By MUSA EBHOMIANA (The Sun News) Thursday, December 4, 2008
Background to crisis
I am Major Ali Abdullahi (rtd), the Adamokia of Ebiraland. I left the army in 1999 after 30 years in the service. I served in Liberia, Lebanon and Bakassi Island as a member of the Nigeria Army Peace Keeping Force in ECOMOG and the UN Peace Keeping Force.
I am the pioneer President General of Ebira Youth Congress. Up till now, I participate in the activities of the congress.The problem in the central zone is political, and clannish in dimension.
Those who are reading traditional dimension to it are only being mischievous. They are those who also cause traditional rift in the state, particularly the state government, championed by the deputy governor.
This present crisis did not start today, it has been there since 1952. That was when Ebira Tribal Union (ITU) hid under political canopy to destroy our cultural and traditional values. Then they were using bow and arrows and cutlasses. They formed themselves into what they called Akaba. This was a group of people who specialised in burning people’s houses.
Their motives then was either to dethrone or install a traditional ruler.So, that is the background to the present crisis. As a government, if you hide under the canopy of politics to dethrone a traditional ruler or cause cultural and traditional disharmony in the system what then do you expect? NPC was ruling in the North, then while here at home they formed Ebira Union. When they got to Kaduna they claimed to be NPC, having used ITU to cause mayhem back home. Today, they have modernised it, they now use sophisticated weapons instead of bows and arrows.
Now the latest, is also political; a struggle for supremacy between PDP and AC in Ebiraland. The AC is agitating for power shift, equity and fairness in the state. For 17 years, the people of the Central zone have never been given the opportunity to occupy the government house in Lokoja.
Yet, they were the ones who championed the creation of the state, using their resources, time and energy. And they have always been supportive of people from other parts of the state to be governors. There are some groups of people who do not want the power to shift because of their selfish gains.The rivalry between Ejiogu and Ejemoye clans have also been there, since the 1960s. This is traceable to the problem of masquerades which they parade around town during festivals. Read full text here ...
It pains that the man{old soja} served in boilling points zones now came back to his home land and form tugs with arms and said they are fighting against armed robbers and so. If everybody forms his bands like that then why do we need police and other security forces. That is xaoc.
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