The Ise Ekiti community on Saturday rolled out the drums to celebrate the peace, stability and development which the people said had been the hallmark the reign of their traditional ruler, the Arinjale of Ise Ekiti, Oba Adetunji Ajayi, in the last 20 years.
The Chairman, Coronation Anniversary Planning Committee, Chief Folu Oni, said, “The peace in the town since the ascension of Oba Ajayi, enabled the development strides in the community in the last 20 years”.
Oni, who spoke at Ise Ekiti, Ise/Orun Council area of Ekiti State during the monarch’s 20th coronation anniversary, which also featured N500million Palace Project fundraising, sought “cooperation of everyone of us both indigenes, non-indigenes, friends and well wishers” for the realization of the project.
A prince of the community and former minister, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, who expressed the delight of the princes, princess and indeed the royal family, said, “Oba Ajayi’s reign has brought peace. Since he came on the throne, we have never had any problem in this town, no rancour, no problem, no communal strive in the last 20 years”.
The Senate former spokesperson said, “Oba Ajayi’s reign has witnessed cooperative activities in which everybody comes together to see what can be done to develop the town. Good things have continued to happen to the people of this town. We are building a hall for the town, that is cooperative effort of everybody under the leadership of Kabiyesi”.
Oba Ajayi, a former university teacher, who described all that had happened in the last 20 years as God’s grace, said, “I thank God Almighty. It has been wonderful, it has been a time full of up and down, but the most important thing is that God has given me the grace to survive all hurdles and advance the development of my community.
The traditional ruler, who lauded the chiefs and people of the community for their support, however, appealed for more of such, saying, “Let us do more in the team spirit to move the community forward. Truly we have witnessed unprecedented development, but it must not stop there, it must continue so that we can get to our promised land”.