WHO SHALL BELL THE CAT?

EBIRA RENAISSANCE GROUP

WHO SHALL BELL THE CAT?

Being a Welcome Address Delivered by Pastor Suleiman, Joseph Manjoe, Coordinator, Ebira Renaissance Group (ERG) at a Meeting with Political Leaders of Central Senatorial District Held at the Civic Centre, Obangede on Saturday, 6^th September, 2014

Courtesies………

Permit me, on behalf of Ebira Renaissance to welcome you, the political gladiators of Central Senatorial District to this interactive meeting. Thanks for sparing your time to rub minds with us.

We have come a long way in our engagement with stakeholders in the Ebira project, from the days of our active role in Ebira Youth Congress till now. Since the birth of the Renaissance Group, we have shared ideas with teachers, students, transporters, artisans, religious leaders etc.

Mindful of your strategic role in the society, we have fixed this meeting at this auspicious period when activities towards the party primaries is getting to its peak. You are crucial to us as the group of people who will hereafter hold the “knife and the yam” of our community.

Permit us at this point to let you have insight into our vision and mission.

Vision: To reawaken the communal spirit of Ebira people to become proactive            key players in bringing about the political rebirth of the Ebira Nation in   particular and Kogi State in general

Mission: To provide a platform for the realization of the vision by means of social reorientation, conscientization, political education and interface    with various stakeholders. As you can see, ours is an advocacy engagement. And in doing this, we did not exclude our members from engaging in partisan politics.

Why We Called this Meeting

This meeting is called to cross-fertilize ideas with you on how we may partner to bring about (i) the good society of our dream as stated in our vision; (ii) a violent free electioneering campaign in 2015; (iii) quality representation in the next political dispensation; (iv) central leader that will galvanize the Ebira nation irrespective of political divide to take our rightful position in the state; (v) mutual working relationship to works towards a united Ebira nation; and (vi) an assessment and objective appraisal of the challenges that confront us and to see how best to approach them against the backdrop of our previous failed attempts.

One major area where we have failed as a people is the area of quality representation. We lack quality representation at the centre, this explains why Ajaokuta Steel Company and the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe were sold without any opposition from our representatives at that period. It took some few individuals to convince government to revert such decision in line with the people’s desire and aspiration.

It is this same lack of quality representation at the state level that led Audu’s administration to create additional local government areas that was heavily lopsided at the detriment of Kogi Central and in favour of Kogi East. It took the serious agitation of Ebira Youth Congress against the injustice before such action was reversed. Our representatives especially those at the Kogi State House of Assembly were there when Kogi State University was created and funded with proceeds from the 21 local government areas and yet the Central has the least workforce at the University. Since its creation the leadership of that institution has been with the Igalas. The original concept of its decentralization is now jettisoned without agitation from our representatives. Our representatives at the local government councils have not shown enough commitment to the welfare of the people. As the tier of government closest to the people, the people should feel the impact of governance at this level more than any other level of government. This is not a blame game but a drawing attention to where we have failed most. This area should be looked into by these critical stakeholders in the Ebira project.

Permit us at this point to commend our representatives at the just concluded National Conference for a job well done. But it does not end there, we need to come back home to demand for Kogi State Conference to discuss issues germane to our corporate survival. If the Ebira are crying of marginalization, the Okuns are doing same and the Igalas are also complaining then, there is the need to convoke a State dialogue to discuss how we should live together. Call it a State Confab to discuss Kogi State.

Our present aspirants must come forward with workable and novel idea on how to move Kogi Central forward. Clannish consideration must be downplayed. The number of our civil servants kept dwindling yet it matters not to our leaders in government. When are we going to be bothered, when we no longer have civil servants of Ebira extraction?

Caution

This meeting is not called to trade blames, it is not about buck passing, it is not out to identify scapegoat for our collective failure as a people. All of you know how we missed it and got to this pitiable political situation in Central Senatorial District. Let us throw the blame game behind us and chart a new course of rediscovering our strength. We cannot continue to cry over split milk. Life, it is said, “must be learnt backward and lived forward”.

Let us be civil in our comments and avoid name calling. We must focus on what we can do to advance our community and save ourselves from further political disgrace. So our ground rule is that the presiding chairman is empowered to call for a redirection of discussion and we must all heed and follow his guidance. That is discipline.

Our Motivation

We have this abiding faith in God that Ebiraland and its people can come out of the wood, and recover the years of the locust.

We get inspired when we read the stories of the great political runners of history who made differences in their generation for and on behalf of their people. We are bestirred by the activism of the clergyman, Martin Luther King Jr who had a dream; walked his dream, preached his dream, lived this dream and today, the African-American are the better for it. We are also inspired by the elderly Mahatma Gandhi whose idea gave birth to the modern India. In our contemporary time, we are encouraged by the selfless freedom cry of Madiba Nelson Mandela and the uncommon courage of Fidel Castro of Cuba who dared and successfully challenged the neocolonial exploited his giant neighbour, the Great USA. Close to us here in our time (in Okun land) is Chief Jide Omokore who has vowed that Okun political leadership will no longer be determined by external forces. He has been investing good money in support of political re-engineering. He (Jide) amazes us with his patriotic and selfless endeavours.

The Challenge Before You All

The Ebira nation as at today is in disarray, this is further compounded by the absence of a central political leader; to the lack of a consensus of an acceptable traditional leader and needless rivalry among the clans. Consequent upon this, the Ebira society today displays a considerable lack of discipline in form of impatience in planning, wanton disregard of tradition and to authority, widespread social ills such as greed, jealousy, envy, drug abuse, high profile assassination, prostitution, idleness, begging and shameless parasitism in general, a thing not known to be in the character of our forebearers.

The Ebira nation seem to have lost the vision of a good society, lost the capacity for indignation against wrong and desecration of cherished tradition. A renaissance is therefore required for our society to come out of the woods.

That Ebira hate one another is almost becoming a proverb among the non-Ebiras living within us. The saying oo si ka eezi Ehebe, ani Ososo osi vo aptly convey the hatred the Ebira man has for his brother. Ehebe is a clan among Ebira people and Ani Ososo are a group of people in far-away Edo State. The Ebira man by the saying implies that instead of extending good gesture to a fellow Ebira man, he would rather extend it to ani Ososo in Edo State. In-house fighting is a severe symptom of cowardice.

There have been so much rivalries and envying among and between our political leaders and between and among our traditional and clan leaders. The Holy Bible tells us that … “where envying and strife abound”, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

            And the fruits of righteousness is sown in peace of them

            that make peace”. James 3:16-18

            We have too many people in leadership positions and at all levels of our society who are making decisions when their hearts are filled with anger, envy and hatred.

Essentially, the predicament of Anebira today is as a result of the failure of both the leadership and the followership. Ethnic block has given way to clan groupings with the consequence that we are too torn against ourselves to ward off external threat. This should worry every right – minded Anebira. It is time we mellow our republican attribute to create an enabling environment for the emergence of a star leader that will lead us in the right direction.

It has been noted that our mode of politicking is the bane of our development and the catalyst of perpetual communal crises. Our politics is sadly primed not for the common good but for self-promotion and selective settlements.

One remarkable difference between us and our political neighbours is our diametrically opposed approaches to politics. While the Igalas believe and practice ethnic politics, we the Ebiras are fiercely married to clan and party politics driven by personal vendetta or frustration. This is why our approach to the issue of power-shift/marginalization is disorganized and incoherent. Is there anyone here who has not learnt from the tragedy of our needless war of self immolation and the rain of curses that trailed that misadventure?

Ponder on this

What is your motivation in politics? Is there anyone here who is seeking political power to advance the welfare of Anebira? Is there anyone seeking political power to provide Anebira the needed leadership? Is there anyone here with a good idea and a novel method to play politics differently, radically different from the usual method that has failed us repeatedly? Such are the politicians the ERG is ready to partner with. Can we still afford to elect, select, appoint or give mandate to appointed or elected leaders who are not ready to relate with the people?

Our Decision

            On a corporate and individual level we have interacted and flow very well with some of you seated here. We believe we can partner in the overall interest of our people. We have resolved in the ERG that we shall follow persons and not party. We have friends across parties, friends that we have tested and believe has the overall interest of Anebira. Our doors are opened to such friends across party divides.

Conclusion

            We hereby today call for a paradigm shift in our relationship with the followership and ask for a redefinition of a true leader. But dare we say that true leadership cannot be awarded, appointed or assigned! It comes only from true identification with the aspiration of the people and selfless service. It cannot be mandated. IT MUST BE EARNED. Need we remind ourselves that it is not the position that makes the leader; it is the leader that makes position. So we have not come here to appoint or elect a leader, but to share ideas on how we can collectively work for the emergence of the star leader. There is a need in our society whoever has the wherewithal, ideas and the political will to meet this need shall emerge as the people’s leader. Who will bell the cat?

Our Last Word

All that we will leave behind when we die is what we have done on behalf of others. What will you be remembered for in politics?

Thanks for hearing us through. You are all welcomed once again.

-         Pastor Suleiman, Joseph

Coordinator