibrant and radical in their reportage, adding that the issue of  Hate Speech should be addressed holistically by the media, taking into consideration, the role of the media,and their past struggles that eventually pave way for democracy. ‘’Nigerians will not forget in a hurry the pivotal role the media played during the struggles for Democracy in this country. Therefore, it is incumbent on the media to continue in their traditional job as watch dog in the society. 

The present economic situation in the country is a strong signal that Nigerians are not happy with the present situation and the Federal Government has a role to play. So by virtue of my new status, the top priority of my agenda as the Aare Onakakanfo is to promote the unity of the race.’’ For Nigeria to become the country of our dream, journalists have a prominent role to play. They are in the best position to moderate the opinions of the people because whatever they published as news stories carry much weight’’Members of the Union that visited the Aare include Lagos State Chapter of the Union Alhaji Kazeem Akinreti, Lekan Oshiade and Tunde Olalere.