The reduction of the Igala people from historical stabilisers of regional power to political spectators within Kogi State is not merely an electoral misfortune; it is a moral and structural crisis. A people who once shaped political direction now struggle for relevance in negotiations that define their own future. This decline cannot be explained solely by party defections, demographic shifts, or electoral strategy. It reflects a deeper erosion of unity, vision, discipline, and collective purpose.
Historically, Igala political organisation revolved around the institution of the Attah of Igala in Idah, which symbolised cohesion and moral authority. While modern governance has rightly separated spiritual worship from state administration, the cultural principle behind that system was clear: leadership carried responsibility before the community and before God. Authority was stewardship, not entitlement. Power was restrained by accountability, not driven by appetite. That moral framework, more than ritual, was the real strength of the old order.
What has weakened Igala political influence today is neither the abandonment of ancestral rites nor native political/administrative system; it is the abandonment of collective discipline. Fragmentation, internal rivalry, short-term bargaining, and the prioritisation of personal gain over communal advancement have gradually hollowed out strategic strength. When Igala elites submits themselves to slavery in order to eat crumbs, i mean pursue individual survival rather than collective advancement, a people slowly move from negotiating power to requesting favour. The transition from stakeholders to beggars does not happen overnight; it happens when unity is traded for convenience.
As a Nigerian concerned with socio-economic development, the issue is not nostalgia for pre-colonial systems nor endorsement of any form of idolatry. Scripture is clear that worship belongs to God alone. However, Scripture is equally clear that righteousness exalts a nation. What once sustained Igala influence was not ritual worship but moral seriousness. I mean, reverence for order, respect for structure, and understanding that leadership is service. Those values are compatible with Christian conviction and essential for political restoration.
Socio-economic decline follows political fragmentation. When a people lose bargaining strength, infrastructure allocation weakens. When strategic coordination disappears, educational investment declines. When internal distrust grows, external actors dominate negotiation tables. Political marginalisation inevitably translates into reduced access to economic opportunity. Thus, the present condition is not only about pride; it is about development outcomes for ordinary families.
The way forward requires disciplined reconstruction. Igala elites/ political actors must move beyond personality politics and build durable strategic alliances rooted in shared developmental objectives. Youth empowerment, agricultural modernisation, riverine commerce revival, and educational excellence must replace endless factional quarrels. Emotional rhetoric cannot substitute for policy clarity.
Unity, however, must be principled. It cannot be built on silence about injustice or on blind loyalty to ineffective leadership. It must be built on accountability, competence, and long-term thinking. A people regain influence when they produce leaders who are intellectually prepared, economically informed, morally stable, and strategically patient.
There is nothing inevitable about decline. Political relevance is not inherited permanently; it is maintained through coordination and vision. The same land that once produced structured authority and regional influence can produce disciplined democratic leadership again. But it will require sacrifice, personal ambition must yield to collective destiny.
The choice before the Igala elite and youth alike is stark. Continue in fragmentation and accept diminishing relevance, or rebuild unity around development-driven politics. Restoration will not come through sentiment; it will come through structure.
A people are not reduced to beggars because they lack history. They are reduced when they neglect strategy. Igala history is not the problem. The absence of coordinated, morally anchored leadership is.
If renewal is to come, it will begin with repentance in the civic sense: a turning away from division, shortsighted bargaining, and reactive politics. Only then can political dignity translate into socio-economic advancement.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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