By Dr Tony B. Ogboji
Nowhere is unity of purpose and or survival, is more palpable than in the animal Kingdom . Viewers of Geographical channels or Earth channels will unarguably agree that the key to survival is communal spirit of mass attacks and mass Defence . The lion pride jointly go on hunting for bigger preys to be able to feed their clans.Also the buffaloes that provides enough food for the pride of lions can easily withstand the lions’s onslaught if they act together in communal Defence . A single buffalo, as strong as it is, cannot withstand the pride of lions.Like the buffaloes, we must act in unison to contain the ravaging lions attacking our home land and our people. The clouds are gathering in Kogi east . The shepherd has been strucked and the flocks are in disarray. The events in kogi East the past weeks call for sober reflections. Individuals have been Mowed down and devoured like games by the ravaging lion and their agents . We are counting our looses with tongues in cheek and in disgust like the proverbial sedentary angry toad that chooses to swell up in rage instead of confronting and going after the traducers .More worrisome is that our people are even accepting the attackers’s narratives and the price paid by the victims. Some called it the judgement of karma. Others are jubilant that the reign of the local “Terror” has ended abruptly . With such justifications, the attackers are emboldened and moved to other targets , all in kogi east and silence now envelopes the once vociferous kingdom. It is not yet daylight, and the looses are legendary. Radio Kogi , Ochaja, has gone up in flames . What is the justification for that ? May be the cessation of obituary announcements from that quarter will provide alibi for those who think life will continue in perpetuity, since some complained that the constant obituary announcements from the station is the “cause of frequent deaths” in Igala land .Our kingdom is a land of peace but peace has eluded us since we decided to take our destiny into our own hands.
The kingdom has no representative anywhere in Nigeria, be it at the National Assembly or State house of Assembly or local councils. All of them have converted themselves into employees of the state instead of the people that elected them. How can your people be so mercilessly murdered in broad day light and you can not raise your voice to call on the higher authorities to intervene? Or is it because you choose to represent the oppressor instead of your people? Shame . All we hear are nattering nabobs of negativism and nitwitism from our elected representatives. Blaming and casting aspersions on the victims. Igalas are not respecting them enough, Igalas are insulting them , Igalas are not consulting them and other lame excuses as though they have ceased to be Igalas after being elected . As a result, they help compile hit lists for the oppressor . All notable Igala men and women are said to be on the hit list . The only offence is daring to support an Igala candidate or candidates. It took Senator Na’Alla from Kebbi state to rise in condemnation of the massacre in kogi state on the floor of 8th or 9th Senate thereby drawing national and global attention to the genocide in the state but who withered our reps?
We have gone this far to support our own , as a result, we are brutalized. But let tarry and think aloud , what if after all these , we loose the November election, what become the fate of the kingdom and her people? The loss is steering me in my face and water running down from my eyes as I write . Despite our electoral advantages , if we go to this November election with more than one candidate, we will definitely loose the election. Like what happened during the PDP primaries.Then , As Americans will put it , “ we ain’t seeing noting yet”.
As a result of the event of the past weeks, many of our people are capitulating. The enemy is coming with Bullets and breads . Nocturnal meetings are going on . LGA chairs are harvesting the land for their paymaster. Some elsewhile braves have chosen bread instead of bullets , some are gleefully going on photo ups at the state house to pledge their loyalty and be saved from the Bullets . The purpose of the visits are intriguing. A determined enemy with a determined force cannot be appeased or required to reason . The reasons are obvious to the lame . The day we choose Ododo, the guns will go silent .The spirit of envy ,Jealousy , subtle cronyism and sell outs have set in already . Let no one go there to beg or serenade the emperor on our behalf or enquire why we are being massacred.
Let stop the deceptive statesmanship and other actionable duplicities.
Not everyone have capitulated though . The youths have emerged as our heroes. They have matched on our capitol and drawing the global attention to the genocides in our land in the name of election. Our learned SAN and the Chair of elder’s council have raised their voices in condemnation of the Ejule massacre. Nothing is heard in condemnation from some candidates.
Again , this struggle is beyond any particular candidate or the ambition of any particular person. Our kingdom is facing existential threat of a monumental proportions. Our freedom today was purchased by the blood of our heroine, Inikpi and woe betide those that sabotage our collective efforts and struggle for liberation. Whether the saboteurs are candidates who know they don’t have what it takes to win but remain to act as spoilers or supporters who know too well their candidates are ill prepared but continue to urge them on for pecuniary interests or using them to spoil the chances of others, are guilty of sabotage.
In the same vein , any candidate that remains in the race to deplete Igala votes are paving way for Bello/Ododo.
Any body working for a weak candidate and urging him on is working for Bello/Ododo.
All those seating on the fence and remain indifference are working for Bello/Ododo.
In search of unity , the Elder’s committee headed by the inimitable avuncular, Pa Gabreal Aduku, painstakingly reviewed the works of other subcommittees, verified all credentials of the candidates, came up with a consensus candidate to the applause of the majority of our people, yet some people, under the auspices of “Critical Stakeholders “ propped up another candidate against the consensus candidate as announced by the elders committee. The irony is that some of these critical stakeholders have been mesmerized and driven into oblivion by the roaring lion but are now cashing out on the life boat offered by the noble admiral to swim ashore of political filmaments . Yes , that is good as we need everyone on board to prosecute and recalibrate this election. What is worrisome however is their grandstandings and arrogation of absolute know how of election rigmaroles unto themselves even though many of them could not win their constituent in the last elections or even their party primaries. But that is by the way .
This quagmire have thrown up two leading candidates or serious candidates and emboldened the not too serious to tag along and exert their heart desires of , if not them , then no one should go to lugard house from Igala land while dawning the consequences for our people. Such crabs mentality. There will always be another elections. Let no one sees immortality in Kogi Governorship.
The way forward is looking at ourselves and telling each other the home truth. Igala land is hemorrhaging. Our critical assets are fast depleting, Bello is presently advertising most of government assets in kogi east , poverty and diseases are our companions, we are vanishing from the national stage, now, life is short and brutish and our human capital are wasting away .
George Akume, today’s Secretary to the Federal Government, was a chairman of our Idah Local Government. His political trajectory since then have been in ascendancy. Compare that with the present Chairman of Idah LGA and other LGA chairmen of our land, is the difference not clear ? Our hero , Dr Achema was chairman of Idah LGA, see how far he went and the dignity he brought to public service before he was shot down . Let our LGA chairmen know that their position is a political incubation that can usher them to greater heights if only they can reframe from acting out the terror scripts.
The elders have spoken. Our consensus and other candidates are on the table. Time for real talk is now . Politics is about negotiations. Is about give and take . Well meaning people and academia should join the fray of negotiations and midwife a single candidate from our extraction. No time for bickerings and picuyanism. Let the Igalas unite and form a formidable front to confront the onslaught against our people. No single person or candidate is strong enough for the enemy . Unity is strength . Unite, Igalas Unite to save our land and our people.
