The blessings supposedly enjoyed by people of Adavi Local Government during your first term reign as Governor of Kogi State; the appointment came as surprise, and we understand you are ill advised, yet the people welcome him on board with open hands and in the spirit of accommodation as a civilized society.
The Administrator, Joseph Omuya Salami revealed his true identity, like a wicked warrior on a revenge mission. He fanned the embers of disunity using several mode of slurs, claiming Adavi Descendants and clan groups are now fourteen (14) instead of the pentamerous – Upopuvete, Uka, Uhuami, Iruku and Adeika clans.
He advanced all sorts of offensive actions and inactions toward the plight of the bona fide Adavi descendants. The present political faces by Adavi people were the responsibility of your administration.
The past Government in Kogi State understand Adavi pentamerous, and respect it as such. Before now, Adavi LGA is the most stable Local Council in Kogi State.
Dada Joseph Omuya Salami’s inordinate attitude caused rift in the management cadre of the council – the Administrative Team, and the Bureaucratic Team, with particular reference to his relationship with the Council Treasurer. The civil servants were not spared; he was accused of disposing council’s property to allies – electric power transformers, vehicles and agricultural implements. The salaries and allowances are not paid promptly as in other councils. Hence, the industrial protest in January 2020 by the workers and teachers to press home their displeasure.
He paid contemptible sum of money to his kin up to the tune of N60m via court garnishing order, at the detriment of workers’ salaries. His friends now beseech court for garnishing order each time to settle alleged indebtedness.
“Di ya vana si ozoga yi tudi, o va nyehi, anidayi oma vana do…”, at every occasion, Dada Joseph Omuya Salami constantly interlude the vexation lyric to offend the Adavi people on whose detriment he is enjoying the privileges of the appointment and office. No Adavi descendant in diaspora is doing this to their host community, even in Okene LGA. As cosmopolitan as Okene LGA is, the council headship is among the clans of Agada and Okovi. Lokoja people resisted your administration’s appointment of Nda Aaron (a settler) as Administrator in 2016. Adavi people respects your exalted office, but Dada Joseph Omuya Salami is a thorn, bleaching several norms and values as well committing various political misnormers abusing the privileges of the office. His thugs killed many of our people with particular reference to the Monday incident in Ogaminana market where one live was lost, and several others sustained various degrees of injuries. There has not been official statement; a situation that attracted Commissioner for Water Resources and Special Adviser on SDGs to condole with the deceased’s family. These two aforementioned had displayed character of future leaders.
Except your administration wants to force the activation of lawlessness in us, the appointment of Joseph Omuya Salami should be reversed. Uhuami being the only clan in Adavi that have not been patronised by your administration in terms of political appointment, whose turn is incontrovertibly to produce the next elected Council Chairman of Adavi LGA irrespective of political party platform.
Adavi and her people are in political sticky and wicked situation seeming hapless but not irredeemable. Our people’s lives and property are no longer precious because of the insensitive of the Administrator. Adavi is our heritage, Dada Joseph Omuya Salami as a migrant as his heritage somewhere intact.
We can not fold our hands to allow him waste our heritage on the alter of political interest. Hence, the clamour the to resort to our political arrangement is salient and implore you and your administration to assist in ensuring harmony hitherto enjoyed in Adavi before New Direction Administration.
– Jibril A. Suleiman PhD.
University of Ilorin.
