By Aishat Ibrahim
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi Ojaja ll has shared his experience as a parent raising his daughter, Princess Adeola.
A day after his 47th birthday, the monarch took to his official Facebook page to recall how he had his share of the unique challenges that comes with parenting as he had his first child at tender age of 19.
“Parenting can be a big dream with unique challenges. It’s never a game of squid. I have had my share of its beauty as a young Father who was blessed with the most precious daughter at the age of 19. It was a huge responsibility for me, and I relied on a leap of faith and determination,” he wrote.
Reminiscing on the past, the Ooni of Ife stated that the journey of single parenting with unfamiliar experience of raising and moulding the future of a child is a tough task.
Ogunwusi said, “Reminiscent of the past, those steps of moulding and shaping the future of another life were huge tasks and calculated risk. Based on my recollection, I lived through pockets of circumstances that called my integrity and competence to questioning. I equally realised that being a single parent to a daughter in an unfamiliar footprint can be a major shift in human experience and a daunting journey as you need to help your child to navigate day to day social situations, complex feelings, and developmental changes that life prescribes.”
The monarch stated, however, that despite the hurdles of raising Princess Adeola, he had formed an unbroken bond and she has been his closest friend and confidant.
He further praised his daughter as she clocks 28, saying, “She is and will always be a huge blessing to me and life successes. I celebrate you, Princess Adeola Ogunwusi for being the epitome of my strength and dignity. Your tenacity, doggedness, and unshakable optimism to be the best in life are unarguably lifelong lessons that I cherish in you.”
