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IGALA VANGUARD
e-mail Igalavanguard@gmail.com)
Phone: 09059407403
His Royal Majesty Alh. Ado Ibrahim
The Ohinoyi of Ebira Land
Okene, Kogi State.
October, 6th 2016
Our Dear respected Royal Majesty,
IMPERATIVES FOR PEACE AMONG THE VARIOUS ETHNIC NATIONALITIES IN KOGI STATE: THE NEED FOR GOV. YAHAYA BELLO TO SHEATH HIS SWORD
We hope this letter meets the palace well. We want to start by acknowledging your selfless and invaluable contributions to the growth and peace of Kogi State. We have watched with kin interests, your efforts to ensure peace not only in Ebira land, your primary domain, but also in the entire Kogi State since you assumed the throne of your forefathers many decades ago. We pray that Allah will grant you many more years in the service of our fatherland.
We are constrained to address this Open Letter to you because of our conviction that our State urgently requires the intervention of people like you to stem its current slide to disorderliness. Much as we rejoice with our youthful Governor Yahaya Bello on his emergence and serial judicial victories and wish him well in the difficult task of governance, we are worried that his new direction policy is taking on the toga of ethnic cleansing especially against the Igala race. Without doubts, if there is ever a time that our State requires the intervention of elders like you,q to keep its fragile peace, the time is now. It behoves on us as a peace loving group, committed to the development of the Igala nation and the whole Kogi State to now throw more lights on some grey issues raising serious concerns in The body polity of our dear State.
As we are all aware,the creation of Kogi State about 25 years ago, specifically in August 1991 was a dream fulfilled for its various ethnic components who had stayed together in the old Kabba Province to once again unite under one political family. It is with the joint efforts of all the tribes namely Igalas, Ebiras, Okuns, Nupes, Bassas, Ogori, Kakandas and Oworos and others that our State was able to get to where it is today, navigating through various military and civilian leaders.
The military regimes were occasioned by series of interregnum while the civilian dispensation came through the popular will and democratic process thus giving an edge to the one with the highest number of votes opportunity to pilot the over the plitical affairs of the state. Thus, since the inception of democratic practice in 1999, the Igalas have been ruling the State, except for the short period witnessed by the state owing to court decisions that nulified the election of a governor and orderd for rerun which paved way for an okun man to lead the state for 90 days.
The political equation above is naturally normal as democracy is a game of numbers that fosters the tyranny of the majority, Even at that, t does not bequeath a permanent democratic leadership position to the exclusive preserve of the Igala race. Needless to recall here that there have been a just and deafening agitation by other ethnic groups for power shift in the State. It is on this note therefore that we not begrudge Governor Bello his superlative luck of governing the State today. In fact, we wish him a successful tenure of office. All Igalas believe without questioning that power belongs to God and he apportions it as he deems fit.
We are however worried that since the Governor came on board, rather than embarking on policies and programs that will strengthen unity of the state, he has been dissipating energy on policies that divide and disintegrate us. We are concerned that the Governor in his overzealous or juvenile exuberance to right perceived wrongs of the past may have begun a systemic yet undisguised battle to decimate and dislocate the Igala nationality. The facts of the witch-hunt and open victimization are clear to all.
The vendetta and politics of isolation being promoted by the Bello maladministration is mind bugling! Let us refresh your mind with a few examples:
1. Most of the Permanent Secretaries, Directors and other top civil servants Governor Bello suspended since March are Igalas.
2. Many Igalas holding sensitive positions in Kogi State civil service have been transferred or rendered redundant by the new Sherif.
3. We have reasons to believe that the current unending screening and staff verification exercise is targeted at exterminating the Igalas not only from the civil service but possibly from the face of the earth.
4. The controversial exercise has resulted in the sudden death of many igala sons and daughters who are virtually bread winners of their families within the state. Most of the victims have either been killed in the series of road accidents witnessed in the large vehicular movements that characterized the exercise or while waiting to be screened.
5. Many of our people have been left without salaries since last December occasioning serious hardship in the land. Perhaps, our numerical strength may have made us more susceptible to these ills. Even at that, it can not be justified.
Our woes are many. Last week Friday, the Governor made moves to actualize his threat to witch-hunt prominent Igala sons and daughters who have held public offices in the State. The Governor inaugurated a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to probe the activities of two past administrations in the state from May 29th 2003 – January 27th 2012.
In clear terms, the probe is targeted at the administrations of former Governor Idris Ibrahim who recorded unprecedented achievements during his Nine years tenure in the State and his successor and immediate past Governor, Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada. Incidentally the two men are Igalla leaders. We see this as a direct attack on the Igala nation and sensibilities of our race.
We make bold to say that we are not against the fight against corruption and the need to bring sanity to the conduct of Government business where the motifs are altruistic. But we have unassailable evidences that the proposed probe is intended to rubbish the hard earned reputation of these statesmen. We have heard on good authority that the script Governor Bello is rehearsing is part of his larger fight against the Igala race.
Our race is still in a mourning mood. Your Royal Majesty, we recall the very sad circumstance that led to the death of Former Minister of Labour Late ,Barrister James Ocholi, a prominent Igala son shortly after the mysterious death of another Igalaman Late Price Abubakar Audu. We are still deeply grieved over these deaths and do not want to give room to speculations and superstitions arising from same.
It is worrisome to see the heir apparent of our political leader Mohammed Audu,son of late Prince Audu who won election but died in the process owing to providence being hauled into detention and charged to court for criminal allegations over a family dispute. As if these calamities are not enough, the Governor is bent on inflicting further wounds on the already traumatized Igala people by his sinister proposal of bringing the surviving leaders to disrepute. The Governor’s proposal is capable of raising tension in our dear State. What he needs at this time is the support of all and the experience of his predecessors, not wasting our scarce resources on political vendetta.
Your Royal Majesty we have sent this letter to you because of our belief that apart from being the traditional head of the Governor, God has placed you as the oldest Royal father not only in age but also in term of the number of years you have been on the throne. We urge to prevail on the Governor to reconsider the probe issue. We hope that the Governor will listen to you to stem the current slide to infamy and anarchy in our State.
In view of all these observations we have no reservations to extend our hands of fellowship to the new administration. We pray that Kogi State shall be great again.
Signed.
Engr. Lawrence Akpa. Pa. Ibrahim Odaudu
Convener, Igala Vanguard. Secretary
Cc:
Governor Yahaya Bello
HRM Michael Ameh Obon, II
Senator Ahmed Ogembe (Kogi Central)
Senator Isaac Alfa (Kogi East)
Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West)
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