Although Igala sons and daughters have held some positions, development will not be in Igala ethnic nationality so long as division and acrimony continue to thrive among them, a former President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Omede Idris, has stated.
According to him, the Igala people are still craving for more because there are many positions both for elective and appointment, from which they have not benefited.
He cited the disunity among the Igala ethnic group, judging from the last governorship election in Kogi State which will soon be settled by the Supreme Court, to prove the disunity among Igala people.
“Other ethnic groups have used population advantage to maintain unity for a common purpose”, he stated.
Idris, Kogi State immediate-past Commissioner for Health, expressed these feelings in a keynote address entitled: “Crisis on multiple fronts: Igala language, culture and leadership in the 21st century”, which he delivered in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, during the annual national conference of Igala Association.
The paper was obtained by the Punch on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said, “Over time, there have been leadership discuss in Kogi East or Igala land, but no aggressive/sustained approach has been given to contents of such discuss for implementation. Despite the population advantage that Igala have in Kogi state in addition to educational status and land mass, the tribe has not been able to harness this advantage to the benefit of her people, due to individual rather than group or collective approach to fundamental issues that affect the people.
“Elective offices, job and appointment opportunities, project site, and development, have suffered as a consequence of this absence of internal cohesion. While states like Benue have internal cohesion and understanding in joint deliberation and negotiations amongst the various tribes, same cannot be said of Igala specifically and Kogi state in general.
“Mr. Chairman and the distinguished audience, you may recall that, of the entire Igala geo-political movement, it is only at our present abode – Kogi state – that Igala as an entity was ever privileged to have produced a democratically elected Governor of a State.”
Idris said the only opportunities nearest was in Benue state when Igala produced two Deputy Governors, late Isah Odoma and Alhaji Sule Iyaji under the platform of the defunct National Party of Nigeria when the late Aper Aku was Governor from 1979 – 1983.
According to him, it was due to sheer strength of majority population that an Igala, late Prince Abubakar Audu, emerged as the first democratically elected and Executive Governor of Kogi state between 1991 –1992, on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention.
“Over time, questions have been asked of the impact and benefits of the leadership opportunities occupied by the Igala sons and daughters on the growth and development of Igala land at the backdrop of the consequential acrimonies that are detrimental for the desired unity amongst the Igala people. These acrimonies arise from the competition for such leadership position without a central focus”, he emphasised.
The ex-NMA President regretted that while social vices, including kidnapping and cultism have become prominent with people living in perpetual fears and worries in Igala land, there is presently no clearly defined, viable and visionary leadership in Igala that could be a rallying point.
He said, “This obviously is an indication of poverty of political leadership. The outcome of 2015 general election and that of the governorship election in November/December 2015, with attendant legal debacle that may finally be laid to rest soon at the Supreme Court, is a clear manifestation of absence of viable, visionary leadership with committed followers that follow the footprints of it leader(s).
“In this instance, the led and followers/supporters were firing at each other from different cylinders and directions. Juxtapose this with leadership exhibited in the past by great people and names like sir, Ahmadu Bello, Tafewa Balewa, J S. Tarka, Aminu Kano. Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and a host of traditional rulers, Oba, Kings, Chief, etc including our own Ata Igala, Ameh Oboni and Aliyu Obaje on both regional and national politics and integration, then you would realize there have been some missing links.”
Idris said between 2012 and 2015, that were series of litigations between Alhaji Jibrin Isah and Captain Idris wada over the mandate of the Peoples Democratic Party ticket to Capt Idris Wada which dominated Courts rooms up to the Supreme Court level.
He said, “Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, handed over power to the Governor-Elect, his successor, Capt Idris Wada onJanuary 27, 2012, after almost nine years as a Governor. This followed a Supreme Court judgment on the same day over the commencement of second term after the rerun election. The snags created by endless litigations in the state almost created a crisis of transition, which elongated the vicious circle of litigation between Capt Idris Wada and Jibrin Isah.
“This took a major part of the four years first term mandate of Capt Idris Wada. The cases were ruled at various level of jurisdiction, including Supreme Court, in favour of Capt Idris Wada. Apart from the Jibrin Isah issue, Prince Audu who lost to Wada in the 2011 election pursued justice up to the Supreme Court. Idris Wada came into office on January 27 2012, when projection of economic and financial crisis were stirring on the nation.”
Credit: Punch
