The Oluwo of Iwo-land, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale, on Thursday stressed the need for the Ilorin Emirate and his kingdom to come together in a bid to further promote economic and manpower development between the two communities.

The Iwo monarch spoke in Ilorin when he visited the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, at his palace. Oba Adewale was accompanied by over 50 traditional rulers and chiefs of Iwo land.

He noted that the visit was to solicit the support of the people of Ilorin especially through the Emir in order to ensure that areas of common interest are identified.

According to him, “In Iwo land, all that we stand for is Islam and we discovered that Ilorin Emirate is a front-runner in the propagation of Islam. With our proximity with this revered city of knowledge, we can’t afford to lose out in the numerous opportunities that are available both at national and international levels.

“Iwo has the first mosque in the whole south-western region which was converted from a shrine in 1,655. On several occasions, I have condemned the worship of deities in its entirety. Not that I say we should forget our culture but my advocacy is for us to believe in God and always ensure that we use our stools as traditional rulers to promote peaceful co-existence in our domains.”

Oba Adewale extolled the virtues of the Emir in making life more meaningful for the people of Ilorin Emirate through his quality leadership roles among his subjects even as he pledged his unalloyed loyalty to further foster and actualise a robust working relationship between their two communities.

In his response, the Emir of Ilorin, who doubles as Chairman Kwara State Traditional Council, announced: “As from today, I hereby declare that Ilorin Emirate and Iwo land have become one. This is because of common identity of Islam which binds us together and we have to ensure that we hold each other as one. On outside, we shall always see you as a brother and friend in Islam.”

The Emir assured the Oluwo that as the gateway between the North and South, Ilorin will continue to play leadership roles in the propagation of Islam and morality vis-a-vis peaceful co-existence in the country.

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