The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has re-affirmed the family ties between Yoruba and Igbo nations, saying the two ethnic groups are inseparable members of the same family.

Oba Ogunwusi stated this at the weekend at his palace in Ile-Ife while receiving the Lagos State President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Solomon Ogbonna, who was accompanied by the delegation of African Farmers and Cultural Organisation on a courtesy visit to him.

Ooni said: “I am so happy to have the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos State President here as part of this empowerment initiative.

“This is your root. I said it recently that some of our Yoruba kinsmen with ignorance of our history came out with nugatory statements of my position on the family ties between Yoruba and Igbo people. We have to say the truth and the truth must set us all free, we are blood brothers. We should be inseparable. Please feel at home in Yorubaland and respect your Yoruba brothers and sisters too.

“We have a lot of discoveries that the Igbo and Yoruba people once lived together as one family and this will be revealed to the public. We should look at things that connect us together not those that separate us.

“There were different clans of Igbo that left Ife to establish their kingdoms. One of them rebelled back and started coming to cause mayhem in Ife (where they originally came from) and that is the Olugbo Kingdom. We should all come together and forget what happened in the past.”

On his part, Ogbonna said the Igbo people would always appreciate his efforts in unifying all the races in Nigeria to peacefully co-exist as one inseparable family, calling him an uncommon bridge builder who is well loved and respected across Africa.

Also, Chairman of Ogun Osun River Basin Authority and a member of the African Farmers And Cultural Organisation (AFCO), Sola Lawal, said they were visiting the Ooni in appreciating his agricultural empowerment for the youths and his efforts in promoting made-in- Nigeria products, which are in tandem with what AFCO stands for.