EPA's speech at Ebira National Dialogue 2015

Dr. Abdulrahman Adeiza

A SPEECH BY DR ADEIZA MUSA ABDULRAHMAN, NATIONAL PRESIDENT, EBIRA PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION ON THE OCCASION OF THE EBIRA NATIONAL DIALOGUE CONFERENCE JOINTLY ORGANISED BY EBIRA PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION AND EBIRA YOUTH CONGRESS AT FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, OKENE AUDITORIUM ON THE 20Th JUNE, 2015.

Protocols.............

The huge assault of honour and privilege bestowed on me to speak to you today is an issue that I will have to reconcile myself with in a long time. The protocol list of the personalities gathering here sounds the names of who is who in Ebiraland which underscores the importance of this conference. This dialogue like those before it which are all attempts at addressing our multi-faceted issues,  could not have been more auspicious in timing.

Ebiraland, your Land, my Land and our Land is currently facing some challenges of its nationhood and existence. It has become a land where anything and everything goes. Our physical boundaries are being daily challenged on all fronts by our more resolute and united neighbours; 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; Internal friction and attrition occasioned by clannishness; declining value and views; serious security breeches in the form of kidnapping, assassinations and robberies. We have become a land where our best men rarely exert influence beyond the Local Government and State borders, a Land where everyone is a King but holds no responsibility to any Constituency, a Land where everyone is a champion even where there are no contests albeit at peace time but jets into exile at the slightest threat and trials that demand Leadership. It is a Land where the Learned ones are fast becoming ignorant, the supposed wise men becoming charlatans or outright demagogues, a Land where humility has become secondary ideal to arrogance. So many Devils now straddle our land in Saintly robes. These vices which are manifest signs of unrestrained individual ego and ambition are also bitter consequences of absence of Community and Societal Leadership.

While not absolving the collective failure of our Leadership for this failure, the biggest culpability for these colossal breakdown of our society should be laid squarely at the doorstep of the successive regimes of Kogi state since its creation. They have employed marginalisation in various forms  to deny us a right to humane existence. Today the state of our Infrastructure is at the best deplorable, Education is in shambles, Civil service strength declining at an alarming rate and there is a complete subjugation of our traditional and political institutions to the whims and caprices of our foreign traducers.  This oppression and suppression must have to come to an end hence. Ebira people have two cards to play from today 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 pliable objects that could be manipulated to suit their pleasure. The opportunity of the forthcoming governorship election presents a veritable space to ventilate our anger by uniting with one voice, one choice and 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. You will be offered money in exchange for your conscience.  Accept it but remain resolute. This is because such monies are nothing but proceeds from the ceaseless plundering of our state coffers. You may be promised an offer of political appointment if they ever win. Please find the right strength of character to decline such offers. Of what use will such appointment be when you will eventually be reduced to a  slave boy employed to put his people in bondage. Arising from this meeting, I expect this message to be taken to the Hamlets, cottages, Villages and towns in this Senatorial District. 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, providence and timing are on our side and the ALMIGHTY GOD in His ever abiding mercy and exalted throne is with us. We must be united behind any candidate that will ensure power shift and rescue us from internal colonisation. We are not unaware that we cannot win this war alone. We have since offered strong arms of fellowship to our brothers in Kogi West, our partners in bondage. I am happy to inform this gathering that we have jointly resolved to consign and bury our prejudices and past mistakes and move on as one strong, united People. The People of the West are no less determined and by God grace this marriage will be consummated with victory and freedom for our respective people.   It is a war whose time has come and it is a war that must be won. This conference is yet another effort at protecting us from destroying ourselves, rescuing us from the claws and jaws of Foreign Vampires and the mediocrity and mischief of their internal collaborators and in the end, ensuring the dignity of our people.

  Finally, I pay tribute to all those who have organised similar conferences to ensure the redemption of our people in the past; I thank the Ebira Youth Congress who, in collaboration Ebira people Association have organised this dialogue in clear demonstration of Unity as strength in pursuance of common objectives; I thank all Civil Society Organisations both at home and Diaspora for their commitment to the success of this programme, I thank the members of the Planning Committee that worked Days and Nights to ensure things worked as planned and I thank Everyone that has come here today for your resolve to challenge the status quo. I wish us happy deliberation.

Thank you.