I Became Ooni’s Wife To Serve Humanity – Olori Dr. Temitope Morenike Enitan Ogunwusi

By Falayi Olarewaju

One of the Wives of Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ile Ife and the Arole Oduduwa, in person of Olori Dr. Temitope Morenike Enitan Ogunwusi has stated that the reason she was married to the foremost Yoruba Traditional King was for her to be able to serve humanity better than she has been doing.

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Speaking with Treasure Newspaper at the palace of the Ooni of Ile Ife on Monday, during the grand finale celebrations of the annual Olojo Festival for the year 2023, Olori Dr. Temitope Morenike Enitan Ogunwusi made public her reason for marrying Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi.

According to her, she said, before she got married to Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, she had worked in different fields. “For several parts of my life, I had worked in the event management sector for about 15 years. But at the later part of my life,
I worked with the Government. I first served in the government of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, the former Governor of Lagos State for a couple of years.

“Later, after I served in his administration, I also served in the government of His Excellency, Mr Akinwumi Ambode in Lagos State”.

Recounting some of her life experiences, Olori Temitope narrated how she was raised by Godly fearing parents who taught her how to have the fear of God.

Olori Temitope who said she was born into the families of Mr. & Mrs. Adesegun who hails from the Ibirepo Royal Family in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State with five other beautiful girls raised to become virtuous women.

Olori Temitope revealed to Treasure Newspaper that it is her inborn calling to always love to serve the less privileged ones in the society.

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“My major goal on earth was to render an unconditional service to humanity. Serving humanity has been the only thing I strongly believe is the reason why God enthroned me as Ooni’s Wife.

She described the Ooni of Ile Ife, Oba Ogunwusi as a being whose life is mostly dedicated to serve humanity. She said she believe the reason God Almighty directed her own path towards the King was for her to leverage on his name, position and influence to impart lives and lift the downtrodden out of their low life styles and poverty.

Referring to Oba Ogunwusi, Olori Temitope stated, one of the major reasons why God made him a King was to make sure that the aspect of his primary purpose was to be fulfilled in his calling.

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One of the major reasons why I believe God enthroned him was to actually make that aspect of his purpose most fulfilled in the calling of his.

Responding to questions on what she has been doing to improve on the living conditions of the average person around her, Olori Temitope explained that she has been doing projects such as erecting boreholes and building markets for different communities.

“Also, last week, I was in Ekiti State where stationeries were distributed to about 10 different schools. We are limited because our resources are still limited. That is why, the Stanbic IBTC came to our rescue to help the school children in Ekiti to have writing materials.

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“My goal and target is provide legacy for our future leaders and empower them to be educated.

“My journey within the Traditional Institution has been both enlightening and challenging. As a queen, I have had the privilege of serving my community and upholding our cultural values. It has been a great honor to be a custodian of our traditions and heritage”.

She however stated that she is looking forward to be aboard her challenges and difficulties as well as the various responsibilities and expectations being expected from her in her new position as a wife to the foremost Traditional Ruler in Yoruba land.

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She used the opportunity to advise other women to embrace their identity and heritage with pride. She urged them to ensure they protect and preserve their traditions and culture of Yoruba as a people.

She also counselled the other women not to be afraid to challenge the status quo and push for positive change.

“As women, I want to encourage you all to ensure you play a significant role in shaping the future of your communities and advocate for gender equality and empower yourself through education and self-confidence.

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“Remember that your voice matters, and that you can make a difference.

“I urged you today to work hard and overcome every obstacles and continue to progress towards a more equitable and inclusive society”.

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