The Emir of Ilọrin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, addressed concerns raised by a viral video purportedly depicting protesters at his palace, urging the public to remain calm and disregard the misleading clip.
The brief 26-second video, which circulated widely on social media platforms, showed a crowd gathered at the Emir’s palace, allegedly protesting the prevailing economic hardship in the community.
However, upon investigation, it was revealed that the video was from events preceding the 2019 general elections in the state, according to the Emir’s spokesman, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona. Emir Sulu-Gambari clarified that the footage had no connection to the current socio-economic situation in the country.
The Emir emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and harmony in society, urging citizens to remain peaceful and prayerful amidst challenges. He reiterated his commitment, along with other traditional rulers in Kwara State, to engage with government stakeholders at all levels to address the welfare and security concerns of the people.
In his statement, the Emir commended the responsiveness of the Kwara State government to issues affecting the masses, expressing confidence in ongoing efforts to improve the socio-economic conditions in the state.
The statement read in part, “We want to state categorically that the said video was part of the events that characterised and witnessed during the build-up to the 2019 general elections.
“The video does not have any connection with the current situation in the country. Recall that on such occasions, the Emir always expresses his concern on the need to ensure that peace and harmony continue to prevail in society.
“At the height of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the emir expressed high level of concerns and joined governments at all levels in the campaign towards ensuring that the unfortunate situation was contained while he also played frontline roles in championing the pains and interests of the masses during the scarcity of naira which inflicted hardship nationwide with no exemption to anyone irrespective of social, political and economic status.”
“We thereby appeal to the general public to disregard the video in order to avoid any misrepresentation of the scenario vis a vis the location of the gathering as reflected,” it added.
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