Igalaland Yet To Recover From Abubakar Audu’s Death – David Abutu

Elder David Abutu is the National Leader of Ukomu Igala Organisation (UIO), the apex socio-cultural body for the Igala nation. In this interview with EJIKEME OMENAZU , he speaks on the state of Igalaland in Kogi State, especially the marginalisation of the people of Igala and the way forward for the Kingdom. Excerpt: Could you tell us the place of Ukomi Igala Organisation in Ig­alaland? The Ukomu Igala Organisa­tion was not the first of such organisations.

It is an offshoot of others that existed in the past to make Igala people to act as one. Ukomu Igala is the apex socio-cultural organisation of Igala people, just like the Ohanaeze Ndigbo is to the Igbo people and the Afenifere is to the Yoruba. The word, ‘Ukomu’, means ‘Voice’.



Within the an­nals of Igala Kingdom, Ukomu Igala is the unifying voice of the people. You are known to be a found­ing member of the Ukomu Igala Organisation. How easy was it to you and the others to put the body together? It was quite difficult.

The founding fathers were spread across the globe. We have peo­ple in the USA, Canada, and Europe. It is unlike now that the world is a global village.

We kept writing until it was formed. Before the advent of the white man, Igala was among the five largest Kingdoms. Now, the others have spread.

It is only Igalaland that is backward. The organisation was established around 2012. What would you regard as the ma­jor achievements of Ukomu Igala Organisation? Since its establishment in 2012, there have been several na­tional leaders.

Down the road, Ukomu Igala Organisation has achieved much. One powerful achievement is the fact that the petrochemical outfit that was supposed to be at Utobe, which is at Igalaland. The outfit was to be taken out of Igala.

But, under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Ukomu Igala Organisaton wad­ed in. Jonathan’s government confirmed that it was supposed to be located at Utobe. Secondly, because of the struggle of the Ukomu Igala Organisation, Kogi State is now known as one of the oil producing states with all the benefits that accrue to oil bearing states.

Also, under the past administration, in the Radio Kogi, some of our people at the top were marginalised and sacked merely because they were Igala people. We waded in and they were rein­stated. Moreover, in the recent past, the centres that were re­leased for the National Census in Kogi State, while the others were well equipped, those in Kogi East, which is Igalaland, were not equipped.

They lacked computer units. Ukomu Igala Organisation also waded in and provided sufficient computer units. In the end, the records for Kogi East were the best.

Kogi is known to be Nigeria’s highest producer of cashew nuts, which is in Igalaland, Kogi East. With the help of one of our members, Mr. Emmanuel Okai, we were able to set up a body to ensure that all the cashew nuts farm­ers are brought together un­der one umbrella.

I also want to mention that currently and unfortunately, Kogi East, where Igalaland exists, has no radio station. But, our brothers on the other side have several. The Ukomu Igala Organisation decided to ensure that a radio and television station was set up.

The Enekpe Radio/Tv sta­tion was established within Igalaland. Efforts are ongoing to ensure that this is achieved within a reasonable time. Also, we have in the pipeline ar­rangements to commence the establishment of scholarship programmes for the children of the poorest of the poor within Igalaland, who may be out of school due to no fault of theirs.

Within the educational system, we intend to establish a com­puter centre within Igalaland to demystify the computer. Ma­jority of school leavers are not yet computer literate. This we intend to do.

Since the death of one of the illustrious sons of Igala, former governor, Chief Abubakar Audu, how has Igalaland fared in terms of government’s presence, infra­structure and appointments? Abubakar Audu was an enig­ma. It is difficult to find some­one who can fit into his big shoes. We have not seen one yet.

In the 2023 elections, we threw our weight behind a candidate. But, we were shortchanged. However, we hope we will find someone someday who will fit into his large shoes.

With Abu­bakar Audu’s death, Igala lost its representation within the state and the national level. Ig­ala lost peace, lost focus. We lost a lot.

Since then, Igala is like children moving without light or direction. It has been so sad. In all facets, we lost it.

When Audu was there, things were not as tough for Igalaland as it has been since he died. When he was alive, all the things we had lost, he alone would have fought and bring them. We have lost everything you can think of in terms of human needs.

It is as bad as that. A cross section of Igala sons and daughters are of the view that the ethnic nationality is being margin­alised. If so, in what areas? The issue of marginalisation of Igalaland is real.

But, I do not blame it on anybody. I blame our representatives. An inland port was earmarked at Idah, our cultural home.

The equip­ments were brought in. Work started. But, Admiral Akhigbe took the equipment to Ageneg­bode.

We have what it takes to repair ships. The Igala people were shortchanged by David Mark. He used his powers to remove the bridge at Gbagani to Uneto, his town.

But, where are our own people? We had rep­resentatives then. But what did they do? The place that is called Ajaokuta Steel Mill was to be at Idah. But, Adamu Attah was able to use his connections and it was cited at Ajaokuta.

Igala people have been marginalised, but I blame our people. The time the Federal Government remembered Igala was when Ahmadu Alli was appointed the Federal Commissioner of Ed­ucation. He brought a Federal Polytechnic to Idah and a Fed­eral Government College at Ug­wokwo.

That was in 1978. These institutions are still there till date. That was the first and last time the Federal Govern­ment remembered Igala.

The Marginalisation of Igalaland is real. But, it is because our representatives have been rep­resenting themselves and their pockets instead of the people. However, the current hope of Igala nation is Hon.

Halims, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. He is currently fighting tooth and nail for the revitalisation of the Igala nation. What is being done to ensure that Igala people have the prime of place in Kogi State and the nation? There is an ongoing plan for the total unification of Igala people to speak in one voice and act in unison for the Igala nation.

Once we have achieved a lot. We need to speak in one voice to get to where we have to be. What are the plans of the body to ensure that the sons and daugh­ters of Igalaland are gainfully employed? We have a compendium of the ‘Who’s Who’ within Igala people so that we can ensure that our people are placed in areas of their qualifications.

Hajia Salamatu Baiwa in FAN and a member of Board of Trustees (BoT) of Ukomu Iga­la has done a lot in this regard. Victor Adojie has done a lot for Igala people within the banking sector. Those are the noticeable ones.

Some may be doing more. But, we need to do more. In my personal capacity, I am contrib­uting my little efforts too.

We learnt that the Ukomu Igala Organisation in Lagos is planning a major summit in Lagos. Could you tell us about it? The Ukomu Igala Organi­saton has state chapters. The Lagos chapter is a major one.

The Lagos chapter has sought my approval to bring on board individuals. This is aimed at re­awakening the body in Lagos. They plan to have a building of their own where Igala sons and daughters who arrive La­gos for the first time can be housed until they find their feet.

When I arrived in La­gos, for the first time, I slept in a police station. The unity of the sons and daughters of Igalaland in Lagos is para­mount. The summit is slated for May 31, at the Police Col­lege, Ikeja.

We are already visiting major stakeholders and people, both in private and public sectors to make the event a huge success. What is being done by Igala leaders like you to mobilise the younger generation of Igala people for future leadership? We are mentoring the young ones. We have the Youth Arm.

They watch what we are doing, learn from us and continue where we stop. We are not leav­ing any stone unturned towards the continuation of Igalaland. Ukomu Igala Organisation is apolitical.

We can, however, direct our young ones on what to do..