The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has pledged his support and that of Africans to the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ooni’s spokesman Moses Olafare on Monday. According to the statement, the monarch made the promise during the inauguration ceremony of the president on January 1 in Brasilia.

Mr Ogunwusi commended Mr Lula for his love for the Africans and his vow to integrate Afro-Brazilians in the inner system of his government administration.

According to him, this would be unprecedented in the lives of Afro-Brazilians for which the African people worldwide will give his government unflinching support.

He pointed out the significance of the emergence of Mr Lula as a leader who would work for the masses.

Mr Ogunwusi said he believed that Mr Lula would specially work for African-Brazilians and productively partner with the African continent for development, especially in areas of cultural tourism and traditional religion.

“I am delighted to have been invited to this epoch event for the inauguration of President Lula who is our in-law in Africa. I would have been here today but it coincides with some Oduduwa Festival activities in Ile-Ife, the cradle of mankind, so I decided to send a delegation to represent me here,” said the Ife monarch.

He added, “Well, the new president is obviously a man of the masses; he’s a lover of Africa and as you may have heard him in his inaugural address here today.”

The Ooni said the new Brazilian president planned to engage in productive partnership with the African continent and ensure adequate participation of the African-Brazilians in his government administration.

Mr Ogunwusi said, “This to us is very significant; don’t forget that Africans represent not less than 60 per cent of the population in Brazil. Therefore, if that is what he has come to do, then, the entire African people worldwide will support him. If a government is about the masses here, it means that the government is for Africa.”

He explained that MrLula “has always been one of us in Africa, that’s why you see that the continent is well represented here today; Angola, Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria and the rest.”

(NAN)