After far-reaching consultations with various stakeholders, the Ebira Peoples Association (EPA), the umbrella body of all Anebira at home and in the Diaspora, has constituted and inaugurated its National Executive Council (NEC).
The new national executive is headed by Dr Musa AbduRahman Adeiza, its President-General and Dr Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba as the Secretary- General. The new executive has the imprimatur of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim, who co-signed their appointment letters and the endorsement of all the first-class rulers (Ohis) in their four local governments, who were equally present during the inauguration ceremony.
Speaking at the occasion, the new President-General called for unity, peace and harmonious co-existence among Ebira people and between them and other citizens in the country. These he said are basic requirements needed by any human society to make meaningful progress and engender positive development. He appealed to his colleagues to join hands with him in the service of their fatherland.
Adeiza called on the people of the state to support the government of the day by offering useful suggestions on policies and programmes that would have positive impact on the lives of the people.
Adeiza also called for prayers for Governor Yahaya Bello and his team and for the wisdom and guidance to succeed in office, while appealing to the government to come clean on the issue of salaries of workers by bringing a closure to the screening exercise, identify ghost workers and pay those who have been screened and cleared to address the pervasive poverty in the state.
EPA also called on the government to address the security challenges in the state, especially in Ebira land where people are now afraid to go about their lawful businesses for fear of being abducted or killed.
EPA has also commended the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari on the fight against corruption and insecurity in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has urged the people of the state to exercise patience with his government and give it a chance to transform the state
The governor who was represented by his Special Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Abdulmumini Okara, said government initiated the screening exercise to cleanse and purge the civil service of bad eggs and that it was not to witch-hunt anybody or group as it is being insinuated, adding that the construction of roads and other development projects in the three senatorial districts has commenced.
He pledged his support for EPA and all other such groups that are in the forefront of preaching peace and seeking progress and development for their communities.
The highpoint of the inauguration was the swearing in of the new executive members. They included Adeiza, President-General; Musa Aliyu, Deputy President-General; Dr Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo, Secretary-General; AbdulKarim Adavi Bello, Vice-President, North-central zone; Isa Aliyu, Vice-President, North-west; Mohammed Saliu Omadivi, Vice-President, South-south; Prof. M.E.Ibrahim, Vice-President, North-east; Abubakar Abdulsalam, Deputy-Secretary General; Sadiq Adaviriku Ibrahim, Assistant Secretary-General and Isa Abdullahi, Treasurer.
Others are a four-member Finance Directorate including Barnabas Ojiah, Abdullawal Zubair, Rakiya Yusuf and Maryam Shehu; a three-member Mobilisation Directorate of Hon Mohammed Omuya, Austyn Ochu and Joseph Anivasa (Diaspora); a four-member Media and Publicity Directorate comprising Halimat Saliu, Franca Aiyetan, Zainab Suleiman Okino and Musa Jimoh; a five-member Education/Culture/ Artisan Directorate which is composed of S.S. Salami, Abubakar A. Garba, Siyaka Anda Sadiq, Iliasu O. Malik and Ismail AbdulRahman Obansa and a three-member Strategic Planning and Research Directorate; they are Yahaya Yusuf, Sabita AbdulRahim and Hamza Usman. Yet others are Mohammed B. Attah, Member, Linkages Directorate, Maryam Saliu Ibrahim, member, Women Affairs Directorate and Mohammed Bello, Coordinator, FCT
