Igala Youth Forum has expressed shock over the derisive comments credited to Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello about the Igala race.
In a statement issued by the group’s secretary, John Audu, the youth forum demand for an unreserved apology from the governor and his appointees of Igala extraction for describing the race in despicable manner.
The forum accused Gov. Bello for mocking the Igala nation as a race of people who can sell their wives and cherished possession for mere N6,000.
The forum’s scribe argued that the Igala race as the ninth major ethnic tribe in Nigeria has produced prominent people and held positions of authority at the state, federal and international levels.
He said the denigrating statement should be reversed by the governor with unreserved public apology.
John Audu said the denial of the governor against series of affront to the Igala race, which has become a tradition, is a subtle way to sway and seek favour to further decimate the Igala nation by all means necessary
Igala Unity Forum said it had mobilised the people of Igala race who meant well for the welfare of the Igala race to take the governor’s actions and utterances against the people of the area as a serious business that will count against the leadership of the state.
He said the bad eggs from the Igala speaking areas, who have never seen anything wrong with the current administration of Yahaya Bello and indulged in misdirecting him, will pay dearly from their betrayal of trust both at home and in the public office.
“Governor Bello relies solely on his appointed leaders from Kogi East to utter delicate words aimed at denigrating the highly revered people. Bello’s actions and utterance is based on the basis of rating the entire Igala race in the category of his apologists from the area,” he said.
Audu posited that Bello’s unguarded utterances is mockery taken too far, as it has become a norm to run down the Igala race through starvation of public office, salaries and pensions as well as infrastructural development, so as to subdue the area and its people under his whims and caprices.
