We’ll preserve our cultural heritage despite globalisation – Ohimegye-Igu

Alhaji Abdulrazak Isa Koto is the Ohimegye-Igu, Koton-Karfe  in Kogi State. Among other things, the first class traditional ruler spoke on efforts to revive their cultural heritage and how they are handling issues involving farmers and herdsmen   Since you ascended the throne as the 25th Ohimegye-Igu,  how have you been ensuring peace among your […]

Alhaji Abdulrazak Isa Koto is the Ohimegye-Igu, Koton-Karfe  in Kogi State. Among other things, the first class traditional ruler spoke on efforts to revive their cultural heritage and how they are handling issues involving farmers and herdsmen

 

Since you ascended the throne as the 25th Ohimegye-Igu,  how have you been ensuring peace among your subjects, especially  on issues involving farmers and herders? 

Since I came to the throne, I have always summoned peace and security meetings every month, where representatives of various ethnic groups, such as the Ardo, Fulani chiefs, village heads, community leaders and other tribal chiefs converge to deliberate on how to ensure peace at their various domains. At that meeting, I give opportunities for any of them to speak on any challenge he is facing in his area. And wherever there is a problem, especially between a Fulani man  and a farmer, especially when it involves destruction of crops in the farm, we always have a way of sanctioning the culprit so that they live peacefully with one another. 

The palace has also ensured that where there is an existing crisis, the parties involved are invited and it is resolved amicably without any bias. So, whether a case involves a Fulani, Bassa or Gbagyi man, the palace ensures that justice prevails. 

It will interest you to note that the palace also ensures that adequate compensation is paid to any farmer whose crops is destroyed by cows after some members of the Traditional Council are delegated to visit such farm and ascertain the level of damage.

 

The Egbira are known to have a very rich cultural heritage. What are you doing to preserve it, especially in this era of globalisation?

We are gradually reviving our cultural heritage since my accession to the throne. I have deemed it fit to revive festivities I know are not obnoxious or anti-Islamic, but the one that will be able to bring our customs and traditions to limelight. 

In April last year, we held our cultural fishing festival, where various local fishermen across  the Koton-Karfe chiefdom converged at the water side to fish. That event attracted many personalities across the country, including the governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello,  who was represented by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly. 

We have also ensured that every Sallah festival, various cultural troupes from various localities within my chiefdom converge here to perform for days, where they showcase our customs and traditions. We have cultural groups that are led by women and others across various ethnic groups, with their masquerades to also entertain guests and other dignitaries.

 

As a traditional ruler, what is your take on the proposed cattle ranching as a means of solving the problem of farmers/herders clashes in parts of the country?

You see, the cattle ranching or colony we are talking about is just a name. It is not a new thing. The Fulani have ruga, which is a ranch on its own in the outskirts of the town. The problem is their movement into farmlands. So, if a cattle ranch as advocated by the government is put into practice, it will go a long way in curbing the incessant clashes between herders and farmers because the ones that we know could be restricted to a particular place. 

In my chiefdom, we have a model.  Every Friday we sit with the heads of the Fulani and their representatives to deliberate. Whenever there is any complaint   or misunderstanding, we address it amicably.  

Another issue is where cattle are given to under-aged boys for grazing and how they control them. It is a problem.

We can manage the ones we have because there are about four categories of the Fulani. We have the ones that are indigenous to us, we have the ones that come from other states, we have the ones that are just passing, and we have the ones that are coming from outside the country, which I believe are the most dangerous ones and the government needs to check their entrance right from the border. They are the ones who are causing most of the crises in some states. The ones that are indigenous to us don’t carry weapons, except sticks and cutlasses or knives. But I will like to advise our security agents, especially those at the border, to keep an eye on the kind of people that cross into the country.

 

You were among the first class chiefs from the North at the National Traditional Council of Nigeria (NTCN), held in Port-Harcourt, River State. What was the essence of that meeting? 

That meeting, which was led by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, was a successful one. We actually deliberated on security, farmers and herders clashes in some parts of the country, as well as youth unemployment. A communiqué was issued at the end of the four days we stayed in Port-Harcourt. 

The deliberation was a good one as we talked about what we could do as traditional rulers because we are the last hope of the common man. We also deliberated on how the government can assist us when there are issues and challenges. 

 

What are the challenges facing the people of your chiefdom?

We have a lot of challenges, but to God be the glory, we have started overcoming some of them, especially in the area of electricity, where the state government has started to intervene. There is improvement on the supply of electricity in the chiefdom. 

In the  health sector, the general hospital, which was dilapidated, has been rehabilitated and the facilities upgraded.

The problem we are now facing is a road network that will enable our farmers to transport their produce to the market. I have already drawn the attention of the sole administration of Koton-Karfe Local Government to see how some of these rural roads will be rehabilitated before the rainy season.