President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Prince Oluyemisi Adeaga has called on Nigerians to shun intolerance and other tendencies capable of grinding the world into fractions, declaring that in unity would the world survive its challenges.
In his short speech spiced with humour at the Chrismass Carol Service organised by the CCII, Adeaga charged religious bodies to collaborate in understanding their purpose to the humanity instead of embarking on discriminatory mission and campaign of division.
The President-General walked his talk when he invited a small band of talking drummers to give him percussive sound to his song of praise, an act which earned him ovation of the congregation inside the Ibadan House, Oke Aremo, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Adeaga told choir groups on performance list at the service not to see traditional instruments like talking drum as those of evil but rather a complimentary tool to make a better and soul-lifting sound.
“I have grown beyond religious sentiments, and that is what makes the CCII to continue going stronger. We are Christians, we are Muslims, we are traditionalists. There is no faith you cannot find among us here. And the significance of it is on development being recorded in Ibadan.
“Till date, I still hang out with my childhood colleagues at Mapo where we built our youthful energy to weather the storm of life to where we are today. What I am actually talking about is that irrespective of our religious affiliation, we should see ourselves first as belonging to humanity before ethnic groups, languages, religions and other things are considered,” he stressed.
The president was later presented with an award by the Bible Society of Nigeria. In his remarks shortly after receiving the award, Adeaga dedicated it to the CCII and Ibadan as a whole.
“Everything about me now is Ibadan including this award. I am here as representative of Ibadan, and I am happy that we are on course in further expanding the coast of this most important town on the planet earth,” he rounded off.
Aside his wife, who was his compliment at the Carol Service, Adeaga also had Professor Nathaniel Adewoye among his guests.
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