Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has clarified that Osun faithful are not idol worshippers.
The monarch spoke on Saturday in his palace when he received devotees as the ancient city celebrated the Osun festival.
The Ooni admitted that coronavirus was still ravaging.
Ogunwusi urged Nigerians to always observe laid down precautionary measures and avoid circulation of fake news.
“We were forced to restrict this celebration which is a major festival in Ife. Our restriction made us ensure that we don’t create more problems while trying to solve the one at hand,” he said.
Ogunwusi explained that the Osun festival is the celebration of water, noting that everyone knows that water is life.
“We’re using this instance to reconnect with our Creator through nature to cleanse the world, and especially to end the pandemic. We are remembering our ancestors and it is unfair to call us idol worshipers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Herald.ng earlier reported that the government of Borno State has reiterated that 601 repentant Boko Haram members were paid N20,000 as stipend after they were reintegrated back into society as protests against the move continue to grow.
The commissioner of information for Borno State, Babakura Shatau also said the repentant Terrorists were given starter packs by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) and the International Migration Organisation to begin the various vocations they learned while being re-indoctrinated by the Federal Government.
The commissioner denied reports that the former terrorists who carried arms against the Nigerian State were given N100,000 each.
He said further that only ten percent of the re-integrated Terrorists were actual Boko Haram members stating that most of them were abducted and forced to fight for the Islamic Terrorist Group.
While speaking in an interview with a correspondent from Punch, the Commissioner said;
“They are 601 of them and the question of government giving them N100,000 each does not arise. What happened is that the North East Development Commission gave them starter packs. Some of them trained as barbers so they were given clippers and generators and then given N20,000 cash and their shops will be paid for.”
“What the government will do is that they will be brought to Borno State from Gombe and they will be housed in two orientation camps where there are facilities for training and for them to practise whatever they were taught in Gombe.“
The Defence Headquarters had announced the reintegration of 601 repentant Boko Haram Terrorists back into society to the dismay of Nigerians who condemned the move on social media.
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