Saaki! Your Royal Majesty, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Alh Muhammad Tijani Anaje, may your reign bring peace, progress, and lasting development to our land.
Saaki, the Okene Waterworks stands as one of the notable legacies of our late revered monarch, Alhaji Ibrahim Onoruoyiza, of blessed memory. Sadly, this legacy has been abandoned for years, leaving the people of Ebiraland without access to potable water.
It is painful that since the Okene Waterworks stopped functioning, Ebiraland has produced two governors, yet it has not been rehabilitated. The two sons of Ebiraland have served as Commissioners for Water Resources, yet our people still lack access to clean and reliable water.
Daudu, the Ohis, Taru, all the Ohi Irebas across Ebiraland, many of you may have boreholes within your compounds. This privilege may have made the water crisis seem not issue of importance. But, please remember the thousands under your jurisdiction, men, women, and children, who trek long distances daily in search of water for drinking and basic survival.
If the same collective voice used when the Ohinoyi requested the postponement of the Eche Ane Festival of Adavi people, and which later prompted the governor to approve its continuation, had been applied to the issue of water scarcity, I strongly believe decisive action would already have been taken to restore water to Ebiraland.
To our respected religious leaders, especially the Muslim Ummah, I humbly but firmly call on all Jumat Imams, beginning with the Chief Imam of Ebiraland, Sheikh Abere, to make the scarcity of water a central topic of the Khutbah, particularly during this festive period when most leaders are at home. This will help those in authority fully understand the depth of suffering faced by the people.
To the our Islamic scholars, Sheikh Luqman, Sheikh Yaqeen Abdulkodir, Sheikh Abdulqusu, Sheik Sambai Isah, and host of others, you all have on several occasions, preached to us about the qualities of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), his selfless leadership, how he consistently placed the interests of his followers above his own, and the many sacrifices he made for their well-being. You have also taught us about the leadership of Seyyidina Umar, known for his deep sense of responsibility and accountability to the people. In that same spirit, we expect nothing less than the emulation of these noble qualities by using your voices to call on the state government to provide water for the people of Ebiraland. We have heard the story of a prostitute whose sins were forgiven for feeding dog with water. This is an evidence of how God values water. Again, if the same strong and united voice you all used last year December to speak against the oppression of masquerade which prompted the state government to swung into action and halt all the activities of masquerade immediately, is now raised against the water crisis in Ebiraland, the government will be left with no option but to act immediately.
If a masquerade asking a Muslim woman to remove her niqab could rightly provoke outrage and decisive action, then the denial of water to an entire population deserves even greater urgency.
To the cabal, no one can dispute the fact that previous administrations failed in this regard. However, if the current cabal also fails to restore water to Ebiraland, then the difference between the former and the present will simply be this: the members former cabal were unknown, but the current one are known. This would mean that the current cabal consolidated on the failures of the previous one, I sincerely pray against.
To respected individuals, particularly the Ciroma of Ebiraland, Alh Sanni Ataba Omolori, your visible relationship with the current government places you in a strategic position where your voice can make a real difference.
Likewise, Ambassador Alh Sannusi Gamaji, whose voice carries weight, can also play a crucial role, if indeed he desires for the people of Ebiraland to enjoy the same access to water that exists in his own household.
Dr. Abdullahi Mustapha, founder of the DAM Foundation, we also call on you to kindly engage the governor on the issue of water scarcity in Ebiraland and use your relationship with him to draw urgent attention to the water challenges confronting our people.
Alh. Adams Onota, the Independent Campaign Council (ICC) Chairman, the group that visited Ebira settlers in other states prior to the last election and persuaded them to return home to vote for the APC, should not remain silent on the issue of water scarcity in Ebiraland. Having campaigned actively for this administration, you cannot be exempted from public scrutiny if the government you supported fails to provide water for our people. We are all aware of your relationship with the governor, therefore, we call on you to use that relationship to ensure that potable water is provided for Ebiraland.
If all these voices exist and Ebiraland still lacks water, then the failure does not rest solely on those in power, but also on the silence of those who could have spoken. I strongly believe that on the Day of Judgment, every leader, traditional, religious, or political, will be held accountable for their role in the hardship faced by the people they led.
Allah has reasons for appointing each of you as leaders at different levels. As Muslims, we all understand the weight of leadership before Allah and the obligation to provide for the people.
The current governor and former governors are expected to be in Okene in the coming days. All the aforementioned leaders, the Ohinoyi, Ohis, traditional rulers, Imams, and Sheikhs, will likely interact with them. If Ebiraland is truly at heart, the issue of water must be raised and discussed openly.
If we cannot have water now that our own son is the governor, will it be when someone from another tribe becomes governor that we will finally have water?
May it not reach a point where we will be forced to trend the hashtag #OdodoGiveUsWater.
May Allah guide our leaders, soften their hearts, and grant the wisdom to discharge their responsibilities.
– Engr Ira Habib writes from Kogi state.
