His Royal Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ọjájá II) CFR, is the 51st and current Ooni of Ife. He ascended the throne of his forebears in 2015, succeeding the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, who was the 50th Ooni of Ife.
Oba Ogunwusi’s professional career is inspiring and says a lot about him. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He is also an Associate Accounting Technician. Oba Ogunwusi is a Certified member of the Institute of Directors (IoD). He is also a member of the Global Real Estate Institute. He holds a number of honorary doctorate degrees: one in Public Administration from the University of Nigeria, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and another in Law from Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State. All the above endeavours of the king have in no small measure transformed him into a well-respected personality. His contribution to the development of Ile-Ife is immense, just as he has made a lot of giant strides towards uniting the Yoruba Race.
Shortly after his coronation, Ooni Ogunwusi met the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi ,and by so doing, initiated a new era in the contemporary history of the Yoruba nation. This great move helped in diffusing the tension between the two thrones. The Oba is an advocate for the empowerment and emancipation of women and young people. Ile-Ife has experienced notable transformations characterized by initiatives such as beautification, urban redesign, and architectural reconstruction, all directed towards augmenting its attractiveness as a prominent tourist destination under his reign. Oba Ogunwusi is also a renowned philanthropist who is committed to humanity and an advocate for the less privileged. He has granted support over the years through the House of Oduduwa Foundation and, most recently, through the Hopes Alive Initiative, in October 2022, the Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) was conferred on him by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ooni Ogunwusi’s reign has brought significant development to Ile-Ife. He has succeeded in championing numerous projects which have made the town centre a must-visit by many from far and near. More people are coming in to invest hugely in the Ife project. His leadership ingenuity is top notch and worthy of commendation.
Among the many prominent projects in Ile-Ife, the ones that quickly come to mind is the IFE GRAND RESORT which houses a 3000-Seater MICE Centre, OSTRICH HUB, and INDUSTRIAL Park all in the ancient town of Ile-Ife.
The Grand Resort, located beside the tollgate on the Ife-Ibadan expressway is a brand new city of hubs driven by urban renewal initiatives of the Ooni Ogunwusi to serve as the hub for sustainable development, fountain of employment generation, radar of empowerment and satellite for branding and showcasing the cultural heritage and value of Ile-Ife the source and natural headquarters of the Ile Oduduwa race globally. The huge investment is a legacy project embarked upon by Ooni Ogunwusi for urban renewal and redevelopment into the current smart city of global requirements in the selfless spirit of ‘Charity Begins At Home’
The Ife Grand Resort and Leisure which is situated on over 1000 acres of land, aside from offering facilities for exquisite lodging/accommodation, harbour multiple industrial parks with pockets of industries currently producing many industrial and agricultural products as well as rendering essential services to the resort, the Ife community and Nigeria.
Above all is the absolute peace witnessed in Ile-Ife. Where peace prevailed among the people, there is every tendency that such people would experience monumental development and many business interests would love to come set up their plants which is a catalyst for development. The result of such a move cannot be quantified in terms of Naira and Kobo
