The Igala nation was one of the most highly rated Kingdom in the past. Largely because of her Economic and political disposition. Economically, the nation was sufficient that she was even borrowing money to the old Kano emirates, and politically, the people were well coordinated that everyone was structured to reflect progressive minds.
Today, Igala can not be equated with what we have in the past. Not because we have no potentials or lost them but because there was no sustenance through mentorship as a way of continuing with the good old days, and for this we have lost values, we have lost culture, we have lost ethics and we have lost definition.
WHAT IS MENTORING?
Mentor has been defined in many ways dating back to Greek mythology. In the simplest sense, mentorship, or the act of mentoring, describes an experienced person (mentor) guiding a less experienced person. These relationships include academic advising, research or laboratory supervision, evaluation, informal support, personal support, and career coaching. Mentors provide support beyond teaching and learning to include social and personal elements. Mentoring is a collaborative learning relationship that proceeds through stages over time and has the primary goal of helping a less experienced person acquire the essential competencies needed for success in that person’s chosen career.
Mentoring interactions can be informal or formal, short or long, spontaneous or planned. Mentoring relationships can occur naturally in a spontaneous manner, and the development of the relationship may be gradual and informal in nature.
Ideally, mentees and mentors engage as partners through reciprocal activities such as planning, acting, reflecting, questioning, and problem solving.
Mentoring is a proven strategy for positive youth development. Youth are more likely to succeed in life when they have the additional support of a caring, consistent adult mentor. Having a mentor can enhance a young person’s learning skills and help build resilience and self-control. Youth with mentors are less likely to engage in risky behavior with drugs and alcohol, and are more likely to develop positive relationships with peers and adults, and to grow up to become productive members of the society.
The problem of Igala land today are the Youth. We are being left to think for ourselves, fend for ourselves, act for ourselves because there are no guidance, no road map for development, no economic and political blue print for the Igala land.
Everyone is left to think differently for his or her personal gain and this has caused ranchor and acrimony in the land resulting to disunity, greed, self-centeredness and ultimately, insecurity.
Lack of political mentorship has led to why thuggery, Arm Robbery, cultism, prostitution, illicit use of drugs is becoming the order of the day in Igala land today.
Lack of economic mentorship has led to acute poverty, ‘Omewede’, over dependency on government patronage, kidnapping, laziness, low self esteem and what have you.
Those who are fairly doing well do not want others to attain their level, so will block all roads to the top so they will remain on top and be called Renkedede Forever. That is why Igala land politically and economically has no succession plan. All these are to the detriment of the land.
We have very important mineral resources spread across the land, we have very fertile soil for massive agricultural ventures to feed this nation, we have the human capacity to develop our land but we lack the vision to see that through mentoring the Young people to see the need to develop the land things will be better off.
We have captains of industries spread across the nation but we do not have any industries on our land.
We can not continue like this, the world is changing, nations are building people to attain self sufficiency, nations are drawing road map for development and birthing ideas to see their lands competing with others in years to come.
Igala land can not be left behind. It is high time we started talking about the land, it is high time we are shamed by the decayed state of our land, it is high time we have a discussion to discuss our economic and political problems as a people, it is high time we think succession. It is high time we think about mentoring the Youths to drive the process to success, for I will say that a nation without Youths with vision for development is a nation without future.
