FOR THE RECORD: Soun's requests and President Tinubu's response during Abuja meeting (full texts of speeches)

FOR THE RECORD: Soun’s requests and President Tinubu’s response during Abuja meeting (full texts of speeches)

Femi OGUNLANA

On Tuesday September 2, 2025, the Soun of Ogbomosoland His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III led traditional rulers in Ogbomosoland including the Alajaawa of Ajaawa, Oba Thompson Adeyeye Oyetunji; Alapa of Okin-Apa, Oba Prof John Akinola Akintola; Aale of Okelerin Oba Samuel Babatunde Amao; and Orisatolu of Isapa Kingdom Oba Ezekiel Bolarinwa Olajide, to the State House in Abuja, to confer with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Also in the entourage were the Areago of Ogbomosoland, High Chief Sobalaje Otolorin; Iyalode of Ogbomosoland, Chief Oluwakemi Ogundare; Aare Musulumi of Ogbomosoland, Alhaji Abdulganiyu Atanda Owodunni; Prof Adeshola Adepoju, immediate past Executive Director Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria FRIN and Mr. Tunji Olaniyi, a businessman. Though not in the Soun’s delegation, Chief Sunday Dare the Agbaakin of Ogbomosoland who is a Special Assistant on Media and Public Communications to the President was at the meeting on the side of the Federal Government.

The Soun appraised the administration in two years and concluded the policies introduced by the President though difficult in the beginning have started yielding results, while praising the Jagaban of Borgu for his “boldness” in taking tough decisions capable of changing the narrative in Nigeria. To cap his speech delivered extempore His Majesty made a list of requests consisting of needs in his domain while thanking the President for the ones he had done like the construction of the Ogbomoso – Oyo road which is ongoing.

President Tinubu responded in equal captivating speech assuring he would look into the requests. And when Oba Olaoye commended him for removing the fuel subsidy and for unifying the FX trading, likening the action to squaring up to a “sixty – pound gorilla locked in a room and avoided by everybody” the President himself applauded.

Ogbomoso Insight reproduces the two great speeches here:

OBA GHANDI’S SPEECH

We appreciate you for finding time for us. Mr President I do not have a speech to give but I just want to speak from my heart about the things that you have done since you became the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You have taken amazing strides that only a bold leader can take since you came into the office. I will just mention one or maybe two or three of the many things you have done.

I have the opportunity of being close to government even at the federal level, I have served at the level of the BPE (Bureau of Public Enterprise) for four years, so, I have an idea of what it takes to run a country as complex and as interesting as Nigeria. But you have done it with so much grace and with so much right attitude towards confronting the issues of this great country.

The first one, which is the oil subsidy which you removed, it takes boldness because, l am old enough to know that previous governments have run away from it and when you made that bold statement at your inauguration, I also was one of the people who were skeptical about it but today it shows us that leadership requires boldness and taking of the right decisions which is what you did and today we can see results of what decision you took, one of it is we have had several festivals, Muslim festivals, we’ve had Christian festivals, and everything, I am old enough to know that during those festivals there must be long queues, there must be panic, we even had to tell people go and store petrol because there won’t be fuel but we have found out that this your bold move has made people not to have panic of fuel shortage and petrol stations to operate as normal. And also, we can see that fuel prices are surely coming down. And like you said privately now that it will still come down more than what it is now. And so, that is very commendable because the petrol issue does not involve only the rich it involves everybody, the rich, the poor, everybody makes use of the petroleum products. So, that is one of the things you have stamped in the history, your boldness.

Click to register

The second is the issue of the FX transaction which was all muddled up at the CBN and a lot of things were happening, people were getting different rates but it takes boldness to unify what everybody …, it was a sixty-pound gorilla in the room which everybody decided to ignore but you took on on the gorilla (the President claps) and you made a major statement for the black market to be unified with the parallel market.

Like l said, l can go on, the young people who are coming out to serve their nation you increased their allowance, the ASUU strike that used to happen that was a perennial problem one way or the other you have been able to tackle it. I can go on but because of your time. We have the thing now, the funding that has been given to indigent students who would have probably not been able to afford it, now, they have access to this fund, and your commitment towards the youth development in this country, we can see it, and we believe that in two years, it is amazing the things that were difficult, the things that were the big gorilla in the room that everybody has ignored but because of your person and the boldness that you have, you have confronted all of them and we have come to say that your actions are not going unnoticed and I believe that the difficult times for Nigerians we are surely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (clap) we can really say that. The challenges of the earlier first year were necessary because if not, it will blow up on us one day and that is what you realised that if I don’t face these things sooner of later it is like kicking something down the road and if we do that we will meet it down the road there again some day. So, we want to thank you for that.

I also have to thank you since l am Soun of Ogbomoso I need to thank you for some of our sons who are working with you, akinkanju l’awa Omo Ogbomoso (Ogbomoso people are Valiant), we know where ever they are, the warrior spirit is always with them, we have people like the chairman of the FIRS (Federal Inland Revenue Service), Zacch Adedeji, who is from Ogbomosoland, we have our Agbaakin here who is one of the chiefs of our palace, we have the guy, Debo Adedokun in BPP (Bureau of Public Partnership) and l know we have some that are not at that level but we want to say thank you for giving people from our land the opportunity to serve this good country (clap).

Mr. President, one thing I can assure you of is that with those people you can see, when there are further vacancies ask them whether they are from Ogbomoso because you can be sure they will perform (laughter). So, we have come also our father and father of the land, we have some requests that we will want from you because it is not every day that we can walk into the Presidential Villa and see the President, and so, this one you have given us the opportunity we need to ask you some requests but before we ask for requests, l believe like l said that you did it for me indirectly, this road between Oyo and Ogbomoso it is a road that I grew up to know as a deathtrap, thousands of lives and I mean it, literally thousands of lives have been lost, millions of money have been lost on that road because it is an death trap because trailers, it is an every day occurrence for trailers to fall on that road and one way or the other you miraculously awarded the thing (clap). What everybody, l mean this road has been like that for over forty years, l grew up to know the road as a bad road but you decided that this road must be done. It affected the economy of the town, it affected the economy of the country, l remember that trailers line of nearly twelve miles between Ilorin and Ogbomoso at a time, you just go on and you continue to see trailers and trailers. I remember l will just give an incident of a trailer that was coming from the north, it had goat and cattle, it was transporting it South but when it got to Ogbomoso (the driver) started selling at ten thousand naira because he said that all the animals because he said they were tired as at that time and before he would get to Lagos the animals would have died, so, they started selling them, it tells you what you have done, the economy of linking the south because we are gateway to the north, so, thank you so much for this road, it is an economic artery that you surely opened up for us and I know that this country will benefit from it, so, l want to thank you.

The government also has done our 132KVA but the power station has been completed for so many years but the transmission from where they call Ganmo somewhere near Ilorin, we heard that the contract had been given out since I came, also the Minister for Power has been there, he assured us, he said they had given it to someone else but the city most of the time (is in darkness), and Mr. President, this town is the second largest town in Oyo state. Historically, it used to be about the third largest (town in Nigeria) when you mention Lagos, when you mention Kano, the other town you will mention is Ogbomoso but because Ogbomoso is not a capital, other towns like Abeokuta, like Akure, like Ado-Ekiti all those ones that we were bigger than and not even to talk of Osogbo, they are capital cities, they have now overtaken us. So, I do not feel a town like Ogbomoso that comprises five local governments should be in the state where it is and so Mr. President, we will like that transmission, that 132KVA be connected so we can at least enjoy light a little bit in that town because we are most of the time in darkness in Ogbomoso and we believe the major work has been done but the transmission to it.

Then our water project, we do not have good running water and Ogbomoso has two dams and for us to have two dams, and not have running water is something like a shame to us and so Mr. President we want you to help us through the Water Resources (Ministry). I met with the SGF (Secretary to the Government of the Federation) sometimes ago and I mentioned this to him last year and he told me he would get in contact with the Water Resources Minister but nothing has been done, we need the help of the Federal Government because this is a mighty and big town. But for other of the part of the other local governments (in our zone) where we found out that they do not have dams, if we can choose some of these places and at least give them commercial boreholes because water is life. A lot of the sicknesses that people go through are water-borne diseases, so, if we can get help in all the other local governments and be able to give them water we will really appreciate this.

Another thing is the fact we need federal presence in Ogbomoso because one of the things federal presence does is it gives people employment, the bigger the head, the larger the headache, the headache we have is lot because we have a lot of our youths, a lot of people who do not have jobs not only youths. And federal presence will at least be able (to minimise this), everybody wants a job in LAUTECH or Bowen, for a town that big not only two places should they be looking for jobs, so any federal presence that we can have, it will help our town, it will help us to at least people to have basic jobs. When there is no job, crime is high which is what is going on in Ogbomoso now. We are thinking about our General Hospital, we have one there, if it can be upgraded to a Federal Medical Centre, it will also help us a lot for the same reason of jobs and opportunities for people. (Then), there is something that Agbaakin helped us with when he was Minister for Sports, he helped us to bring into the town, it is a medical facility but they could not staff it and the place is a first class hospital but it was not staffed, because of that they looted equipment in the place, so if you can help us through the Ministry of Health that this wonderful facility can be put into use, It will help a lot of our people.

The other thing we are also looking for from the Presidency which l have to say is we believe a lot in your government, we believe in the ability of what you can do because we have seen things, I live in Lagos, I live in Ibadan, I live in Ogbomoso, we can see the impact of your vision in Lagos and you know this that our request is few because instead of asking for so much, the few that we have asked for if you can help us with these it will surely make our people to be very happy.

The other which we have spoken to the Minister of Works is we need now that you have done this road, it will take commercial activities out of the major road, Mr. President, this one is really In my heart, if that road, the artery road in Ogbomoso, it is just a little lane something, if it can be changed to a dual carriageway it will open up the whole town. That is also something that is also important to us, the major road in Ogbomoso for it to be opened up.

Thank you Mr. President and thank you for your time and I want to thank the people who came with me, who are the Obas, they represent the five local governments in Ogbomoso and the other people who came with us, the Aare Musulumi and business people who are with us.

PRESIDENT TINUBU’S

President Tinubu

Kabiyesi,

It is a great honour and joy for me to welcome you to the State House and I believe your prayers are with me. I welcome all of you particularly His Imperial Majesty (Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III) whom I have known for a long time. It is a joy to see you on the throne of your forefathers, it is a great honour for me to even have you here. On behalf of the Honourable Minister for Information and all other senior government officials, l am greatly happy.

Related Posts:

I have listened to you carefully Kabiyesi. Thank you for the credit and the recognition of the bold endeavours that we embarked on on the assumption of the office from day one. Yes, we recognised it, painful initially, difficult for people but it is the same way that nature treats mankind, one lesson or the other help them through difficult times, once they recognise they recognise the weakness of their own making. Years of neglect and deception of self and putting money, fake records, smuggling and all of that denied Nigeria the necessary revenue for progress and development. Then, we are confronting the game of arbitrage trading of currency and illusion of selling papers and corruption all over the place and the integrity of the country and its economy was extremely and adversely challenged, then, to take these actions, we did, and with your prayers, patience and great understanding you follow us till date.

We have established NELFUND for the students, that no one will be a drop out because of level of poverty, everybody is entitled to education, it is the greatest weapon that you can give to human beings against poverty, that is what we have been doing, we are renewing aggressively our infrastructure and it is just two years. I’m glad to report to you today that the economy is stabilised (clap), the bleeding has stopped, the hemorrhage is gone, the patient is alive, Nigeria is alive, Nigeria is respected, Nigeria is becoming a great business partner to the rest of the world (clap). That is all I can report to you now.

On the question of the 132KV transmission, I’ve taken strong note of that (clap), I will take it up with the Honourable Minister and other parties that might be involved and I promise you you will see results (clap). The Honourable Minister of Water Resources will look at the source of water and, mechanised, irrigated, filtration, fortunately, what has happened in the past and I believe that sincerely water is life so, we will do everything in respect of that.

On the question of federal presence, we will look at it, research and development you have good farmland and we can create skill development, we can promote farming and agriculture, and resource development to really skill up the opportunity to grow, employ those youths, develop their skills, promote agriculture and meet up self sufficiency to become exporters of those cashew (nuts), mangoes and various items that are of great values that come from Ogbomoso.

Your Royal Majesty, you said it all very well, laid it out very well, we will follow up (clap). Thank you for coming. I know many people from Ogbomoso who are already feeling your modernisation and great respect that you brought to the community (clap). We will work together to strengthen the traditional institution to make it worthwhile.

Thank you very much, you are welcome. Mo ki yin eyin agba o (l salute you, you elders).