By Felix Akor Ojoachele
The Igala Kingdom is indeed one of the great Kingdom that has never been conquered, subdued or stamped down by any known kingdom in contemporary African history.
We have fared well on major fronts but have had challenging moments in the time past and even at present but we have remained focused, resolute and determined to mitigate and extenuate the challenging characteristics bedeviling our land.
Attah Ogbaikolo oli ki ma n’ebun kia ro t’ulaka t’ulaka, olo kima n’elo, the great Attah Ameh Umoru Oboni became the 20th Attah in 1945 on the heels of the passing on to glory of the then Attah Obaje Ocheje. He was meticulously crafted and gifted with the knowledge of specifics and the dynamics of the Igala culture and traditions and also in tune with nature!
A talented and skillful Attah Igala with a perspicacious in-depth creative ingenuity of an astutely insightful genius.
Behold! The journey to greatness has just begun with the bravura tenacity and the audacity to stamp down the tide of illiteracy and ignorance and to eradicate poverty and diseases from his kingdom!
During this period,there was plenty of harvest and abundance as poverty and diseases had no status in the kingdom.
Ogijo dunyi ka che machi moto!
The economic impacts of his reigns, the legacies of his giant strides and his epochal adventure in driving the motivation that saw the monumental development in his kingdom cannot be overemphasized.
He was quickly betrayed by those he sought to enhance their living conditions by improving on the economic fortunes of his kingdom as the renegades were all out to carry their mischievous and notorious acts against the Igala race!
Alas! He was allegedly accused of human sacrifice for the gods of the land an allegations that led to the failed evil plans to dethrone the Attah Ameh Oboni in 1956.
This horrible incident was orchestrated and doctored by one Peter Achimugu and Okpanachi who were guilty of certain corrupt practices under the Attah and to avoid the wrath of the Royal Father, they resorted to carrying out their half-baked obnoxious plans with the collaboration of the Northern oligarchy who were not comfortable with the glowing glory of the Igala Nation.
The conspiracy also saw the support of the British colonial masters who through Mr D.J.Muffet,on 20th June 1956, confirmed to Igala native authority that Ameh Oboni tendered his resignation letter as an Attah!
There were series of claims and counter accusations on this notoriety against the spirit of fair play that was out-rightly denied in handling this matter.
The question then was who wrote the letter and at whose instance? Did Attah Ameh Oboni give his consent to the letter as he was not lettered? It was this hullabaloo about the human sacrifice that led to the proscriptions of the Ocho festival and others!
Attah Akpoli, Olikebiafu Ka fu mudu ju,was later vindicated after a thorough forensic analysis was carried out and the findings proved him innocent!
Yes! The Attah Ojiji was innocent of the evil plans of his detractors to drag him to the mud!
He later paid the supreme price for the peace and unity of the Igala race but this was not to be without his pronounced curse and embargo on the perpetrators and the entire Igala Nation!
The declaration that only his offspring would bring about peace,unity and greatness again to the kingdom cannot be disputed following series of events since his transition to the great beyond.
Patrice Adejoh in one of his poem in Feb,2013 captured it all!
HOPE
THE RETURN OF OGBAIKOLO
Nostradamus’ prediction? “Hipster” (Hitler) is dead
the second world war had just ended
and then came the economic boom of the 40s
Then Ogbaikolo appeared……………………..
on his great mind,
The Igala race has no business with poverty,
disease and want.
There was no radio, no television
no cellphone, no megaphone yet the
whole wide kingdom heard what was on
Ogbaikolo’s mind…………………………………
That the Igala race has no business with poverty,
disease and want.
All in a frenzy, the whole race went
with Ogbaikolo in the lead
Yes! in the 40s,
Aerodrome was built, schools
markets and development
Yes! through communal effort
with Ogbaikolo on the lead………………………..
because the Igala race had no business with poverty,
disease and want.
Then amongst those who shouted
Hosanna!——-Hosanna, started the macabre song of
crucify him!————-crucify him!
For selfish, greed and egoistic gains
so that there will be poverty, disease and want
“On the cross of Ajobe he was crucified”,
so was the the Aerodrome, development and
solidarity.
He forgave them,
He paid for their sins
“He died”
“Yet he is not dead”
“He has come again”
Nostradamus’ prediction? the prince is dead
World War3 has just ended
on the battlefield of The East and Mali
Peace has returned, Ogbaikolo has returned
On his mind, the Igala race has no business with
poverty, disease and want
Now there are cellphones,
Television and Radio
Ogbaikolo is in the lead again
On the east of the kingdom is coal to build
power station to generate Electricity to supply to the nation.
To the south of the kingdom is petroleum for oil, and
and the west of the kingdom is solid minerals.
solidarity, solidarity and solidarity just like in the 40s,
Ogbaikolo leads again———-This time to the promise land,
Because the Igala race has no business with poverty, disease and
want.
Kudos to this literary giants for capturing the entire scenario even as the odds now favour yet another Ogbaikolo in the middle of 2012 after the transition to the great beyond of Attah Aliyu Obaje.
Upon the assumption of office, Attah Gaabaidu Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni(II) swung into action immediately by presenting a bill to the State House of Assembly for the purpose of de-proscribing the banned Ocho and other cultural festival’s.
The bill went through the first and second reading and was sent to the governor’s office for assent and approval but this was not to be until Thursday 15th Feb.2018, when Kogi State governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello,gave assent and approval for the de-proscribing of the traditional festivals!
We want to appreciate and salute the great effort of Gaabaidu Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni (II) and the State House of Assembly for expediting action in this regard and the governor,for believing the cause of cultural heritage in giving assent and approval for the de-proscribing of our cultural festival’s!
We celebrate the Attah and his council members for this great feat and all those who have contributed in one way or the other towards the actualisation of this noble cause.
This is the beginning of a novel push for the greatness of the great Igala kingdom as promised by the great Ata ubioko kia li enwu ki dogane omi!
The epochal moment of the promised restoration of the Igala race as the return of Ogbaikolo 11, will lead to economic advancement, growth and development of the Igala kingdom.
The great Ameh Oboni lives on in the heart of the entire Igala man for his supreme sacrifice for this great kingdom.
The reality of the moment was also foretold by one of our own leading prophet, the great Prince Ocholi E Odekina ,who through his books and other articles have given a clear picture and insights into the present happening’s in the land.
In his new year’s message he has this to say thus:
IGALA NATION: Understanding the times and the season
God has never kept quiet over the people he created. He leads them per time with his divine instructions or directions. He reveals his plan and purpose to his messengers per time and season . And when God speaks everything He created hears and are conditioned to obey. There’s nothing created by God that has the capacity to disobey his will and purpose. So God speaks about nations in other to situate them properly in the centre of his purpose. God never creates a thing without a purpose. Purpose is what defines the existence of a thing. God has a divine purpose for the Igala nation.
What is God saying Igala nation?
It is time for the emancipation of the Igala nation. Our jubilee is long past. We have no business dwelling in captivity anymore . It is time to shake off the stains of captivity, wash off and put on the garment of glory , behold the Igala glory is restored. Enough of lamentations, enough of wailing , enough of waiting and watching.
It is time to take back what is hers.
I hear, the one who’s right is not to be there is taken away. I hear he’s now former and ex. I hear the strength of Igala nation is not in abroad but home. Home sweet home.
I hear submit to authority. God is saying we have dissipated so much energy feeding the unprofitable venture called “rebellion “. Come out of it and submit to My ordained headship . Have respect for the headship. Do not desecrate the head. Celebrate the head, don’t fight headship. It is time to lift the head up.
I hear, the mistake of the past where the conspirators pulled down Attah Ameh Oboni should be seriously avoided . Class 1956 or 57 must never be repeated by the Igala nation. We can’t afford another fifty years in captivity, no God forbid!
He may not look like it but he’s the one ordained to unlock the lost glory. If you fight him, you fight the one that has brought him there. Avoid him, avoid the one behind him. God said he will one after the other take away all the obstacles on his way.
I saw during his reign, what has never worked from the colonial era in Igala land shall now begin to work.
I saw the lubrication of obsolete equipment and their revival.
I saw the flagging off of many landmark projects in the land.
I saw men of different colours come to partake of the nourishing milk of the land.
I saw massive deployments of equipment for the development of the land.
I saw God bypassing haters of the land to bring in new things in to the land.
For those who have shed innocent bloods , God shall avenge. For those seeking power at the expense of innocent blood, God shall by himself stop them. A wind of God’s judgement and vengeance shall blow across Igala land. Those who work against the land shall go down and those who work for the land shall go up. Those who painstakingly invest in the land without the aim of showing off, God shall reward them with the good of the land.
The current reawakening of cultural values and self worth shall yet again blossom, the world shall be more attracted to it and the demand for the Igala content shall be on the raise.
More voices shall join the renewed Igala consciousness. The old walls shall be built again. God is raising the builders of the old walls across the land. God shall turn the hearts of many homeward. When the time of shaking and re arrangements shall come, I see Igala nation dancing home more.
The time is here and we must be ready to take charge of God’s glory upon our land.
The unity of our people as currently being championed by Ukomu Igala organization, the apex socio-cultural organization in Igala land, the unity song that has become a daily ritual by the great IYC and other notable groups in the land is a testament to the fulfilled prophecy of the great Ameh Oboni the Ist.
We should all be proud to be part of this development in our life time.
