By Toffa Momoh, Abuja
Chief Prince Ayeni Ajayi Clement, a construction expert has advocated for the need to galvanise collective effort towards national cohesion and advancement.
Chief Clement, who made the assertions on the heels of his coronation, believes that honesty is the best policy stating that: “do unto others as you want them to do unto you.”
Giving a brief chronicle of his life and career, he said it has been very tough. “We are only living by the grace of God. What can we do? It’s our country, we manage it the way it is and pray? that God makes things better for us in the nearest future.” He said.
Profiling himself, he stated further: “Everybody knows what it should be. The construction experts should be allowed to do the work rather than giving their work to politicians and quacks in the name of party members and the rest of them. Most collapses you are seeing are buildings mostly given to quack contractors who are not experts in the field and who are ready to maximize profit at the expense of quality leaving a token for the main contractors or expertise to do the job. In the course of doing that, fake materials are bought and all of that. What I will advise as a professional is that let building projects or civil engineering projects be given to civil engineering experts and to be supervised by them. Let nobody play politics with it as it is in Nigeria.”
He advocated for discipline in all ramifications, discipline in all sectors, discipline of our political elites, discipline of our civil servants, discipline of self to make things work. He said rule of law in this country is nothing because those who have the power get it all, adding that if rule of law is allowed to play, all sectors allowed to do their work as it is, in the next 4-5 years there will be a turnaround.
Speaking on the essence of his conferement with the Odole of Ipe-Akoko chieftaincy title, he said he felt great, adding: “I must tell you that am not a fan of such things but when it came, I couldn’t reject it, I think through it, I prayed over it and I had to even goggle the meaning of ‘Odole’, what is expected of the bearer of the title and even people that have been conferred with such titles both past and present, the likes of Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo (Odole of Oduduwa Land), Chief Godwin Olusegun Kolawole Ajayi SAN, Chief Adebutu Kesington a foremost business man. Looking at their personalities, I felt honored to be counted worthy to be conferred with such a prestigious title in my community. It is a great privilege, a rare one because all the people who held this title are all great men and I want to be associated with greatness that is why am happy that my name is being written in gold among the Odoles’ in Yoruba Land.”
He said the conferement of traditional chieftaincy title would help one to be able to identify relatively productive with his kinsmen and the outer society as well as help proffer suitable solutions to the myraids of challenges bedeviling our contemporary society.
His message to the good people of Ipe Kingdom goes thus: “My message to them is that let’s put our hands together. Let’s work together giving peace a chance or even embrace peace more because it’s a peaceful community and let’s not allow intruders bring problems into our community. Let’s work as a team and we will get there. To the young ones, they should learn to respect the elders and do to others what they want others to do to them. Finally, Education is key.”
