His Excellency Prince Frank Onaivi Ukonga lecture 23: The imperatives
of Ebira Unity of 40 million people to the development of Ebira Nation, Nigeria
and sub Saharan Africa- A realistic perspective. Lecture delivered to the Ebira
summit in Okene on the 30th March 2013.
I acknowledge the President of the Nigerian Federation His Excellency
Dr Goodluck Jonathan, I acknowledge the governor of Kogi state His Excellency
Captain Idriss, I appreciate the Ohinoyi of Ebira Land HRH Ado Ibrahim, and
also I acknowledge the Otaru of Igarra Kingdom HRh Adeche Saiki, and all other leaders of the Ebira Nation. I also pay homage to all
the leaders of the tripartite Ebira Nation Crested on Ebira great peoples, the
peoples of Igarra Kingdom and Ebiras of the Niger state. I commend the
leadership of EVI whose founder and world president Mr. Akomode for his tremendous
dexterity to unite the entire Ebira peoples worldwide… I acknowledge the
President of the Director General of EVI
in parson of Mrs. Aisha Lovable and all the executives of the EVI for
organizing this great summit of Ebira sons and daughters to ruminate of the
future of the Ebira Nation in Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa. Finally I salute
all the peoples gathered here today, diplomats, technocrats, students the
gentle men of the Media and all protocols observed:
I am highly appreciative to the invitation to this summit as a special
guest of honor and guest speaker, a position usually reserved for highly achieving
personalities and leaders of the Nigerian Political Economy and the sages and I
will be for ever be indebted to your union for
this great respect accorded to me.
The Role of Ebira Nation in Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa: The Ebira
Nation is about 40 million peoples of sub Sub Saharan Africa living in more
than 10 states of the Nigerian Federation as ethnic indigenes spanning the
states of Kogi, Kwarra, Niger, Edo , Taraba, Adamawa, FCT, Nasarawa, Benue,
etc. The Ebira Nation is the forth largest tribe in Nigeria and sub Saharan
Africa after the Hausa, Yoruba and the Igbo. This is a significant demography
of highly industrious peoples that can form an independent Nation which will be
about the size of the united Kingdom and perhaps the size of the Republic of
Ghana plus Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo and Mali put together..The land mass which
the Ebira Nation covers as regards it various towns and settlements’ is also
considerable. Highly commendable is the role the Ebira Nation in the
industrial, political and economic advancement of Nigeria and sub Saharan
Africa but more would have been desired save for the want of unity of the
peoples, lack of cohesion of strategies ,plans, policy thrusts and purposes of
the various colligating segments of the Ebira Nation.
Who we are: In general the Ebira peoples are brave, courageous,
hardworking, and steadfast, God fearing peoples where ever they find
themselves. The Ebiras are detribalized, sociable and friendly peoples that
have the qualities of mixing and assimilation into other tribes and Nations of
the Nigeria and the world which make us acceptable and loved by the other colligating
tribes and Nations of Sub Saharan Africa.
Origin of the Ebira People: The Ebira people are of the Mandingo Nation
of North Africa and they migrated to Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa along with
the Fulani and the Yoruba Nations. The Ebiras are Mandinka by tribe. According
to German historians and archeologists the Ebira Nation, the Fulani Nation and
the Yoruba Nations were part and parcel of the Meronic Empire of Kush of the
central Nile River that was part of the Egyptian civilization. When Egypt and
Kush were invaded by the jet color Coptic Race who brought their own forms of
worship and culture it was not overtly acceptable to many tribes and some of
them emigrated to North Africa and Sub Saharan Africa. The German Historians
identified three routes of migrations of the peoples of Ebira, Fulani and the
Yoruba Nations to this part of the world. All the routes I have personally
investigated and found out that the Germans are correct. The first route was
south westwards of Egypt to Timbuktu, Tamaraset, Goa, Bamako, up to Senegambian
valley and the coast towns of Walata and the gold and diamond mines of Wangarra.
While the Fulani settled in towns of Futa Jalon and Futa Toro founding the Futa
Toro Empire. But in contrast the Ebiras were great, rich miners of the gold and
diamonds and solid minerals of sub Saharan Africa and their Headquarters was
located in Wangarra of Mali Empire.
Politically the Ebiras were
the Mandingos who the founder and ruled the great Mali Empire in partnership
with the Fulani and perhaps the Yoruba Race. Whence the great Mandingo kings
and Princes of, Mansa Musa etc and the great Mandingo Prince Abubakadir that
abdicated the thrown in 1311, to discovered America were all of Mandingo
Nation. The Fulani Prince Samanguru toppled the Mandingo dynasty in the Mali
Empire and ruled for upwards of 100 years until when the Fulani were toppled by
the Almoravids to form the Songhai Empire, and the Fulani’s became narrowed down
to rule their Fulani Empires of Futa Toro and Futa Jalon in the Senegambian valleys., and
from here we all migrated southwards to Upper Nigeria while the Fulani settled
in Sokoto and the Northern aspects of Nigeria because of the arable savannah
belt, good for their cattle and farming;
the Ebira who are mainly miners of gold and diamonds, farmers and sailors moves southwards to the River
Niger Benue confluence and the hilly terrain were they can engage in their
preoccupations. The Yoruba move south westwards to the coast of Nigeria. The
second emigrational route of the peoples of Ebira and others into Nigeria and
Sub Saharan Africa according to German Historians was through the route
southwards of Kush from Egypt to Kenya, Tanzania cutting trough central Africa
, Sudan, Chard and entering through Adamawa and Taraba states. That is why most
Ebiras believe we are from Taraba state. The journey moved from Taraba to Zuba
, Abaji, Okene and Igarra as the most southern settlement of the Ebira Nation.
This is also correct. The third route was through east wards to Northern
Cameroon, Gongola into Taraba and further southwards. I have researched
extensively on these three routes and found the German historians correct in
all their assertions.
Historical legacies and culture of the Ebira Nation: The Ebira Nation
boast of distinct and unique culture crested on the Judeo-Christian/ Islamic pattern
of ethics and adulterated by Hermitic. When the great researcher of Afro centric
bias Cheik Anta Diop asserted that Judaism, Christianity, Islam and traditional
pattern of ethical resolves were already well established in Egypt and Africa
before the coming of the white Race in Race Relations, he was saying an obvious
truth .His thesis has been found applicable to the case of the Ebira Nation.
Nevertheless the Ebira Nation had well established institutions of governance, marriage,
civil administration, agriculture, education, commerce, trade, and
infrastructural developments before the advent of colonization as part of the
Jukun and Nupe Empires though the Hausa Fulani empires had alliances with the
Ebira Nation particularly in the rise of the Zauzau Empire. The Ekouchi Masquerade
festivals common among all the various ethnics of the Ebira Nation and its
spiritual and historical significances is an attestation that the Ebira Nation
worldwide has claims to rich culture, traditions, norms, mores, and pathos. The
Aba Festival of the trinity of the God head of Igarra kingdom: Oshomoshi, (supreme
creator-God the father), Ori Ofu (God the Son), and the people as the third arm
of the triangle celebrated by the Igarra peoples every 7 years bear credence to
the proof of Cheik Anta Diop’s thesis that the concept of the God Head of
Trinity was an African legacy stolen away by other religions and esoteric knowledge,
adapting it to market their religion and concepts on a global basis. The
Christian trinity of God was adopted less than 700 years ago in the great
meeting of all Christian’s arms in Constantinople while the Africa concept of
trinity of the God head is more than 2000 years old.
The importance of the Unity of the Ebira Nation in the 21st century:
In contemporary time it becomes imperative that the Ebira Nation unite as one
to be able to rediscover herself and her immense destiny in stabilizing and
ruling politically, economically Nigeria and many Nations of Sub Saharan
Africa. This has become expedient addressed to pull our resources together both
our demographic strength in population as well as our energies to make deference
in the 21st century. It is appalling
to announce that there has never being an Ebira son nor daughter becoming the
Head of state of Nigeria nor the President of Nigeria in a democracy despite
the huge population of above 40 million people as the 4th largest Nation of Nigeria.
Other tribes like the Fulani who are about 4 million had produced more than
five Head of states and presidents of the Nigerian federation. In the state
level there is no Ebira son or daughter that has become democratically elected
as a state Governor. And in the overall assessment the Ebira Nation has a
portable record of middle level manpower contributions to the advancements of
Nigeria which though commendable but more would have been desired. The reasons
for these portable contributions are due to lack of unity of the Ebira people.
The novae path for the Ebira Nation: It has become imperative for the
Ebira Nation to unite as one people and speak with one voice if we must rise up
to the occasion of taking our rightful position in the Nigerian state and no
more be used as willing tools by others. There is strength in unity and pulling
resources together. And that is the purpose of this lecture to announce as a
clarion call to all Ebira sons and daughters to come together under one
umbrella and Marche hand in hand steadfast into the future addressed to
contribute to the political, economic and industrial becoming of the Nigerian
state not as a second fiddle but taking the front seat as Nigeria jockeys in to
the 21st century and yonder.
We shall become more and more irrelevant in the schemes of things in Nigeria
and sub Saharan Africa, if we hunt alone and separately.
To facilitate the unity among the Ebira Nation I suggest the
establishment of the followings:
1)
The
Ebira Political Forum-EPF- that will be dedicated to chart a new political path
for the Entire Ebira Nation addressed toward political unity of all the Ebira
kingdoms
2)
The
Ebira Economic Forum- EEF- That will engage in a functional plan to empower all
Ebira citizen nationally and worldwide and committed to the rapid
industrialization of the Ebira kingdoms.
3)
The
Ebira cultural and Educational Forum- ECEF- This will be dedicated to the
cultural and education advancement of the Ebira Nation.
Conclusion: Once more I thank the organizers of this great Ebira Summit
addressed to chart a new path for the Ebira Nation to take her rightful
position in the front seat of Nigeria’s social, economic and political entropy
and I sincerely hope that we shall rededicate ourselves again to the novae
enlightenment of the noble pursuit of unity, love and brotherhood of all Ebira people,
the Nigeria Nation and the world in generality. Thanks and God Bless
Long Live Ebira Nation, Long Live the Nigerian Federation.
Prince Frank Onaivi Ukonga
Chairman SDMP –Edo state and Presidential Aspirant 2015
