Ane Igala Restoration (AIR ), an Ata Igala constituted pan Igala socio-cultural organisation established to restore and revive Igala values, heritage vis a vis land and people which are spread across Anambra, Benue, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Kogi States etc , has cautioned members of Igala Area Traditional Council in Kogi State to desist from the ignoble and despicable act of conferring titles that are alien to the highly respected Igala tradition and culture on the Igala soil.
The organization said Igala heritage which their forefathers fought for with their blood can’t be on sale.
This warning came at the wake of the news that the current managers of the council had thrown respect for their highly cherished culture to the wind and embraced the plans to confer strange titles on strange individuals without recurs to the consequences of their plans to their culture and as to the fact that the Ata Igala, the head of Igala nation and Achadu Oko Ata, Igala’s traditional prime minister are still on hunting expenditures and therefore needless celebration of this kind should be avoided.
The organisation said that the move was strange and suspicious , and has no direct bearing on consolidating the feat of the ancestors who vehemently resisted cultural and physical annihilation attempt of Uthman Danfodio in 1804 .
They said even if the said coronation was for non Igalas and aimed at recognising the head of another ethnic group who resides in the area, such coronation should be done by the chief of such group in their homeland and letter of such appointment forwarded for recognition.
“No matter how powerful a host country is, it can never appoint ambassadors for another country”.they stated.
They also observed that the interim managers of the Igala cultural heritage have recently abandoned their valued traditional attires and have decided to go about in borrowed garments of other strange cultures.
” It is shameful and even more shameful that the Kogi Igala Area Traditional Council, a homeland council which relates directly with the ancestors and is expected to demonstrate strong respect for our heritage is deviating after the Ata Igala’s hunting expenditure” they added.
The organisation said the traditional rulers should be reminded that they are there to strengthen the Igala heritage and not to weaken it and make it subservient to other cultures.
They advised the traditional rulers to uphold the highly respected ancient Igala civilization handed over to them and not destroy or lay it at the feet of those ancestors defeated centuries ago out of inferiority complex.
“That our traditional stools are of extreme value and superior to those alien stools and culture which they seek to copy .
“We hereby appeal to them, to respect their stools, Igala Kingdom and cultural heritage. Consequently, we too shall respect and even honour them as they faithfully and honourably respect the stools they represent.
“This position was taken after the urgent meeting of the Ane Igala Restoration (AIR )’s IMC in Idah, the headquarters of Igala nation.” The organization stated.
