Abdulrasheed Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwoland in Osun, said on Saturday that the present economic hardship faced by Nigerians required divine intervention.

Mr Akanbi said this during the fourth annual “Odun Olodunmare” celebration in his palace in Iwo.

The traditional ruler said what Nigerians needed at this time was to go back to God and ask for forgiveness and wisdom to solve the various economic challenges facing the country.

“When things are going like this, we should take everybody back to God, just as I am doing today,” said Mr Akanbi. “So that, if there is any sin of being an ingrate or ungrateful to God, then he can forgive us.”

“We need God’s intervention, and all of us need to go back to this one God, who will give us the wisdom so that all these curses will be removed from our heads,” he said.

The traditional ruler said the mineral resources God endowed the country with were enough if only Nigerians could ask God for wisdom.

Mr Akanbi, however, said the current economic challenges were not peculiar to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

According to Oluwo, the economy has been tough since the administration of the first democratically elected president, Shehu Shagari.

“It is not only today that the economy has been bad in the country. There is no government since independence that has not experienced economic hardship.

“During Jonathan and Buhari administrations, people complained, and after eight years of Tinubu’s administration, people will still complain,” he said.

Mr Akanbi said the celebration was an avenue to worship the living God.

“Today is about culture, tradition, and that is why you can see both Muslims and Christians here. Worshiping God, which is devoid of deity worship,” the traditional ruler said.

(NAN)