The Ohiku-Egbira Descendants Union (OEDU) in Kogi State has advised youths of the tribe not to let themselves be used as willing tools by do-or-die politicians who want to stir up trouble in their communities, but embrace peace the stay prepared for the November 11 governorship poll.
The chairman of OEDU Board of Trustees, Major General Mohammed Chris Alli (rtd), who gave the warning at the 4th World Ohiku Day Convention 2023 which held in Abuja yesterday, challenged them to instead, embrace the tenets of political dynamism and root out every factor contributing to the democracy deficit such as voter apathy, ballot snatching, looting, arson, and the likes in Kogi State and in Nigeria at large.
Major General Alli pledged the union’s readiness to organise character-molding programmes and activities for the benefit of the Egbira youths in order to achieve greater heights in youth development.
He said: “The youth must…eschew violence and all forms of criminality in their general conduct as these would only endanger their lives and it is also unlike Egbira.”
The chairman expressed the urgent need for a self-appraisal of the council and develop strategies that would improve their relevance within the context of modern realities. He said the body intends to commence agricultural promotion programmes and lifelong skills acquisition programmes in ICT and handicrafts in order to get the youths productive.
He said, “The continuous acts of violent acts in our respective communities and desecration of royal institutions in the name of politics must stop henceforth as politics is not a do-or-die affair.
“Violence only engenders criminality and backwardness and that is not what we want in Egbira Nation. We are a decent and civilised people and must conduct ourselves as such. At this point, I must emphasise the importance of peace and unity among Egbira people wherever they may be.
Also speaking, the president of OEDU, Musa Ahmadu, said all the three arms of Egbira – Opete, Miyakan and Etuno/Igarra – had agreed to unite under one name – Egbira.
He said the Egbira nation is large and spread across several states in Nigeria, adding that: “Our people are substantially situated in Kogi, Nasarawa and Edo states and the FCT.”
