The opening speech of Ebira Genral Assembly 2014 by EPA

Being a text of speech delivered by the National President of Ebira People’s Association (EPA), Dr. Adeiza M. Abdulrahman at the Ebira General Assembly 2014 held at the Dabras Hotel, Okene on the 20^th December, 2014.

Protocol.

From left: Ohi of Adavi, HRH, Dr. Bello Asuku Ibrahim, EPA National president, Dr. Abdulrahman Adeiza and Ohi of Okengwe, HRH Alh. Yakubu Yusuf at the event

 

It is with measured joy that I welcome all of you to this general assembly of today. My joy is underlined by your being here in good health and the convivial spirit that exude from your faces as we are set to discuss once more, the future of our land.

Behind the facade of my happiness lies the bitterness of my worries. Worries about our trajectories as a nation tribe, worries about our contradictions as a people. This contradiction is best demonstrated by the way we traded off our opportune franchise to elect the best flag bearers for various positions in the last party primary elections. Rumours had it that the various delegates indulged in stock exchange-like posture of trading their votes to the highest bidder. Being a delegate is an honor but putting price tag on the franchise is evil. Ladies and gentlemen, we have killed the soul of this tribe by putting up our conscience as a merchandise. It is simply infers that a man of another tribe with reasonable means may in the near future be able to anoint an Ebira man over Ebira people if he offers the right payment.

At this juncture, I comment the spirit of the Adavi delegates who at the second round of voting at the PDP primaries refused to surrender the soul and the conscience of Adavi local government to the table for negotiation. They voted out their conscience. They refused to put price on their votes because they considered their conscience much more worthy than any amount of money. This is political maturity reflective of the legendary ethos of our ancestors. Today, these delegates stand tall and noble. They are a people of substance.

I am not sure that the handouts from the aspirants to the delegates could last them a year but it remains a moral cross on their necks for life. Tomorrow, they shall remain divinely condemned should they stand in judgment of the stewardship of these aspirants in their commitments. The consequence of your action is that these representatives will never remain answerable to the yearnings of the electorates. A case of the falcon refusing to be obedient to the falconer. This invariably is the situation of Ebira land today where most of those that have been privileged to be elected now see themselves as demigods to whom homage must be paid by the same people that elected them.

Today in our land, every charlatan is seeking an office or even a higher one with little or no result to justify the earlier stewardship placed on their shoulders. From all corners of our community the situation is the same. No roads, the primary schools have been become less than poultry houses. Yet, all the exalted members of our community, both the elected and the bureaucrats went through the same primary schools to be where they are today. Please, to all of us that are here and even to those that are not here, if it is too big for you to do anything for your community, kindly accept your Alma-Mata primary school and help rebuild it so that we can all sleep with our eyes closed.

I am not crying because I have too much tears to shed but I am crying because of the thought of that child who we have collectively betrayed, sold and mortgaged his or her future. I am crying at the enormous price we would have to pay for the foolishness of the moment that will in any case leave us with an open scar for the future. I am crying at the enormous moral debt that our future generation will have to pay. I am crying at the despicable sight of our schools, hospitals and the squalid situation of our women, farmers and the children. I am crying at the sense of wound of betrayal we have collectively inflicted on the spirit of our forefathers. Today as I am talking to you now, every neighboring entity to our community is making an affront on our geographical boundary yet we party and dance like drunken prince and princesses that take indulgence in reckless squandering of the heritage of their fore bearers. Today, the tragedy of our community is that we have more people in authority without responsibilities. We are like people that think of the luxury that thinks of the throne rather than the responsibility attached. I ask, where are the leaders? Where are our elders? What shall we say to our ancestors when we join them? We gallivant around the land like empty colossus in reckless drive for pettiness. I am neither an exception, nor you.

We must think, dream and plan together for tomorrow beckons and beckons so close. The gathering of today is yet another opportunity to rediscover ourselves. I hope at the end of the day we may have learnt one or two lessons.

I thank you all for coming.

God bless you.