ANEBIRA AND THE BURDEN OF BROTHERHOOD

By Salami Anne Aminat

History is always handy when we reflect and judge ourselves on our actions and inactions.

The Ohinoyi of Ebira: 

In 1954, Anebira rose up against their king, the first recognised paramount ruler of Ebiraland. In the time, some supposed enlightened natives started the Igbirra Tribal Union (ITU) whose cause is to raise issues against the King for highhanded reign and many unfounded allegations.

Many Anebira at that time quickly forgot the many good things Atta Onoruozia did, they drank from the Waterworks taps he facilitated, they were able to get criminals jailed in the prison the Atta built yet they called him names, they prayed in the mosque he built yet they derided him.

Even when a weaker Igbirra Progressive Union (IPU) came on board to fight for the king and remind Anebira of the king's goodwill, they were silenced by the thunderous voices in the ITU who vilified the Atta and orchestrated his exile.

In the event of the Atta's death, the same people who schemed him out of the throne and engineered his exile were the first to eulogize him, they spoke of how he brought development to the land and how he is the hero of Morden Ebiraland. All these were said after his death when he could no longer do a thing.

Adamu Atta:

The people of that time were thought to have learnt their lessons of not always throwing their "good ones" away in the event of anger.

But years passed and the then old Kwara State was created, we were opportune to have the grace of an Anebira becoming the First Governor of the State in the person of Alhaji Adamu Atta, he did his bit as governor, he brought to us our "defunct" Obangede Specialist Hospital, he made way for our sons and daughters to have a taste of government by creating avenues where they had jobs in government ministries, Agencies and parastatals, what was the end result? Some of his kinsmen (who due to frivolous clannish issues) joined forces with his enemies and disgraced him out of office, he was sent to jail.

Years after, Alhaji Adamu Atta died and Anebira came out in their numbers to give tributes of how he was one of the best things to happen to Ebiraland...but he was already dead after we threw him under the bus while he was alive. Was that all? No.

Sen. A. T. Ahmed:

Can we ever forget the good deeds of Senator A.T Ahmed of blessed memory?

The man who from his young days took every Anebira as a brother or sister irrespective of region, clan or family ties.

From his days in FAAN to when he was in the senate, Adayi did all he could to help every Anebira who crossed his path.

Stories were told of how all you need to say was "Nyene Adayi" and he takes up your case.

Late Senator A.T. Ahmed 

How did he end? His own kinsmen were the first to oppose him when he wanted to seek for the Governorship position of the State, all his efforts were truncated by flimsy reasons and excuses, he was sold to his opponents and he died in the quest to get what he cherished the most.

Of course as expected..there were tears and plenty of eulogium, but he was already dead.

Years after, our generation came...we felt we came with the the right mindset of correcting the past errors our fathers may have made.

We came to change the narratives that Anebira aren't how they have presented themselves to the world, we are better and love is our watchword.

Through the intervention of the divine, Governor Yahaya Bello came, we were all happy, years went by in his administration, through givings and misgivings, the ugly past of "de**s*troying our own" that this generation have vowed to put to rest reared its head.

Gov. Yahaya Bello

In Kogi State Anebira tops the list of those castigating the governor, like the past President Goodluck Jonathan... Governor Yahaya Bello have become the most insulted State Governor ever, you even hear Kogites who are not from the Ebira extraction insisting that the job of "removing the governor" will be done by Anebira themselves and they have been so right.

Just like Atta Onoruozia, good projects done by this administration are forgotten on the altar of hate.

Social Media have projected Anebira as an entity who will sell their brother for a taste of broth...

The insults, the name calling.

Nobody is perfect, Governor Yahaya Bello is not perfect and there is no government that is perfect but when we decide to turn blind eyes to the good and focus on the bad always, it says alot about us.

Many celebrate areas where the Governor have had letdowns and blew it out of proportion, they set slippery grounds for him in order to throw jabs at him when he staggers.

All for what?

EGO?

We have treaded the same path our fathers did and regretted, the path we vowed to end, we have even widened that path because of sentiments 

We are bequeathing to our children what is worse than what was bequeathed to us.

It is saddening.

Instead of love and friendship we have exuded hate and enmity, 

Ours is worse than our fathers, it is beyond clannish issues, it's now regional and ego issues inclusive.

We are worse than our fathers.

And our children are learning, technology is such that our deeds outlive us and recorded to perfection....how will the future be?

When we parents are constantly fighting, when there is disharmony, disrespect, and lies, our children learn the emotional way of being like us.

Way Forward:

We are can do better, we can air our differences but let love lead, insults, backbiting, trolling and the "bring him/her down" syndrome should be put to rest.

Gradually we are moving to another decision time, let us remember that when brothers fight to the death, a stranger inherits their father's estate and their children becomes slaves.

My dear Anebira, this is a passionate appeal to us, let us reflect, forgive and reconcile.

The truth is, unless we let go, unless we forgive ourselves, unless we forgive the situation, unless we realize that the situation is over, we cannot move forward.

Let us learn from this.

MY DEAR ANEBIRA

WE ARE BETTER UNITED.

~Salami Anne Aminat

22/03/2023