By Aminu Isa
For the past three days the social media landscape have been awash with news about the ceding of Ajaokuta, Lokoja and Kotonkarfe areas to the Attah Igala through a Federal High Court judgment. The case was said to have been instituted by the Attah of Igala against the Federal and Kogi state government.
Expectedly, this development has polarized the parties involved: The Igala could not hide their excitement over their ‘new extended’ territories. The same cannot be said of the people of Ajaokuta, Lokoja and Kotonkarfe who have openly decried the ‘judgement ‘ and have openly protested what is seen as empire expansionist agenda.
Although ethnic rivalries among the ethnic nationalities in Kogi state is not new. It has overtime manifested more in politics than economic related issues. Political rivalry is more pronounced among the major ethnic groups such as Igala, Ebira and Okun. And to reduce ethnic tension, power sharing arrangement have been devised to accommodate the interest concerns including other minorities in the state.
Kogi state has enjoyed peaceful co-existence since its creation in 1991.Although, before this period, the present Kogi state was part of the old Kabba Province with headquarter in Lokoja during the colonial period. This suggests that the inhabitants of the present Kogi state have lived together for well over one hundreds years and must have developed bonds of relationship and may even share same history of descent.
Historical accounts of some of the ethnic groups in the state led credence to this assertion.For instance, the Igala, Egburra ,Ebira ,Some Oworo ,Kakanda and Nupe among others traced their history to the Kwararafa Chiefdom. This suggests that the people of Kogi state belong to one big family.
Administratively however, each of these ethnic groups are self governed and independent of one another. In 1916, when the first official gazette of recognized chiefs and Native of Northern Province was published , Attah of Idah as he was then known has district chiefs listed under the Idah Division which he heads under the Native Authority Administration in then Munshi Province.The Idah Division at that time covers areas in the present Kogi East senatorial district.At the same time , The Ebira, Lokoja ,Kakanda, Oworo, Kupa, Eggan and Okun were grouped under the Ilorin province, with the exception of Kotonkarfe which was then grouped under the Nupe province.
Suffice to say therefore that in the Colonial Nigeria when formal administration began, our traditional rulers have been independent of the Igala Kingdom and this trends continue even after post independent Nigeria.
To therefore institute a case with the intent of taking over possession of independent territories that have been occupied for well over centuries is to say the least provocative and an attempt to sow seed of discords among a people that have peaceful coexisted.
We therefore appeal to well meaning Kogites to see themselves as brothers while a peaceful resolution is sought.
Dr Aminu Isah is a lecturer with the Federal University Lokoja he writes from Lokoja, kogi staw
