From Audu Joe, Lokoja
The Ohimege Igu of Koton-Karfi, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Isah-Koto, has urged Universities, Research Centres and Custodians of culture in Nigeria to review the pre colonial history of some ethnic nationalities in the country to correct the fallacies and out right distortion of facts resulting to the growing ethnic , religious and other internal crises.
The Paramount ruler made the call on Thursday when he received the leadership of the national Ohiku Egbira Descendants Union in his palace at Koton-karfe, Kogi state.
Ohimege Isah-Koto said with the fallacious and distorted history of some ethnic nationalities in the country, Colonial masters forced incompatible groups to cohabit, which has caused unending boundary conflicts and inter tribal, ethnic and religious wars.
He said that since the relocation of some of the original constituent groups of the great and mighty Kwararafa Kingdom, the Egbira people have been decentralized by the colonial masters as part of their plans to weaken their influence and civilisation.
” Today all the areas under the control of Koton-karfe and Opanda kingdoms are now favoured, promoted and recognised over and above their original masters, largely due to the coming of colonial masters who mustered and illegally created boundaries and shared the Egbira people to find themselves in Nasarawa, Kogi and Edo states.
“Some are in Kogi, Nasarawa and Edo states, areas God bestowed with abundant human and natural resources that could be used for fast development of the nation, but with lack of the natural cohesion caused by disintegration the Egbiras known for their industriousness have been rendered incapacitated.” The Paramount ruler lamented.
He therefore, declared his support and that of his people for the unification of all the Egbira speaking people across the country (Opanda, Toto, Abaji, Igu–Kotonkarfe, Okene, Etuno–Igara) to ensure leaving behind good legacy and speedy development of the nation.
Earlier, the interim National President, Hon. Musa Ahmadu who was the former Secretary to Kogi state government, and was former member House of Representatives, told the Royal father that they came to seek blessings for the successful unification of all the Egbira speaking people across the country.
He said the disintegrated Egbira people have suffered a lot of marginalisation and injustice in politics, economy, and social development in Nigeria going by population data per states, despite the huge millions, if put together from the hosting states.
Ahmadu said the Egbira as now to be addressed if put together are by far more than somes states in the country and as well if left in the status quo portends underdevelopment in the country.
“Imagine Ajaokuta and Toto in Kogi and Nasarawa states which are homes to solid minerals that can sustain the country economically and industrially have been neglected because they don’t belong to the so called majority tribes in Nigeria” he wondered.
He therefore, appealed to the National Assembly to consider issues of boundary adjustment and state creation as it will favour the vibrant Egbira people who are poised to become a “China and Japan industrial Nigeria”.