Ooni of Ife Accepts Chairmanship of GNA-CAA Advisory Council

IN a landmark development for civic governance and community accountability in Nigeria, His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, D.Litt, CFR, Ojaja II (the Ooni of Ife and Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula) has formally accepted appointment as Chairman of the GNA-CAA Advisory Council for Ife Local Governments, under the auspices of the Great Nigerian Assembly (GNA).

The acceptance was conveyed in a formal letter from the Royal Court of Ife, dated 15th May 2026, addressed to the President and Coordinator of the Great Nigerian Assembly at its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. Bearing the royal seal and the personal signature of His Imperial Majesty, the letter stands as a historic and unequivocal royal endorsement of the GNA CAA Governance Model, Nigeria’s most structured citizen-driven accountability framework.

The letter opens with a salutation that at once announces its character and its weight: “Royal greetings from the House of Oduduwa.”

“I write to formally acknowledge and accept the appointment as Chairman of the GNA-CAA Advisory Council for Ife Local Governments under the auspices of The Great Nigerian Assembly.”

In accepting the appointment, His Imperial Majesty described it as “a great honour and a further call to service towards the promotion of community development, cultural advancement, strategic partnerships, and sustainable socio-economic growth for the Ife communities and humanity at large.”

The Ooni further affirmed his personal commitment to the mission of the Advisory Council, pledging to support it through “constructive engagement, mobilisation of stakeholders, promotion of peace, youth empowerment, educational advancement, and developmental initiatives capable of positively impacting our people both at home and in the diaspora.”

His Imperial Majesty also placed the acceptance within the broader context of national development, noting that “the enduring relationship between Nigerians in the diaspora and their ancestral homeland remains invaluable in nation-building and communal transformation,” a statement that speaks directly to the GNA’s founding identity as a global diaspora-led civic movement.

THE ROYAL ACCEPTANCE — IN HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY’S OWN WORDS

“I consider this appointment a great honour and a further call to service towards the promotion of community development, cultural advancement, strategic partnerships, and sustainable socio-economic growth for the Ife communities and humanity at large.

I appreciate the confidence reposed in my leadership and traditional institution by your esteemed organisation. I assure you of my commitment to supporting the noble objectives of the Council through constructive engagement, mobilisation of stakeholders, promotion of peace, youth empowerment, educational advancement, and developmental initiatives capable of positively impacting our people both at home and in the diaspora.

The enduring relationship between Nigerians in the diaspora and their ancestral homeland remains invaluable in nation-building and communal transformation.

I therefore look forward to working harmoniously with members of the Advisory Council and all relevant stakeholders towards achieving the vision and aspirations of the organisation.”

— Arole Oduduwa Olofin Adimula, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, D.Litt, CFR, Ojaja II, The Ooni of Ife

THE APPOINTMENT: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

The Formal Letter of Appointment was issued on 10th April 2026 by the GNA Coverage Area Administrators (CAA) for Ife Central and Ife East Local Governments, and signed by three senior GNA officers: Prince (GN) Oluwafunso Adetayo, Chairperson of the LG CAA Committee; Elder (GN) Micheal Ojo, Vice-Chairperson; and GN (Dr.) Kayode Elusoji, Executive Director of the Great Nigerian Assembly.

The letter formally constituted the GNA-CAA Advisory Council for Ife Local Governments as “a strategic body established to provide visionary guidance, strengthen grassroots leadership, and drive sustainable socio-economic development across Ife land.”

In conferring the Chairmanship upon His Imperial Majesty, the GNA cited his “exceptional wisdom, global influence, and unwavering dedication to the welfare of the Yoruba people and Nigeria at large.” The movement framed the appointment as simultaneously symbolic and strategic: symbolic, because the Ooni embodies the unity, dignity, and cultural heritage of the Yoruba nation; and strategic, because his stature and global reach will bring direction, credibility, and inspiration to the Council’s mission at a scale no other appointment could achieve.

RoleCoverageAppointment IssuedAcceptance ReceivedSigned FromChairman, GNA-CAA Advisory CouncilIfe Central & Ife East, Osun State10th April 202615th May 2026The Royal Court of Ife

The Appointing Committee

• Prince (GN) Oluwafunso Johnson Adetayo, UK — Chairperson
• Elder (GN) Micheal Ojo — Vice-Chairperson
• GN (Dr.) Kayode Elusoji — Executive Director, GNA
• Prof. (Mrs.) Eniola Oyewande
• GN Festus Olaobaju
• Rev. (GN) Amos Oladipo, US
• GN Gbenga Adefaye
• Prince (GN) Adetokubo Adeniji

GN (Prince) Johnson Olufunsho Adetayo, Chairman, Ife Central GNA CAA Governance Committee

GN (Elder) Micheal OJO - Vice Chairman, Ife Central LG GNA CAA Governance Committee

His Imperial Majesty’s Mandate

• Providing high-level guidance on developmental priorities within Ife Local Governments.
• Offering counsel on cultural, social, and economic advancement initiatives.
• Strengthening collaboration between traditional institutions and civic governance.
• Serving as the moral, cultural, and visionary compass of the Council.

THE CAA GOVERNANCE MODEL: WHAT IT MEANS FOR IFE

Ife Central and Ife East are the two inaugural Local Government Areas of the GNA CAA platform, making them the first communities in Nigeria to be fully equipped with the Fourth-Tier Civic Accountability Framework. Under this framework, citizens can systematically monitor governance, track public projects, document community challenges through Certified Citizen Reporters, and hold elected and appointed officials measurably accountable through the Record of Performance system.

The CAA Governance Model is non-political, non-governmental, and non-religious. It operates as a structured civic complement to formal government—not replacing it, but ensuring that citizens are never again passive spectators while decisions that shape their communities are made without them.

Governance Infrastructure Being Deployed in Ife Central and Ife East

• Central Coordination: A constituted GNA-CAA Committee providing central coordination and strategic governance oversight.
• Specialized Development Committees: Five dynamic units covering Infrastructure, Health, Agriculture, Youth & Education, and Security & Community Safety.
• Grassroots Committees: Ward Committees at the local level generating, pre-validating, and escalating community data.
• Certified Citizen Reporter (CCR) Programme: Training and examining civic reporters via i3cert.org.
• The Record of Performance (RoP): A public, real-time platform tracking every project, promise, and outcome.
• Local Government Global Development Fund (LG-GDF): Financing priority community development projects.
• Local Government Invest Nigeria Initiative (LG-INI): Attracting structured investment into Ife communities.
• GNA LG Pacesetter Committee: Recognizing leaders and organizations that deliver measurable community impact.
• The GNA-CAA Advisory Council: Now proudly chaired by His Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The Ooni of Ife is not merely a traditional ruler. He is one of Nigeria’s most globally recognised cultural ambassadors, acting as a persistent and passionate voice for youth empowerment, diaspora engagement, African unity, and sustainable development. His word carries weight far beyond the borders of Ile-Ife, far beyond Osun State, and far beyond Nigeria itself.

His Imperial Majesty’s acceptance of the GNA-CAA Advisory Council Chairmanship achieves three things at once:

1. Cultural and Moral Authority: It invests the GNA CAA model with the moral and cultural authority of the Yoruba’s most sacred and most revered institution. For the people of Ife Central and Ife East, the knowledge that their Kabiyesi (their traditional father and spiritual anchor) stands personally behind this governance initiative will inspire civic participation of a kind that no campaign, no platform, and no incentive alone could generate. Trust, in Nigeria’s communities, flows through tradition. The Ooni has opened that channel.
2. Global Validation: It sends an unmistakable signal to Nigeria at large, to African governance circles, and to the Nigerian diaspora worldwide that the GNA CAA model has earned the confidence of one of the continent’s most distinguished and internationally connected leaders. This is not a ceremonial gesture. It is a considered, personally signed endorsement from a leader who does not lend his name lightly.
3. Unified Spectrum of Leadership: Most profoundly, the Ooni’s acceptance affirms the founding conviction at the centre of everything the GNA stands for: that governance is too important to be left to government alone. The full spectrum of Nigerian leadership (royal, traditional, professional, diaspora, civic, and communal) must be engaged, aligned, and mobilised together if Nigeria is truly to build the communities of its dreams.

“Governance is too important to be left to government alone. It must be a shared responsibility between citizens and leaders.”

STATEMENT FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREAT NIGERIAN ASSEMBLY

On behalf of the Great Nigerian Assembly, the CAA Governance Model, and the people of Ife Central and Ife East, we receive this royal acceptance with the deepest humility, the warmest gratitude, and a profound sense of renewed purpose.

His Imperial Majesty’s confidence in the GNA-CAA mission is not something we take lightly. It is a charge—a royal charge—to be worthy of the trust that has been placed in us, and to ensure that the governance infrastructure we are building in Ife becomes a living testimony to what is possible when citizens, diaspora professionals, traditional institutions, and community leaders work in genuine and organised solidarity.

We pledge, before the people of Ife and before His Imperial Majesty, that this platform will be built with integrity, governed with transparency, and sustained with purpose. The Record of Performance will be honest. The Certified Citizen Reporters will be rigorous. The Advisory Council will be active. And the development outcomes in Ife Central and Ife East will be visible, verifiable, and real.

The People’s Voice is rising.

And today, a King has joined the people.

Dr. Kayode Elusoji

Executive Director,

Great Nigerian Assembly (GNA)