The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has honored his daughter with a beautiful tribute on his Instagram page.
Sharing photos of them together, the Ooni of Ife wrote “Parenting can be a big dream with unique challenges. It’s never a game of squid. I have had my share of its beauty as a young Father who was blessed with the most precious daughter at the age of 19. It was a huge responsibility for me, and I relied on a leap of faith and determination. The Journey with my daughter, Princess Adeola was incredibly filled with uncertainty as a young Father, nonetheless, I guided my heart with all diligence and girded my loins for all the challenges.
Reminiscent of the past, those steps of moulding and shaping the future of another life were huge tasks and calculated risk. Based on my recollection, I lived through pockets of circumstances that called my integrity and competence to questioning. I equally realised that being a single parent to a daughter in an unfamiliar footprint can be a major shift in human experience and a daunting journey as you need to help your child to navigate day to day social situations, complex feelings, and developmental changes that life prescribes.
Profoundly, life taught me to exhibit an abundance measure of resilience, compassion, determination, and above all empathy which my daughter sought from me. We formed an unbroken bond, shared in our joy and challenges as my closest friend and great confidant. She is and will always be a huge blessing to me and life successes. I celebrate you, Princess Adeola Ogunwusi for being the epitome of my strength and dignity. Your tenacity, doggedness, and unshakable optimism to be the best in life are unarguably lifelong lessons that I cherish in you.
Today, I would like to pay a special tribute to all parents who are unfailingly pressing on to nurture their children and instil in them the best attitudes of godliness and good conduct. Stories and pathways may differ in human experience; however, those aforementioned traits that helped me at an earlier stage in life are absolute ingredients that can aid to create a good future for your children. Don’t do it alone, build a strong relationship through communication, lead your child to address life challenging issues, increase their problem solving excitement, be involved in their activities and never be afraid when they intend to seek independence. Increasingly, our approach to our children can shape or shatter their future.
