The President of the Kogi State Traditional Council of Chiefs and the Attah Igala, HRM Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni II has charged Igala sons and daughters to close ranks in order to bring rapid transformation to the Kingdom.
This is as he noted that the recent victory of the kingdom at Federal High Court Lokoja, in which ten billion naira was awarded as reparation to him, has opened the floodgates of good things to the area and urged the people to develop prosperity mentality in the pursuit of their daily activities.
The Monarch gave the charge on Tuesday in his palace at Idah when the Chief Executive Officer of Waves of Minds Resources International, Mr Ocholi Yusuf Okpanachi paid him solidarity visit over the Federal High Court Judgement.
He stated that the recent victory was a testimony that God has the capacity to right the wrongs meted to Igala kingdom by successive administrations in the country and called on the people to tap into the gains of the judgement to develop the Igala Kingdom.
He disclosed that the Igala Kingdom is blessed with abundant human and natural resources that abound within the area that if properly tapped will catapult the zone to prosperity and advise for concerted efforts to change the narratives of poverty to prosperity.
He added that iron ore and limestone are found in high quality and quantities in Itobe, coal at Okaba and Omala, and crude oil deposits at Ibaji. He advised the citizenry to seize the opportunity by adding value to the natural resources to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.
“The recent victory of the kingdom at Federal High Court was to put history in its proper perspective. I sue for calm and peace and urged the people to avoid acts detrimental to the peaceful coexistence of the state.”
The Royal Father told his guest to partner with his fellow compatriots to ensure that the negative narratives of Igala not lending helping hands to their people should be exchanged for the people who have burning desires for the progress of their fatherland.
He lamented at the balkanization of the kingdom right from the colonial era which has affected the landmass and the population saying that the judgement is to return back what rightly belong to them.
Igala kingdom was the only kingdom in the colonial era that belonged to the two protectorate. The Idah District was merged with Onicha Province of Southern Protectorate while Ankpa and Dekina Districts were excised to the Northern Protectorate.
“Even when the the country got her independence, we were being push from one place to the other. First in Kwara, Benue and now Kogi state. When we came to Kogi state we have more Local Government Councils than those from Kwara. But when General Ibrahim Babangida was creating additional Local Government Councils, he omitted Igala Kingdom thereby literally turning us into minority where we have superior population,” he said.
While calling on the people not to see their little success as eldorado which will not allow them to strive harder, said his intention and prayers is to build housing estate at Itobe and functional port which will ensure that average Igala staying his village can create wealth.
In his response, the CEO of Waves of Minds Resources, Mr Ocholi Okpanachi commended the Monarch for his resilience until he secured the court judgement for his fatherland and promised to close ranks with others to bring back their wealth to the communities that made them.
He promise to kick start his community initiatives just as he flagged off the construction of a multi million naira 500 meters road and a channel which have been a menace to his people.
According to Okpanachi, the project, which is part of the philanthropic efforts of his construction company, Wave of Mind Resource Nigeria Limited, is aimed at controlling the gully erosion and easing movement in the area.
He said the road project was expected to cost N8.6 million while the drainage would gulp N3.2 million.
Speaking at the flag-off of the projects at Ogwolawo community in Ofu LGA, Okpanachi said his decision to construct the road and fix the drainage was borne out of his concern for the suffering of the community, especially during the rainy season.
“I grew up to meet this particular road in a bad condition in this community and people living along this axis find it difficult to access their houses during every rainy season.
“The bad condition of the road has created unbearable hardship to residents of this area and as a young boy growing up in the community, I vowed that if God Almighty gave me the financial power, I will construct the road for my people without seeking help from any body.
“Today God has given me the financial capacity to fulfil my promise, that is why I moved my construction company down to the community to fix the road and construct the drainage that will control the erosion for my people,” he said.
