The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has warned Nigerians about the dangers of the second wave of COVID-19, adding it is deadlier than the first.
The Ooni, who is the Co-chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), gave the warning in his Christmas/New Year message.
“The pandemic is very much around; it is erroneous to think that the rampaging virus has gone after the first wave.
“The wave of coronavirus we are dealing with now is deadlier than what we had in the first two quarters of the concluding year 2020; so, I want to appeal to our people that it is not yet over.
“We must not lose our guards, as we can hear in the news that more people are now testing positive to the virus.
“Imagine the strange strain of the disease in some parts of the world, making some people blind while others are losing vital organs, which is absolutely new.
“While it is heart-warming that we now have vaccines coming up, the best way to overcome this virus is not to get it at all.
“Let us continue to wear our face masks, avoid crowds and continue to wash our hands with soap and clean water. We must take responsibility, as our personal safety has a lot to do with the health of the entire country,” he said.
Besides, the Ooni underscored the need to promote Nigeria’s unity and the peaceful coexistence among its citizens, urging the citizens to always focus on issues that strengthened togetherness, rather than issues causing disharmony.
He congratulated the Christian faithful globally on the 2020 Christmas celebration.
“The history of Jesus Christ is full of testimonies inspiring enough to find him worthy of emulation,” he said, describing Jesus Christ as an epitome of a tolerant and peaceful leader, worthy of emulation.
Ogunwusi also called on the Federal Government to aggressively pursue youth development programmes.
He also stressed the need to unveil economic recovery plans and policies capable of alleviating the suffering of the citizens due to the prevailing economic crisis in the country.
