The people of Kogi Central and Kogi West in Kogi State are now going
through serious siege mentality because the people of Kogi East, the
Igalas have colonized them since the creation of Kogi State in 1991 and
are now ready more than ever before to maintain the status quo in
perpetuity . What is more glaring ! the Igalas have emerged as the
governorship candidates of the two major political parties in the State,
APC and PDP for the governorship election scheduled for 21st of November,
2015.
Immediately after the two times former governor of Kogi State, Prince
Abubakar Audu emerged as the APC flag bearer in the State, investigations
and personal observations revealed that Igalas everywhere were
congratulating each other and or one another. Why the congratulations
everywhere on an election that has not been conducted and won by anyone?
The answer is that now, heador tail, they believe the governor of Kogi
State is once again theirs. If Audu wins and Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril Echocho
is not going to get the ticket of PDP in 2019, he (Echocho) will be
prevailed upon to defect to APC so that Audu can hand over to him. Where
Echocho secures the ticket of PDP in 2019, Audu would work for him even
as APC governor. This anti-party activity will mean nothing to him as far
as the Igala Agenda remains intact according to rumours making the rounds.
I will now trace this long-standing Igala Agenda. Immediately Prince
Abubakar Audu became the first governor of the newly created Kogi State in
1991, the Igalas are believed through what they say and do to have come up
with this Agenda that what happened to them when they were in Benue State
that they never tasted Political power as governor must also happen to the
Ebiras and the Okuns. This Agenda is without prejudice to the fake
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)according to Abubakar Audu between him
and the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi and Alhaji Sule Okene in his residence
in Okene concerning rotation of governorship between the Igalas, the
Ebiras and the Okuns.
The first knowledge of this Igala Agenda was Audu argument that he was
not disposed to hand over political power to the Ebiras because as he put
it, Okene in Ebiraland is already the London of Kogi State! To concretise
this Agenda, Audu created 15 additional Local Government Areas from the
original six that came with the State and which was two each from the
three Senatorial Zones that make up the State, Of the 15 new L.G.A, he
gave Kogi East 7, Kogi West 5 and Kogi Central 3. Yes, Mission
accomplished! It is based on this number of L.G.A he shared political
appointments and other positions and resources. While the Igalas are given
65-70%, 30% to the Okuns, Ebiras are usually given 10% or so. National and
State resources, Political positions and appointments are not shared
according to populations of the federating States or L.G.A alone.
Other criteria include equality of States or L.G.A, availability of
natural resources (derivation
principle) and so on.
Unfortunately for the Ebiras and the Okuns, this is what the Igalas have
been doing since the Sexteen years they have been ruling us in line with
an Agenda they consider to be sacrosanct. I used the word fake for
the so-called MOU referred to earlier in this article because of the later
actions and utterances of the Igalas. Audu transferred all the operating
equipment of Obangede School of Nursing in Okehi L.G.A. to Igalaland. The
School of Nursing was established when the Ebiras were in Kwara State and
it was second of its kind in the State then.
Many Igalas were alleged to have said that their men, women, wives and
in-laws would continue to rule the Ebiras and the Okuns in perpetuity.
Another demonstration of the existence of the Igala Agenda was by Governor
Idris Wada when he was incapacitated for more than three months in
hospital as a result of motor accident. Impeachment was staring him in the
face in line with the constitutional provision. He was said to have
discharged himself from his sick bed, used his walking-stick to his
awaiting Vehicle to go quickly and enter his office so that no non-Igala
person would sit in the Lugard Hall as acting governor even for a day!
This is because if he had been impeached, the then speaker of the State
House of Assembly, Honourable Abdullahi Bello, an Ebira man would have
acted as governor for six months in line with the constitutional provision
before election is conducted to elect a new governor.
Audu was quoted to have argued that he wants to be the governor of Kogi
State again for the third time instead of an Ebira man because he would
not be able to control an Ebira governor in the State. Who Controlled him
when he was governor of the State two times? In what capacity does he want
to control the governor of Kogi State? Is he the Chairman or Leader of the
party in the State?
In fact, no Chairman or Leader of any party controls the governor of any
State today anymore. Yet, this is the same Audu some person in Ebiraland
believe will hand over to him as governor of Kogi State in 2019 if he wins
again.
The former Prime minister of Britain, Wilson Churchill said: I will
not be the first Prime Minister to preside over the liquidation of the
British Empires. I bet those Ebiras with blind political ambition
and other doubting Thomas that no Igala man, woman, wife or In-law will
relinquish power to another person other than Igala in Kogi State.
The late Alhaji Abdulrahaman Okene as Secretary of Interior, Alhaji Aliyu
attah as the Inspector General of Police and retired General Salihu
Ibrahim as the Chief of Army Staff during former president Ibrahim
Badamasi Babaginda regime were instrumental to the creation of Kogi
State in 1991.
Assuming the Igalas are magnanimous enough to appreciate the contribution
of the aforementioned people to hand over political power to the Ebiras at
their own chosen time, are we supposed to wait for that? When off course,
we can fight for it and collect it from them when they are not more than
the Ebiras and the Okuns combined together. I will return to the question
of population very soon.
Prince Abubakar Audu is not actually qualified to be governor of Kogi
State again on legal and moral grounds. Having taken the oath of office as
governor of Kogi State first on the 22nd January, 1992 and second time on
the 29th May, 1999, he is disqualified to vie for the same position the
third time. As a result of the annulment of June 12 presidential election
by president Ibrahim Badamasi Babaginda and the coming on board of the
late General Sani Abacha on the 18th of November, 1993, Audu first
tenure/term was shortlived, having spent only one year, ten months.
However, Prince Audu completed his second term from the 29th of May, 1999
to the 29th May, 2003. This is where he is again disqualified from seeking
the same office a third time as he has spent five years, ten months
previously. If he contests again and win, all other things being equal, he
will spend another four years, plus the previous 5 years, 10 months,
making 9 years, 10 months. This is above the cumulative 8 years
recommended by the constitution and he swore two times to protect and
preserve the content of the constitution both in its letters and spirit.
His moral burden serves as a disqualification for him. His indictment by
the EFCC in 2007 for siphoning a whooping eleven billion naira from Kogi
State coffers led to his disqualification by INEC during the April 14 2007
governorship election. INEC had used the EFCC indictment and arrest and
uncompleted prosecution to disqualify him, even when his then party, ANPP
cleared him. His case with the EFCC is still pending today.
Since the emergence of Prince Abubakar Audu as the flag bearer of APC in
the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi State, there has been a lot
of disquiet among the Ebiras and Okuns. The questions on the lips of the
people are:
1. Why APC with the slogan of Zero tolerance for corruption allow the
likes of Audu to contest in an election under its platform?
2. Why has EFCC been sleeping over this celebrated case since 2007?
The answer to the first question we think is an oversight on the part of
the leadership of APC then since the stand of the party on the former
governor of Baylsa State, Timipre Sylva should and must be the stand of
the party on other aspiring members of the party like Audu and others.
People who lave cases with EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies must
first clear their names before they can contest in any election. This is
because what is good for the geese is good for the ganda.
For the second question, we strongly believe that for whatever reason the
EFCC has been sleeping over Audu case, it is a slap by Audu on the
faces of all anti- graft agencies in general and EFCC in particular for
coming out to contest again. The concerned Ebiras and Okuns would want the
EFCC to reopen Audu case without further delay.
On the population of Kogi State, I would like to argue that it is criminal
for the Igalas to have been cornering 70% of the resources, Political
positions and appointments into the State Civil Service for 16 years now
just because they are more in number than the Ebiras or the Okuns. Some of
them say that it is because they are more than the other two senatorial
districts combined together. This is a pathological lie. No one senatorial
district has more people than the other two in any State in Nigeria. There
are 3 senators from each State irrespective of the population. Everything
cannot be based on population. Ditto for governors: One State, one
governors, One State, One Minister. That is why the two biggest States of
Kano and Lagos with 44 L.G.A and with over 9 million people and 20
L.G.A with over 9 million people respectively have the same number of
3 senators and one governor with the two smallest State of Bayelsa and
Nasarawa with 8
L.G.A and 13 L.G.A. and with less than 2 million people each
respectively.
According to the 2006 Census final results, the population of the Ebiras
and the Okuns combined together are 355,755 more than that of the Igalas
CENSUS RESULT FOR KOGI STATE:
KOGI CENTRAL
1. Adavi 217, 219
2. Ajaokuta 122, 432
3. Ogori Magongo 39, 807
4. Okehi 223, 754
5. Okene 325, 623
TOTAL: 928, 655
KOGI EAST
1. Ankpa 266, 176
2. Bassa 139, 687
3. Dekina 260, 968
4. Idah 79, 755
5. Igalamela Odolu 147, 048
6. Ibaji 127, 572
7. Ofu 191, 480
8. Olamabolo 158, 490
9. Omala 107, 968
TOTAL: 1, 479, 144
KOGI WEST
1. Mopa Muro 43, 760
2. Ijumu 118, 593
3. Kabba/ Bunu 144, 579
4. Kogi 115, 100
5. Lokoja 196, 643
6. Yagba East 147, 641
7. Yagba West 139, 928
TOTAL: 906, 244
PER CENTAGE
1. Kogi Central 28%
2. Kogi East 45%
3. Kogi West – 27%
From this data, the Ebiras and the Okuns are 355, 755 people more than the
Igalas. Yet, these people are usually given about 30% to share while the
Igalas cart away 70% of whatever is available to share in Kogi State for
the past 16 years now! This population figure must have changed
substantially in favour of the Ebiras and the Okuns in the past 9 years
now. While the Igalas are almost 50-50 per cent muslims and Christians and
the Muslims there are permitted by their religion to marry more than one
wife thereby giving births to more children than their Christian brothers,
the Ebiras and the Okuns are between 70 to 80 per cent Muslims and that
means more population in those two senatorial districts than the other one
in the past 9 years.
Audu Stated that he wants to be the next governor of Kogi State because
most of the people jostling for the position are inexperienced and are
mostly school certificate holders! Why all this hocus pocus by Audu and
some Ebiras are allowing themselves to be deceived by him?
Whoever he had in mind cannot include senator Nurudeen Usman Abatemi,
Adinoyi Onukaba Ojo, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, not to talk of our highly
respected 8 years Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Chief Philip Salawu.
Abubakar Audu was not near Chief Philip Salawu in qualifications when he
first ruled Kogi State. Chief Philip Salawu is a qualified and
internationally acclaimed Accountant par excellence. He was for 8 years
Deputy Governor to Alhaji Idris Ibrahim who is a carpenter cum hotelier.
His vast wealth of experience in accounting which he brought to bear on
the management of financial and human Capital resources saved Ibrahim
Idris administration from insolvency. What we are witnessing today in
Kogi State under Captain Idris Wada administration is result of the
lack of the likes of Chief Philip Salawu in a high-ranking position at the
Government House in Lokoja.
Accountants as governors and other forms of Chief Executives are known
everywhere to be prudent Managers of both financial and human resources.
Chief Philip Salawu is one of the most loyal, hardworking, dynamic and
colourful Deputy Governors in Nigeria. The research I carried out on such
loyal Deputy Governors revealed that, if they are given opportunity as
governor, they are high achievers. Examples include: Babatunde Fashola of
Lagos State, present Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
and Alhaji Abdulrahaman Shagari, former Deputy Governor of Sokoto if he
had been given the ticket by the PDP to contest in Sokoto State and won.
Today in Kogi Central and Kogi West, Chief Philip Salawu is our only
saving grace. We must thank God he is contesting as Governorship Candidate
in Kogi State under the Labour Party.
Unless the Ebiras are under curse by the Yoruba elders of Ilorin, as some
people believe when the late Alhaji Adamu Attah was Governor of Kwara
State and we Manhandled them in their very home, We must rally round Chief
Philip Salawu to collect back this position which God gave us during
president Babaginda regime and we gave it to the Igalas to enjoy first
because we wrongly thought that they are like us.
Even if we are under curse, the effect of that curse can be neutralized
with our unity the way those elders sat down together, united and cursed
us.
This now leads me to talk about the Ebira National Dialogue Conference of
20th June, 2015. EPA National President, Dr. Abdulrahaman Musa Adeiza
charged the participants thus:
Arising from this meeting, I expect this message to be taken to the
hamlets, cottages, villages and towns in the senatorial district.
This part of his speech gives me the copy right to quote him copiously in
this article. Dr. Adeiza said: Our physical boundaries are being
daily challenged on all fronts by our, More resolute and united neigbours;
Our identity is gradually being attenuated through a well-designed and
heavily- funded programmes of the ever domineering, manipulative and
insatiable greed of our partners in the State enterprise. Dr. Adeiza
continued: While not absolving the collective failure of our
Leadership for this failure, the biggest culpability for these breakdown
of our society should be laid squarely at the doorstep of the successive
regimes of Kogi State since its creation. They have employed
marginalization in various forms to deny us a right to humane
existence.
This oppression and suppression must come to an end henceforth.
Ebiras have two cards to play viz; remain in slavish obeisance to our
external tormentors and volunteer our historic liberty or jettison all the
cleavages that has presented us as weaklings to the world, and close our
fingers into a fist to confront our enemies who now see us as less humans
and as a pliable objects that could be manipulated to suit their pleasure.
The opportunity of the forthcoming governship election presents a
veritable space for us to ventilate our anger by uniting with one voice,
one choice, one vote to rescue the drowning image of our forebears. It is
a war that calls for brains and unity and not brawns. We must all rise to
denounce any financial inducements.
The present and future generation will hold our leaders, including my
humble self-responsible for our failure to deliver victory to our people.
The numerical statistics of voting strength is on our side. We must be
united behind any candidate that will ensure power shift and rescue us
from internal colonization.
Where are those Ebira important personalities that attended the Ebira
National Dialogue Conference? What are they doing now? Where are Alhaji
Usman Enesi Bello and Dr. Abdul Aziz Farouk? They both struggled with the
late A.T.Ahmed in Ebiraland to become the governor of Kogi State. Where
are they now?
Where is Mohammed Ohiare who is representing Kogi Central as our Senator
for the second time now? He nearly defected the present Governor of Kogi
State in 2011 but later fell by the way side due to the Igala Agenda.
Where is he now? Where is Adayi Ademoh Ovurevu Isah? He should step
forward to join in this fight.
The only Ebira present Philanthropist I know, that A.A. Oil is helping
people financially irrespective of tribes or religions should kingly put
his weight behind this fight by helping individuals and groups involved in
this fight. A.A Oil will never lack in life as givers never lack.
Ebira people should emulate the late Ahmadu Bello and A.T. Ahmed who did
not differentiate between Muslims and Christians as far as you are a
northerner. Ahmadu Bello appointed Professor Ishaya Audu as the pioneer
Vice- Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University. He also appointed the late
George Uru Ohikere as his personal Secretary and entrusted him with
certain sensitive assignments.
He also appointed George Uru Ohikere as Minister of works. The late A.T.
Ahmed gave the position of Deputy Governor of Kogi State given to appease
him to his loyal, trusted and ever reliable ally, Chief Philip Salawu.
This distinguished son of the soil represented the Ebiras in that position
for 8 years without any blemish.
Ebiras should emulate our Igala brothers and Sisters. Dr. Alex Kadri was
more popular than Audu but when the late A.T. Ahmed emerged in Ebiraland,
he stepped down for Audu who could match A.T. Ahmed financially and
otherwise. Ebiras rallied round Pius Lasisi to defeat Senator Isah Abonyi
Obaro because of certain Ebira Agenda then.
Here we are again with another Agenda of power shift this time around.
The Ebiras should do it again by rallying round Chief Philip Salawu in
order for us to also realize our own Agenda.
By Saka Raji Audu, email: arewatrust2015@yahoo.com, Kano, Nigeria.