Warri Monarch to Itsekiris: If we accord more sentiment on tradition, we'll not move forward

The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, has charged Itsekiris to focus more on purpose, saying if Itsekiris accord more sentiment on tradition instead of purpose, the tribe will keep producing the same result of old.

According to the Warri Monarch, for Itsekiri Nation to move forward, purpose must lead where sentiment and tradition cannot.

Fresh Angle International can report that the king made the remarks in Warri , Delta State, Friday August 21, in a message to mark his 5th coronation anniversary.

The Olu, stated that if Itsekiris want their children to be different from the history of their forefathers, they must evolve the Itsekiri tradition into a culture that will better serve the parents and children in the future.

Below is full text of the Monarch's anniversary speech: 

The Olú of Warri Atúwatse III

5TH CORONATION ANNIVERSARY SPEECH

Itsekiri dede mo kin Aghan

Ene mi bu yiri, bu ran ran, gbu Oritse, ni utse to wun tse, gb'ene ni odon to boghor.

O se ni ne ne O tso gbara O tsaye

Omi, e bor-ene Ale, e gb'ene fe mi Afere ori fi, e kwa-ene keniken de, Oritse to kpe n'Itsekiri, O gbi ene, kuru urun Aghan we dede

Onuwe, ino kon bi Oyo Keniken den, ofo mi e wa ye

Protocols in order

His excellency, the Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, The Senator Representing Delta South, The Honorable Minister of Arts, Culture & the creative economy, The Speaker of the Delta state house of assembly, My fellow traditional rulers, those from the north led by the Emir of Zazzau & representing the Sultan, HRH the Emir of Kano; Those from the South West, led here in Person by the Alaafin of Oyo, The Olowo of Owo, & the Olori representing His Majesty The Ooni. Those from the East led here by the Eze Arochukwu And my brothers here in Delta State led by the first Vice Chairman of the state traditional ruler's council.

I greet you all.

We are deeply inspired by the kindness that God has shown us which calls for all of us to reunite, rally around the crown and the greater purpose we have been entrusted with.

These moves have been laudable and must continue to lay the right foundations that will stand the test of time; sure foundations that can serve future generations. The journey before us is noble yet demanding, one that requires not only goodwill and enthusiasm but also the wisdom, capacity, commitment and collective strength to fulfil the God-given responsibilities before us.

We cannot allow past distances to prevent future unity; we must rightly build bridges where necessary and not walls.

Our strength is not found in the numbers we exclude, but rather in the multitude that can be inspired, empowered and brought together for a common purpose. It is in unity that we embrace one another and move forward together courageously.

The crown is not merely an ornament, it is a carried responsibility to be stewarded, a legacy to be protected and a purpose to be fulfilled together. Let us remain united & rally around the crown..

MINDSET CHANGE

Throughout this week, we have displayed our rich and diverse cultures founded on strong traditions and believes. CULTURE is the WAY we do things. Looking at time like a river; when a river is stretched, we can locate where it starts, the process of its growth and where it ends. Therefore, our way of doing things, when viewed in the light of the past, the present and the future, our culture takes on a whole new meaning. It is not merely an outward expression, but it must be anchored on eternal principles that help us evolve as a people in this ever-changing world. We are who we are because of what we believe, what we accept and what we celebrate.

The way our ancestors did things in the past is what has become our TRADITION. And these TRADITIONS from the past have become our history, which is now behind us. Our present way of doing things is what determines our future. The time is now for us to properly examine our present circumstances and make decisions we believe will result in a better and brighter future for our people.

This generation inherited traditions, history and a legacy of a proud rich heritage. God, in His omniscience, does not allow any man to go back into time to make amends. This means, we cannot change the facts from our history, we cannot change past traditions or rewrite our past. While we cannot change our past or deny the reality of the present; it is this same God who gives us the power to shape the future in the way we want it.

If our future will to be different from our past or even our present, then the way we DO things must be different from the way we DID things.

If our future will be different from our past, our TRADITIONS must evolve into a culture that helps us create our future.

If the future we want for our children will be different from the history of our forefathers, then we as a people must evolve our tradition into a culture that will better serve us and our children in the future.

We appreciate the efforts of our ancestors for the way they did things, as that was relevant then and has brought us thus far. However, if we want to go further into a future that is aligned to our destiny, then we must do things in a different way from how we did things in the past.

Achieving this will require boldness to challenge ourselves in truth without sentiment and to evaluate our traditions to see where our culture needs improvement and evolution. To effectively do this will require boldness still, humility and dogged determination.

We love and value our traditions, however, tradition is not the same as purpose, it is an aid to purpose.

Purpose has to do with DIRECTION. Purpose helps us keep in focus our actions, aims and targets. Purpose is what causes us to commit to daily plans, and our long-term goals which are supported by our traditions.

If we accord more sentiment on tradition and not enough focus on purpose, we will keep producing the same result of old. We risk preserving the past at the expense of the future. To move forward, purpose must lead where sentiment and tradition cannot, towards a desired direction.

We are at a pivotal point in our existence, where bold decisions must be made, and brave steps taken, so we change the course of our trajectory. We must be alive to our responsibilities when God has clearly shown us the direction in which we must go.

I admonish all of you my children, to honor and respect those that have come before us and the traditions they have left for us.

However, let our focus be on our PURPOSE and how we can quickly attain said purpose.

We must develop new habits that focus more on creating and less of complaining. Complaining and comparison does not create the solutions we need. Instead, this keeps us stuck

May our hearts be soft for the things that are good for us, and may God continue to bless us all.

Aja mo ki Aghan oh

His Majesty Ògíamè Atúwàtse III, CFR

The Olu of Warri

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