Images of Ebiraland

The recent reunion of the duo of the former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his estranged vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is a welcome development no matter what people say. It is good for our nascent democracy and the country as whole. The era of political bitterness should be dispensed with. This is part of what the two elder statesmen have set out to achieve. Other politicians across the land separated by political differences should emulate the two elder statesmen to allow for genuine reconciliation. Politics should not be played with the usual hatred that has characterized the political arena all these years. It is not a do-or-die affair. Tolerance and should be encouraged in our polity. The simple fact that one has a political disagreement with another is not enough reason to be enemies forever. One must commend the former vice president for succumbing to pressure to sheathe the sword to allow for reconciliation between him and his former boss. Considering the enormou...

Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Tom Ohikere, in this interview with Yekini Jimoh, speaks on issues that affect the state. Excerpts: YOU are from Central Senatorial district of Kogi State and there is this crisis in Ebiraland that has been lingering for long, what do you think has been responsible for this endless crisis? The problem in Ebiraland comes from accumulated grievances of the past. The cause of the crises can also be traced to errors in marriages, traditions, culture, economic prospect and leadership of the land. For us to be able to eradicate these problems, we may need to take a look into the past and compare it with the present so that we would be able to proffer a lasting solution to the problems in Ebira politics. Recently, the state governor, Dr. Ibrahim Idris, set up a committee to look into the possibility of addressing these setbacks, how far has the committee gone with its term of reference? The committee has completed its assignment and the white paper...

Mrs. Memunat Ozianahutu Mukhtar paind a courtesy visit to Igarra, Ebira Etuno community in Edo state where she met with the traditional rulers including the Otaru of Etuno, the Oshimdasi and the Ohinoyi Anebira, all in Igarra (Etuno) community, Edo state. In these exclusive interviews, the traditional rulers near their mind on the state of Ebira opete in relations to Ebira Etuno, our kinsmen. Please stay tuned for the interviews. Also coming, a heart to heart session with captain Abdul Alliu of Atlas Air Inc. U S A as he visited Okene to 'see for himself' and tell a tale of his life as a good dreamer. ... 1... 2 ... 3 ... Coming soon. Just keep visiting! Picture: The Otaru of Igarra, Ariwo Ovejijo. Oba Emmanuel Adeje Saiki the 2nd (JP)

As we ring in the New Year in style, we wish to point out that 2008 has been a wonderful year. Most of our listed tasks were acomplished except for the proposed Kogi Mass 2008 which never held due to circumstance beyond our control and delay in the release of the special edition of EbiraView Magazine. All the same, we are planning a bigger MASS for 2009 while the magazine release will be in the second week of January, 2009. Challenges The year was smooth but its tail end challenged the webmaster in a very big way. This is evident from the less frequent News posting on our Online News occassioned by system failures and internet fluctuations. To this end, we appeal to our esteemed readers for a Laptop computer as a backup to our congested systems. We equally wish to solicit your support for power generation in our office considering the spate of Nigeria power problem. As a free service, it is imperative to note that our meager resources went into power and internet bills thus reducing ou...

As related by Terry Sebastian ... Mana, a beautiful young woman draped in an orange cloth and her very tiny baby Fatimat caught my eye. Fatimat was 2 months old and her mother was HIV positive. Mana was kicked out of her house when her husband found out her positive status. She went back to live with her parents and was forbidden to contact her husband again. (He had another wife and at least 4 more children.) She was convinced that her baby was negative for the virus. But when we tested tiny Fatimat, she was positive. Mana seemed OK, but the reality of her emotions showed up at our hotel the next day, and I could see her pain, the fear in her eyes, and I just wanted to hug her, throwing any rules out the window. I felt a deep sense of helplessness for her when she looked at me, and I still do. It is estimated that ten percent of new HIV infections in Nigeria are caused by Mothers breastfeeding their children. Later, I was shocked and disillusioned to learn that men here can ac...

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...

...I swear, if I have a hand in this crisis all that God has given me should perish, says Ohinoyi of Ebiraland By EBOMHIANA MUSA Wednesday, November 19, 2008 •HRM the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ado Ibrahim •PHOTO: The Sun Publishing Ltd Role of royal fathers It’s very unfortunate if the governor did accuse or insinuate at anytime that the traditional rulers in the state have a hand in the crisis in Ibiraland. One, traditional rulers have no constitutional powers to secure the state. Constitutional he is the chief security officer of the state, he has all the powers to take any step he deems fit as regards the security of lives properties in the state and not the traditional rulers. And I believe he has not shirk this responsibility because we know that he has been doing his best in terms of security in the state. So, if he turns around to say that we are not doing anything when he knows that we don’t have such powers to do anything if he ask to do it, then it is rather unfortunate and u...