Governor Yahaya Bello

Richard Elesho/ Lokoja

A socio cultural movement, Igala Vanguard has accused Kogi State Governor, Alh. Yahaya Bello of implementing policies targeted against the interests of Igala people, a major ethnic component of the State. in a letter it addressed to the Ohinoiyi of Ebiraland, His Royal Majesty Alh. Ado Ibrahim, the group cautioned against the administration’s planned probe of some past Governors of the State urging the Ohinoiyi to discourage Bello from the probe in the public interest.

The letter, copy of which is available to TheNews is captioned ” Imperatives for Peace Among the Various Ethnic Nationalities in Kogi State: The Need for Gov. Yahaya Bello to Sheath His Sword” and signed by Engr. Lawrence Akpa, Convener and Pa Ibrahim Odaudu, Secretary. “We are constrained to address this Open Letter to you because of our conviction that our State urgently requires the intervention of people like you to stem its current slide to disorderliness. Much as we rejoice with our youthful Governor Yahaya Bello on his emergence and serial judicial victories and wish him well in the difficult task of governance, we are worried that his new direction policy is taking on the toga of ethnic cleansing especially against the Igala race. Without doubts, if there is ever a time that our State requires the intervention of elders like you to keep its fragile peace, the time is now.”

The group accused Bello of vendetta and politics of isolation. It claimed among other things that: “Most of the Permanent Secretaries, Directors and other top civil servants Governor Bello suspended since March are Igalas. .2. Many Igalas holding sensitive positions in Kogi State civil service have been transferred or rendered redundant by the new Sherif. 3. We have reasons to believe that the current unending screening and staff verification exercise is targeted at exterminating the Igalas not only from the civil service but possibly from the face of the earth. 4. The controversial exercise has resulted in the sudden death of many igala sons and daughters who are virtually bread winners of their families within the state. Most of the victims have either been killed in the series of road accidents witnessed in the large vehicular movements that characterized the exercise or while waiting to be screened. 5. Many of our people have been left without salaries since last December occasioning serious hardship in the land. Perhaps, our numerical strength may have made us more susceptible to these ills. Even at that, it can not be justified.”

The group said the Judicial Commission of Inquiry which Governor Bello inaugurated recently was meant to rubbish the reputations of former Governors Idris Ibrahim
who governed the State from May 2003 to January 2012 and his successor Capt. Idris Wada who administered the State from January 2012 to January 2016. Incidentally both men are Igallas. “We make bold to say that we are not against the fight against corruption and the need to bring sanity to the conduct of Government business where the motifs are altruistic. But we have unassailable evidences that the proposed probe is intended to rubbish the hard earned reputation of these statesmen. We have heard on good authority that the script Governor Bello is rehearsing is part of his larger fight against the Igala race.”

According to the group, the Igala race is still in a mourning mood over the death of Former Minister of Labour Late ,Barrister James Ocholi, a prominent Igala son shortly after the mysterious death of another Igalaman Late Price Abubakar Audu who mysteriously died in the process of being declared winner of year’s governorship election in the State. “As if these calamities are not enough, the Governor is bent on inflicting further wounds on the already traumatized Igala people by his sinister proposal of bringing the surviving leaders to disrepute. The Governor’s proposal is capable of raising tension in our dear State. What he needs at this time is the support of all and the experience of his predecessors, not wasting our scarce resources on political vendetta.”
The group therefore called on the Ohinoyi to prevail on the Governor to put the probe on hold. “Your Royal Majesty we have sent this letter to you because of our belief that apart from being the traditional head of the Governor, God has placed you as the oldest Royal father not only in age but also in term of the number of years you have been on the throne. We urge to prevail on the Governor to reconsider the probe issue. We hope that the Governor will listen to you to stem the current slide to infamy and anarchy in our State.