By Haruspice (Photos by EbiraView)
In my voyage of hustles, I found myself last Monday in a place called Upake- a habitat inhabited by the Ebiras in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State. I was there on the invitation of the Rural Electrification Agency to anchor the commissioning of the first Rural Electrification Fund (REF) Minigrid based on Public Private Partnership at Upake Village in Ajaokuta LGA, Kogi State.
2, 879 people in Upake and more in the neighbouring Obangede community in Ajaokuta now powered with clean, safe and reliable energy. Upake is the first of 12 communities on the first call of the Rural Electrification Fund (REF).
Upake community is believed to be the ancestral town of the Ebiras- the beginning of all Ebira civilisations started from this place. Years of total neglect has however rendered this cradle of civilisation of the Ebira speaking people as the forgotten capital of the world. When you are searching for what true poverty looks like, Upake is crystal mirror of excruciating poverty. Nothing suggests that the people are part of Nigeria. The choking poverty there is immeasurable as no visible trace of infrastructural presence. The people are united in intimate embrace with poverty.
A trip from Ajaokuta to Upake is akin to decathlon hike where at the end you are worn out, exhausted with sore feet. We rode through thorns, navigating through hills and swimming through water to arrive at our destination. After hours of torturous drive, we arrived Upake to the warm embrace of a people contented with nature. The people were ebullient just like their environment. They came out in numbers to behold perhaps the first government presence in their community.
The crux of this piece is to explore the place of ingenuity, foresight and the deliberate effort to be genuine in governance. And one man made this happened, Dr Sanusi Ohiare, Nigeria's first youngest Executive Director in government is the brain behind the rediscovery of the Upake people - a people abandoned by government and their people. What pushed this young Nigerian to go in search of this underserved community is a study in wonder. Ebira has hand prominent people in government and influence, how they looked away for years from the plight of the Upake people baffles me. That the town waited for the birth and growth of Sanusi Ohiare to have its first taste of government presence is a big indictment on the Ebira nation. A place with proven ancestral potency should never have been left in ruins and cut off of modern civilisation. Indeed those who bring greatness to a people are not defined by age or class but by impact. And young Dr Ohiare is holding in pride the flag of responsive leadership. Five Hundred Years since the creation of Upake civilisation, 34 years Sanusi has lightened up the ancestral enclave of Ebira civilisation.
The people of Upake who couldn't hide their joy hailed and praised Dr Sanusi in reverence. The traditional head of Upake, His Royal Highness, the Ananyiwa of Upake Alhaji Ibrahim Eneye stood on the throne of reverence as he poured libation on Sanusi describing him as the true ‘Ozi-Ebira Oboro'. According to him, like a place in darkness, young Sanusi has come to lighten up his ancestral origin. 'This lad, begotten just yesterday has resurrected the real spirit of Ebira blood that typifies doggedness, patriotism and sacrifices. He didn't sit in the comfort of his cosy office, he traced us to this end of the world by bringing what has been denied us since the time of creation. Today, we can feel the oneness of being part of Nigeria. Our farm produce will be processed and refrigerated, our young people can be employed. Dr Sanusi has proven that indeed, the potent Ebira blood runs in his vain, he is a true Ebira pride and we are proud of him.'
Dr Sanusi Ohiare who is the Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Fund of the Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency and a fellow of the Mandela Washington Fellowship Program mounted the Upake platform to appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for giving him the opportunity to serve his fatherland, while giving all accolades to the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Mrs Damilola Ogunbiyi for creating the enabling platform. 'The greatest empowerment to a people is to create the robust environment for their aspirations, this intervention is one of many to come, he echoed to his people including the people from East,West and Central Kogi. Together, we shall liberate the land from the shackles of poverty. We are in this together and we shall conquer. '
The Sanusi template is a model of reference for every young person to define a path and stick to it. When opportunity to serve is thrust on you, go far beyond your own comfort and manifest in the lives of the people you are representing. Nothing endures than a life of impact, like Sanusi Ohiare, adopt a passion and pursue it vigorously, for those who live forever are those who sacrificed their comfort for the good of others. In Dr Sanusi Ohiare, a new Ebira civilisation is birthed and the bar for rural development raised.
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