Masquerade, Borrowed Culture Not Part Of Egbira – Don

A professor of history and the provost of National Defence College Abuja, Professor Adam Ahmed Abere has stated that farming and craft making are the culture of Egbira people and that masquerade was never part of the history of Egbira people.

He said masquerade is a borrowed culture which is practiced by many ethnic groups like Igbo, Yoruba, Igala and a host of others in Nigeria.

The professor, in his keynote address at the annual lecture of Egbira Progressive Elites, Area 10, Abuja emphasised on the preservation and documentation of Egbira history, saying proper documents will help their children from consuming the conjecture and fabrication of history.

According to him, the history of Egbira is long one; language, the people and their land, their culture before 10th century, Egbira people existed at the northeast, by 14th century they flourished in central Nigeria around the current Gongola rivers, Taraba, Benue, Adamawa etc.

Thereafter, they moved into the current areas of Igu, Opanda, Etuno and Okene Tao.

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The provost said they brought civilisation to the areas they went, such as craft, land management, trades, and warrior ships, which today they are known for.

Another professor of Development Economy at Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, Professor Zakaree Saheed who presented a paper on “revitalising and harnessing the economic potential of Egbiraland: pathway to sustainable development and self sufficiency” has identified some economic potential areas, where the people of Kogi Central can thrive, such as agriculture, cashew processing plant, mining and quarry business. According to him, full quarry business is possible because the city is surrounded by rocks, which can be processed into various sizes of aggregates for construction companies.

Talking about funding sources, the professor said government grants and subsidies, loans from agricultural banks and contributions from local cooperatives can fund such investments.

The chairman of the organising committee, Dr. Isah Karkati, commended the various guest speakers for their quality presentations and urged participants to translate the lessons into action.