It is no longer news that Barrister Halima Alfa has come under vitriolic attacks from a segment of the Igala elite who masquerade themselves as the champion of a so called Igala agenda in a multi-ethic state and society like ours. For those who care to know, history will surely witness to the patriotism of Barrister Halima as against the ethnic bigotist taste of the proponents of the Igala as against the Kogi state agenda.
The election of Yahaya Bello as the governor of our state was the pinnacle event for us all as Kogites. It was a sign that finally, the ethnic equality we yearned for in the confluence state has been reached and achieved. For others, the re- election of Yahaya Bello is going to be a sign that there has really been a shift in our state regarding who and what leadership looks like. Barrister Halima looks at the re-election of Yahaya Bello as a tipping point of leadership. We can also examine the fact that election builds upon previous model of leadership and builds upon new avenues of leadership recruitmentment in our state if we develop as a people.
For Halima, she is having a vision and that vision is one that encapsulates the dream of the whole segments of the Kogi society and she intends to have nothing to do with an agenda that is divisive in nature like the Igala agenda. She believes there is no minority or majority in our state when it comes to leadership aspirations and that is why she will for the remaining part of her life fight any agenda that limits the dream and possibility of any man because of the ethnic group he belongs to- that is her difference.
Yes, she is proudly Igala, a tribe which she believes God in his infinite mercies deems fit for her to belong, but she feels pained if the gift of providence like ethnicity is used as a yardstick to annihilate and perpetuate injustices against other ethnic groups. She believes that is not the type of Kogi state we dream of in the 21st century.
For those who do not know, Halima Alfa is from Idah local government area, which is a very important town to the Igala nation. Her local government area has never produced a governor for Kogi state. The present senator and gubernatorial candidate of the PDP, Engr. Musa Wada, hails from Dekina local government area but nobody is begrudging them by virtue of where they come from as they are equally qualified by law to pursue their dreams.
Engr. Musa Wada is a man known by Hajia Halima for many years. A very qualified man to be governor of the state if the people wishes, but Halima feels nobody should be a governor of the state because of the advantage of belonging to the major ethnic group in the state but by virtue of his personal character and leadership ability.
For Halima, she is proud to be a member of the APC at this time in her political life, a party of choice which she has no regrets being part of. Today, she is proudly a supporter of Yahaya Bello, the governor of the state whom the party has democratically chosen to be the candidate of the party in the next gubernatorial election in the state.
Halima has always been suggesting a redefinition and a realignment of ideology, leadership and people’s interest without which the idea of Igala nationalism will be more of noise making without substance and effect either in the larger groupings or in the entire Kogi society. Known for its political sophistication, the Igala people will always remain a force to be reckoned with in Kogi politics. But our political peculiarities have remained an albatross, driving a wedge within the group and in the process limlting its influence in a highly competitive ethno-religious inclined Kogi politics, which the Igala agenda is all about.
These peculiarities have distinguished the Igala people and our brand of nationalism and patroitism. But this Igala agenda has now given a contradictory perception of our ideology and philosophy, on one hand, and our leadership, on the other hand. Halima just wants to stress that using our acclaimed but seriously constrained hegemony as an advantage to the detriment of others in Kogi state is and should never be accepted in the Kogi state of the 21st century.
Finally, she is only stressing that Igala nationalism which your group represents has suffered seriously reversals since you dabbled in the politics of the state with your seemingly unending acrimonious struggle for power and its benefits.
Yahaya Bello has proved that qualitative leadership is no
rocket science. He raised the bar and became a good leadership benchmark. He has layed the foundations for the growth and development of kyogi state. Our people know a good leader when they see one. Let’s all forget tribe and ethnic inclinations and support a united Kogi for development.
Musawa writes from Abuja.
