Ohinoiyi, Ebira Forum Preach Peace, Unity In Kogi

The Ohinoiyi of Ebiraland, His Royal Majesty Alhaji Dr Ado Ibrahim, and the Ebira Progressive Ambassadors (PRAMEL) have called on the people of Kogi State to continue to live in peace and unity for mutual coexistence and development.

The call was made during its biennial oration forum and book launch in Abuja yesterday which was attended by stakeholders across Kogi Central with the Ohinoyi as the special guest of honour.

The forum, according to the organisers, is a child of necessity, given the perceived decadence and disunity in Ebiraland, which has relegated its people and voice in the scheme of things, both politically and socially, within the state and at the federal level.

The convener of the Forum, Engr Ozi-Raji Bill Williams who also unveiled a book titled: “How I Wish The Ebiras Will Unite” said the Ebiras are wonderful and exceptional people with a history of love, respect, and service towards one another.

Williams said the recent reality is hard to bear for those who know the history and tradition of the homeland.

He said, “When pain comes to a land, you find the sands riding a horse and the kings trekking. The Ebiras are great people. No other constituency has produced first-class citizens like the Ebiras have done.

“What is our problem now. At ABU we had the best student overall. We even once produced the governor of Kwara State. We use to have notable people at the head of state institutions like the army, the police, maritime and aviation sectors, as well as the educational sectors.

“But because we were not able to put ourselves together.”

We suddenly lost our bearing. Because of greed, pride and arrogance, we misused the opportunities we had.”

He said the Forum will bring a change by awakening consciousness to make the Ebiras remember who they are.

“The purpose of bringing people together is to say we have missed it.

It’s time to come together again and chart a common course, to consolidate on the present to sustain the future,” he said.

The keynote speaker, Dr Moshood Asuku Bello of the College of Education, Zuba in his presentation said the Ebira youths should be encouraged to go to school as well as acquire skills that will give them life sustenance and knowledge about the value of life which will make them shun abysmal behavior.

“It is inconceivable that Kogi Central district education suffered such a huge setback during the locust era before 2016 only for the hardship to continue in the post-2016.

“It is almost too late but never too late, our schools should get uplifted while teachers, who have become endangered species, should be properly remunerated and their arrears duly paid. The time is now,” he said.