Gauging Igede Margiinalization in Nigeria

                                   Gauging Igede's Marginalization In Benue State.-
                                                       by Romeon Okwo


The agitation by the various ethics nationals for government positions will continue to be a recurring decimal that will continue to deepen tribal nepotism and the yearning of secessionists if government did not provide a holistic development agendas that will carry along every ethnics nationality.

The tripod legs that had been rolling the national affairs of the country over the last six decades are eventually the major beneficiaries of government developments across their land.they has every things workings for them while some tribes lack so many, a democratic experiment of numbers that had created plummeted poverties among the smaller tribes in their hundreds.Benue and Kogi state reign among states that democratic experiment of numbers had stop it tripod tyre from rolling fast as the majority grip to power has not bring out the best of the state.

The 2019 elections had come and gone,with all the intrigues that followed calming down,the federal cabinet fully inaugurated and the state commissioners in some states also constituted,there is no doubts the business of governance has being surely activated.

While the euphoria for  political inclusiveness had dash many smaller tribes owning to the federal cabinet list and some state governors appointments  of recent,it is a sure game that the old style of marginalization by the big  old folks in most states still continue.

In Benue state,the philosophical mindset of the majority TiV tribes who claimed the state was their sole propertorship among the others tribes create a stoops abrasive governance in many years of the state creation as the  "people house"(government house) shared among the tiv's  brothers"has not given themselves and the rest of tribes desire developments.

It is a applauding that, the concept of political dominance is tripping from the Tiv tribe to others ethnic groups in the state,while the Tiv keep-hold unto the governorship,the Idoma's are wighting her own political power over the Igede's  tribe in a state that supposed to being standing on her ethnics tripod or based on fair contest of capabilities.

We are all witness to developments alacrity the state pick on although on a snail speed during the fourth republic under George Akwume administration when political posts were perceived to be fairly share among the tribes in the state for the first time. I recalled,although very young,the governor was from Tiv tribes,deputy's was an Igedeman and the speaker of the state assembly a first lady speaker from the Idoma's tribe not too sure but Akume drew his cabinet from eventually all the tribes in Benue state,making him the governor with a rare moment since then.

Just like the political equation that had denied the Igede nationals of any kind of representative,under the administration of Samuel Ortom and the Federal government led by PMB,the duo has done nothing  to address the non existent of physical infrastructures development to these humble people.

The Oju/Obi Federal Constituents remain the only place without any form of Federal presence since 1999 or let say since it creation in the seventy. The two local government areas can't boost of any federal road through its region as the only Federal road "the Oju-Ogoja Yala  Road awarded since 1979 by the Shehu Shagari administration has be abandoned even when the road was reported to be completed by the Federal Minister for state of Housing under President Obasanjo Administration in 2001.

The non appointment of an Igede tribe as Secretary to the State government (SG) or non emergents of Igede's as speaker in the Benue State Assembly showed the sectional Maginalisazation the Igede people has passed through in the last sixteen years.
Governor Samuel Ortom failure in his second term to balance his political appointments among the ethnics group in the state is a good pointer to the claims by his Kingmen that Benue state belong only to them and other tribes are just their political currency to be used to get to the office of the governor.
A situation that had been on for decades and will continue until God intervene in the state  just like Kaduna and Kogi state which divinity brought minority's to be governor.

The non sensitive of this political leaders at time speak volumes,one has expected the Buhari government to be tribal sensitive in his appointment from Benue State this time around after an Idoma tribe was appointed a federal Minister in his first term,the President should have look toward the third tribe which is the Igede people hence Tiv had being playing the big brother for years.the recent appointment of Prof Ode Ojowu by the President Mohammed Buhari to his Economic team is a good development but it is not just enough as Igede nation has abundant human resources that still need to be used based on her contribution by the people.
The Igede's are equal to any other tribes in country both in capacity and otherwise,it is their rights to be appointed Minister,SG,Speaker,Governor,a Senator etc,they are people's of honest capacity whose son and daughter had demonstrated these capacity by the various positions they had occupied,it is a pity that democracy of numbers had reduced this great tribe to second feeder in Benue state where their integrity should have been used as strategy to salvage the cancerous nature of the public services in the state and Nigeria as whole.

It is my hope both the  Federal government and Benue state governments will address the issue of marginalization that had befallen the Igede people for past decades as nobody is more a Nigerian than the others

it will also be of an interest to know that, the Oju-Yala  Ogoja  Federal Road that link Oju to  Ogoja  and Abakaliki  awarded since Seventy as the only federal road in these areas had been abandoned  owing to the fact,the people had no representative in the upper echelon of the federal and state government that will lobby for it to be completed .

This road should have reduce distance for travelers from far North going to the Ebonyi state capital Abakaliki with about four hour and people from the Eastern part of Enugu who are going to Ogoja by six hour if completed.

The construction of this road  would have created more economies activities within Oju and Obi towns and serve as the only federal government presence across the two local government area of  Igede land’s and bring more IGRs to the state

Unfortunately this federal road was not capture by Distingush Senator Dino Malaye on his motion on "the state of deplorable Roads condition in the country where all road were eventually mentioned  in the eight Senate .

This is how the Igede people has been political Marginalized in the contest of numbers and not strength,it is very imperative for the administration of President Mohammandu Buhari to as a matter of necessity direct his incoming Minister of Works to reward this road and give the Igede nation sense of belonging to this country.

Also,I called on the able Governor of Benue state Dr,Samuel Ortom to as matter of urgency reshuffle his cabinet and give the Igede people Secretary to State government (SG) to balance,the political and moral equity of sharing in the state as the prudence of the Igedeman in office as his SSG will help him go far in solving the numerous crisis confronting his administration over time and help him write back his name in the heart of his people and even with posterity.

Going by what is currently happening in Benue state, if His Excellency,Dr Samuel Ortom did not change his Cabinet and bring people with such capabilities which are embedded in many of the Benuelite especially the Igede's men and women,but keeping trusting on these present political friends,the present administration will be the worst reference era in Benue history as Senator Gabriel Susam metaphoric phrase of " better Susam"in the days of the Senator opposition with the governor will not be laugh away.