The passing of His Royal Majesty, Etsu Abu Ali Mopa III has thrown our land into mourning, but it has also reopened old wounds and exposed uncomfortable truths that we, as a people, can no longer afford to hide under the carpet. In times like this, silence is not wisdom, it is danger. And today, many of us from outside the homeland are asking the same painful but necessary questions.
Now that our Etsu has joined the ancestors, where exactly do we stand?
Who are the authentic Kingmakers of the Bassa-Nge Kingdom?
What are the recognized Ruling Houses from which a new Etsu must emerge?
For decades, we have heard different versions of our own history: Some say there are two Ruling Houses. Some insist they are three. Others swear they are four. And a few even claim there are five established Ruling Houses.
How can one Kingdom have five different histories? How can one people be divided over something as fundamental as who can legitimately ascend the throne?
Where is our documented genealogy?
Where are the palace records?
Where are the oral traditions that our elders claim to protect?
Why are these facts not openly shared with the younger generation? The conspiratorial silence of our elders is no longer acceptable.
Is this how a proud people preserve their heritage? Is this how we safeguard the dignity of our Kingship institution?
Or are we quietly waiting for a time when the State Government, in the name of “peace,” will impose another tribe on us because we failed to put our own house in order?
Have we forgotten that history punishes any community that cannot define itself?
We must ask ourselves:
- Who are we?
- What is our lineage?
- What system of succession did our forefathers leave behind?
- Why is there no official compendium of our royal genealogy?
How long shall we pretend that confusion is culture?
A Kingdom that does not know its Ruling Houses cannot claim to have a legitimate monarch.
A people who cannot protect their traditional system cannot blame outsiders when things go wrong.
Where can we get authentic information?
We must demand, respectfully but firmly, that:
- The Palace should release the true, verifiable genealogy of the Etsu Bassa-Nge Stool.
- The Elders and Custodians of Tradition in all districts should speak openly and consistently.
- The uthentic development associations like NNDA(former BNDU) should set up a Historical and Succession Review Committee to compile and publish authentic records.
- The Royal Families themselves should step forward with documented history, not secretive claims.
- The Youth and Professionals across Nigeria and abroad should participate in documenting and preserving the truth.
We need a transparent, inclusive, and historically accurate succession framework. Not whispered agreements, not selective memory, not politics dressed as tradition.
If we fail to address these questions today, what will be left of our heritage tomorrow?
All genuine sons and daughters hereby call on all leaders – traditional rulers, political office holders, religious clerics and community opinion moulders to do the right thing. Let us speak now, clearly and openly, so that our children will not inherit confusion, division, and imposed leadership.
History is watching us. The spirits of our ancestors are watching us.
And the entire Bassa-Nge Nupe Nation is waiting for answers.
We must not continue like this. The time to speak is now. The time to act is now.
– Mohammed D. Ndapati
Apapa, Lagos
