We the members of the Supreme Council of Igala Nation (SCIN) world wide at this point in the life of the IGALA nation and by extension the life of Kogi state deem it extremely necessary to grant this press release.
Supreme council of Igala Nation is a peaceful pan IGALA organisation with membership spread across the globe made up of all IGALAs from Kogi State, Ondo State, Oyo State, Anambra State, Enugu State, Rivers/Bayelsa State all in Nigeria and IGALAs from Democratic Republic of Congo plying our trades in different parts of the world.
SCIN deem it very necessary at this point in the life of the Igala nation to call governor Yaya Bello and his Chief of staff Mr. David Edward Onoja to order by asking them to respect his royal majesty, the ATTAH of IGALA and all other Igala royalties by leaving them alone and stopping further desecration of the palace of the Attah of Igala who also doubles as the chairman of the council of chiefs in Kogi State.
Our attention was drawn to a recent weekend political party meeting of Governor Yaya Bello’s campaign team held at the palace of the Attah of Igala with the sole objective of inaugurating members of the Governor Yaya Bellos second term campaign team and also with a second agenda of issuing out harsh threats on the Igala and Kogi people who hold contrary political ideologies and views to theirs. This was followed by forcefully getting the Attah and the other Igala royal fathers to move to Lokoja to endorse Governor Yaya Bello’s second term bid.
We the IGALA people have absolute respect for our royal fathers who as well as serving as custodians of our culture and tradition also intercede between us and our ancestors from time immemorial. We therefore take total exception to the sacrilegious use of the Palace of the Attah of Igala for unholy political gatherings where open threats are being issued to the people by Mr. David Edward Onoja and his gun carrying thugs.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Palace of the Attah is a place that unites all Igala people for peaceful and prosperous reasons and also for cleansing of Igala kingdom in times of adversity. It is not a place to draw out guns and daggers against fellow brothers who pose no threat to anybody but whom you have already impoverished by exposing them to hunger and starvation caused by your mal-administration.
We wish to use this press release to also express our distaste and condemn in totality your using of the instruments of the office of the Governor of Kogi state to forcefully drag them to Lugard house for the purpose of endorsing your second term bid.
At this juncture, it is pertinent to remind you that the respected post of the office of Governor of Kogi state was keenly contested for by two illustrious sons of Igala Kingdom, his excellency Captain Idris Ichalla Wada and his excellency Prince Abubakar Audu of blessed memory who both pulled massive neck to neck votes. That providence or political manipulations by the then higher powers that be made it possible for you to occupy a seat that you didn’t work for, should have humbled you enough to endear yourself to the hearts of the people by carrying out the wishes and will of the people within the limits of the excessive resources by way of bail out funds, Paris club refunds, ecological funds accruing to your administration coupled with the advantage of being the governor of the least indebted State in Nigeria as at when you were sworn in as governor.
Unfortunately, like an 18th century tyrant/ dictator, you choose to turn against the people who generously loved you and accepted you as the divinely chosen youthful digital age anticipated game changer governor, by denying them several months of salary and pensions, terminating the appointments of over 137 senior and experienced KSU University lecturers of their children, subjecting them to endless screening leading to endless pains and death of many even death by suicide.
Now that election bells have come ringing again demanding for accountability of your stewardship in the last three and half years and realizing that this is the time for the people who once loved and welcomed you but you punished so terribly, you chose in your ill advised political approach to start running from pillar to post.
Feeling rejected by all, like the proverbial King Saul of Israel of biblical times, you chose to go and desecrate the palace of his royal majesty the Attah of Igala by getting Mr. Edward Onoja, your chief of staff and a disrespectful subject of the Attah, to contribute his own quarter of the abomination by threatening fire and brimstone on those who drew attention of the presidency and the highly esteemed national leaders of your party to what is happening in Kogi state.
It is worthy of mention here that these national leaders of your party are men of integrity whose names have been written in all high grades of Gold or Diamond before now and whom we all respect. Unfortunately, instead of emulating such leaders, you chose to go your own unacceptable way and finally decided to humiliate all what is left for us as source of pride and unity, our royalties, by using the instruments of the office of Governor of Kogi state to humiliate them by dragging them to Lugard house and making them to read out a pre-written speech passed to them by Alh. Abubakar Ohere, special adviser to the Governor of Kogi state, a speech in which they where forced to endorse Governor Yaya Bello’s second term bid.
We want to make the following known and clear to you; our royal fathers are the custodians of our cultural heritage, artifacts and ways of worship with major roles such as leading us according to our traditions, defending, protecting and promoting our interests and all our cultural values. They also bless us their citizens from time to time and they are happy to perform all these customary requirements. They are not politicians and like father of all that they are, do not chose and anoint some of us their subjects above others.They are not political errand boys of government though help government to maintain peace within their domain despite that should not be seen or treated as errand boys.
By way of advice, If you Governor Yaya Bello have run yourself aground by your style of governance and now looking for intercessors to reach the already battered people of Kogi state, you should leave our royal fathers out of your self inflicted injuries and retrace your steps back to the car time and place were you missed them or better still correct quickly all the wrongs you are being accused of which is no secret before all men and even the high heavens. Recall sacked workers, pay up salaries and pensions, withdraw the arms given to thugs who are now killing themselves and heed the advise or follow the laid down examples of enviable leaders of your party who earlier told you “go and settle with your people” and then the people can settle with you. Until then, STOP DISTURBING OUR ROYAL FATHERS AND STOP DESECRATING THEIR PALACES.
Signed:
Prof. Dominic Ariaona, President, Association of Igala Immigrant Professionals, UK.
Ahmodu A. Olubo Onuh, University of Havana, President Igala in Cuba (an affiliate of Igala USA)
Onuoja Anuba Ibegu, President, Native Igala people, Congo DR.
Felix Baba Amade, President, Indigenous Igala brothers Union, Awka, Anambra state.
Peterside Onuh, Acting President, Igala People of Rivers and Bayelsa, Nigeria
Abubakar Bode Akeli-oja, Chairman, Amomane Igala Ondo – Ibadan, Nigeria.
Achigili Abudu Ojonile, Secretary, Supreme Council of Igala Nation (SCIN) worldwide
