It is commonly said that Rome was not built in a day. Though this quote may literally tell of the intricate architectural processes spanning several centuries in making the Rome we now see, and how we must acknowledge and appreciate the progress made at each point of the building phases, we often say it to refer to progress made while at any great endeavor of human accomplishment. At the same time recognizing that every journey is accomplished through continuous little steps.
Since ascending the throne, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR has been quite keen about redefining the present and future of Warri kingdom in the ways that captures his vision of globally repositioning Warri and by extension Nigeria at large.
March 2023 saw a notable interaction in Warri kingdom’s foreign relations. That month, the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Her Excellency Leena Pylvanainen, made a 2-day working visit to Warri.
Beyond the red carpet welcome and rich cultural showcase, strategic tours and deep conversions were had with the purpose of identifying areas of comparative advantages, investment interests and points for mutual cooperation.
Since then, these conversations have progressed as the Red Boat has set sail across the Atlantic with His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III CFR, the Olu of Warri, together with Her Highness, Olori Atuwatse III, being received by the Government as well as key stakeholders of nation of Finland.
Upon arriving on a week long visit to Finland, His Majesty along with Her Highness set out on a study of a society globally attested to have attained excellence in one of the core pillars upon which a successful modern society is built – Education. Meeting with several education based organizations including education publishers, educational tech developers, and ultimately, the heads of the Board of the Finnish Education, His Majesty and Her Highness also visited Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools as well as a campus of the University of Tampere.
At one of the centers for learning His Majesty had an audience with a group of the future generation of Finns, most of whom were meeting a monarch for the first time. They were captivated by His Majesty’s presence, and in what may be regarded as a rare occurrence, His Majesty personally told them the story of the Warri kingdom as a means of cultural exchange.
In addition to education, other facets of development were explored as Ogiame Atuwatse III also had the pleasure of meeting the Director General, Department for Africa and Middle East, Ministry of foreign Affairs for Finland, Sofie From-Emmesberger then the Deputy Mayor of the city of Tampere, Pekka Salmi who played host to Ogiame respectively. Conversations at each point continued to bother on how to deepen further, the burgeoning relationships already established.
As the week progressed His Majesty was received by His Excellency B.B. Hamman, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and the Republic of Finland.
Finally, as a fitting conclusion to an eventful week, the Delta community in Finland hosted Ogiame and Olori Atuwatse III, to a warm reception that was warmly appreciated as it was remarked that this was an unprecedented visit in the history of the Nigeria community resident in Finland. His Majesty blessed his children and the Red Boat has since sailed across the seas on a homeward journey.
– Photos and Write Up (Except Headline) Culled from OluOfWarri Facebeook Page
