Kogi State Gov’s Chief of Staff hints on Igala Traditional Title conferment on Yahaya Bello »

If Tuesday’s pronouncement by the Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Hon Edward Onoja was anything to go by, Governor Yahaya Bello may soon receive a traditional title from the Igala Traditional Institution in view of his developmental strides in Igalaland.

He made the revelation in Lokoja when he played host to a sociopolitical cum cultural group from Ebiraland, GYB Club Memebers who were in office to intimate him of their efforts at working assiduously for the re-election of Governor Yahaya Bello in November governorship poll.

Onoja said the governor was deserving of such honour because he had impacted the lives of ordinary Igala people through his humanitarian policies which has not only seen infrastructural evolution in the area but also led to positive changes.

The chief of staff revealed that unlike in the past when government paid lip service to people of the area, Governor Bello has brought massive road constructions that had led to the opening up of feeder roads from all parts of Kogi East to the Headquarters of Igala Cultural heritage in Idah where the palace of the Attah Igala, the head of Igala Socio-cultural legacy in the world in located.

Aside infrastructural turnaround, he informed the group that the people of Igalaland could now celebrate their cultural day following Governor Bello’s lifting of over 63 year ban of their festivals by European colonialists.

He thanked the group for conferring him with the title of Ota Oni-Zeyiza Obanyi of Ebiraland which translates to the Most Honest Friend of Ebiraland, which he was scheduled to receive in few weeks, adding that it was not proper for him to receive a title before his boss, the Governor.

He used the opportunity to debunk the rumours being peddled by few individuals that the Governor had open the state’s vault for him to take all developments to Igalaland, saying Alhaji Yahaya Bello had ensured equitable distribution of resources since assumption of office.

Onoja further appealed to the Ebira people to have some compassion on Igalaland, where he said had suffered more underdevelopment than other parts of the state despite having produced Governors of the state since the state’s creation in 1991 with the exception of military era.

The Chief of Staff said with all index considered, Igalaland had only produced leaders of the state with nothing to show for it as only families and friends of the said leaders had experienced improvement in their social standings to the exclusion of the common man.

The coordinator, GYB/CEDO Club Members Campaign Team for 2019 Election, Mallam Abdulsalam Dahiru had earlier intimated the Chief of Staff that the entire Ebiraland was proud of him in view of the way he had stood firmly with their brother, Governor Yahaya Bello.

The group which is sponsored by the Bursar of Kogi State University, Anyigba, Alhaji Yusuf Yahaya said the Ebira dynasty was proud of him, hence their decision to confer the title on him.

According to Mallam Abdulsalam, the group had also concluded arrangements to organise GYB/CEDO Entrepreneurship Training Programme with a view to equipping beneficiaries with necessary skills in the areas of juice and yoghurt making, among others and solicited support in that regard.