Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, Oniru of Iru land, has called for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.
The traditional ruler made the call during a courtesy visit by executive members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council led by the Chairman, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi on Thursday.
He called on Nigerians to be patriotic and not to be advocates of war.
He said, “If we want development, there must be peace as peaceful coexistence is key to our survival as a nation.
“Nigeria is a country where love thrives, as such, we must learn to accommodate one another as no man is an Island.”
Urging Nigerians to show love to one another, the Oniru said that there was strength in our diversity.
According to him, Nigeria remains a respected nation for being the most populous black nation in the world; hence, the people cannot afford any war as any country that goes through conflicts takes time to heal.
The former Commissioner for Agriculture and cooperatives in Lagos State, lamented the negative effects of COVID-19 on every economy including that of Nigeria.
He said that Nigeria depended solely on oil and the effects of the pandemic reduced the demand for Nigeria’s crude oil as over 2.5 million lives had been lost so far globally to the pandemic.
The traditional ruler also commended medical experts across the globe for attaining giant strides in producing a vaccine to tame COVID-19 within a short time.
He urged Nigerians to take advantage of this opportunity to get vaccinated.
Commenting on another national issue, he assured Nigerians of winning the war against insecurity and welcomed balanced criticism.
Oba Lawal acknowledged that the media contributed immensely to his success story.
“Some of you contributed to what I have become today and I have always had good relationship with the press,” he said.
He wished NUJ Lagos Council executives a successful tenure of office.
On his part, the Lagos NUJ Chairman commended the Oniru for being a man of the people.
He admitted that Iru land and its environs had been very peaceful having developed economically.
Ajayi also presented pressing issues of the union including the ongoing remodeling of the secretariat.
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