The news that the activities of the Attah of Igala, though discouraging, will be regulated by the government of Kogi State greatly tickles my fancy. The news should also please anyone who greatly feels Attah desecrated his throne and brought Igala land to humiliating disrepute, by choosing to hobnob with the diseased government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello that was and is still adjudged as the most inhuman within living memory. The regulation of Attah’s as well as other traditional rulers’ activities to coronate a person only on the advice and imprimatur of the government is the comeuppance on a throne that throws away the gabardine of tribal and social decency and integrity in pursuit of whirlwind, money, materialism and greed.
The Bello-government’s statement that the regulation was to help check insecurity and violence associated with throne ascendancy and coronation is to me a smokescreen intended to rubbishAttah’s lofty power, throne and rulership. It is a subtle way of taking the traditional power from the throne and keeping it in the political bin. Igala kings are not the only kings in Kogi State. The fact that laws on land and traditional institution were made by the government without the inputs of Attah of Igala, who is the head of all the traditional rulers in Kogi State, is a testament that the current law on coronation was and is aimed at bringing Igala traditional stool to a mortifying ridicule.
Attah’s throne, just like those who supported Bello’s government through Edward Onoja, is currently suffering the political insensitivity of this government. Attah was dragged into this current chargrin by the then Chief of Staff, now Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja. Onoja forced Attah to support the battered and shattered government of Bello that the world, the dying and the suffering people of Kogi State and Nigerians in general had rejected. Edward has fallen apart with his supposed Siamese twin brother, Yahaya Bello, and is currently enjoying the fate – good or bad – of the former Deputy Governor, Achuba. Edward’s camp men and women, supporters, data rats and e-minions are alsocurrently suffering different forms of humiliation. Attah and his throne are therefore suffering the sameabasement that comes with Edward’s office. After all, Attah was a Bello’s supporter through Edward.
The Attah of Igala conceived, incubated, delivered and supervised the desecration and profanity of Igala land, sacredness, tradition, practices, observances and people. Rather than preserve the known norms and values of the land, Attah preferred to please his personal needs, greed and desire by selling out the values of the throne just to enjoy the promises of gifts, money, fortune, heaven and earth from Edward. He did the bidding of and dirty jobs for Mr Edward, whose desire was to sell out his own greed by bringing Bello to power – at all costs.
Today, both the “promisor” (Edward) and the “promisee” (Attah), who together violated Igala land and its people are struggling to earth their limbs on the government they brought into power, and to save their own faces in their various places of influence with the government.
He who kills Igala land will Igala land kill.
– Odih Daniel N.,
Ibadan, Nigeria.
