The Attah of IGALA and the Chairman, Kogi State Council of Chiefs, His Royal Majesty, Agabaidu (Dr) Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni ll has decried the marginalization of IGALA nation in the distribution of resources and power by the federal government and called on all IGALA Sons and Daughters, home and in the diaspora to come together and talk in a United voice that will ensure peace, progress and development of IGALA Land. The Attah made the call on the occasion of his third year anniversary on the throne as the Attah IGALA in Idah today.

In his opening speech, the Attah described the presence of the Governor of Kogi State, Alh Yahaya Bello as an affirmation of the governor's commitment and understanding of the various segments that make up the state. Dr Idakwo said, within the shortest period of BELLO's reign as governor of Kogi, the governor has identified and tackled the endemic problems bedeviling the state with the rapidity of a general's order. While wishing the governor God's guidance in the Herculean task of redirecting the state, The Royal Majesty appealed to the governor to use his ingenious approach to issues to reconstruct the Ida-Anyigba road which he said, has defied all solutions and regimes.

While describing the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as a new chapter in the nation's political history regarding accountability, Justice, fairness and equity, the Attah of IGALA decried the marginalization of IGALA kingdom since the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 and urging that the change mantra of the federal government should focus more attention on Kogi state in general and IGALA kingdom in particular. He said whatever changes occur in the nation without adequately addressing the structural and socio-political deficiencies suffered in IGALA land will be grossly inadequate and exercise in futility.

While assuring the people that the solution to the oil wells dispute between Kogi and Anambra state is within, the Attah IGALA said he has invited the two warring parties in the conflict between the people of Odeke and Echenwo in Kogi state and the people of Aguleri in Anambra state to find lasting solution to the conflict.

Taking time to explain the movement of IGALA within Nigeria, HRM said the IGALA people were once an indivisible entity until in the 19th century, due to the ignorance of the colonial masters of the people's history and geographical configurations Balkanized and dispersed the IGALA into three provinces, namely; the Idah district was merged with Onitsha district, Ankpa with Munchi province and Dekina forming part of the Nasarawa province. He said in 1918 during the reign of Attah Oguche Akpa, the three districts came together and were merged with the northern province but not without some damages in which some of the IGALAS were ignorantly left behind in the present day Enugu, Anambra, Nasarawa, Benue, Delta and Edo states thus drastically reducing the numerical strength of the IGALA Nation. He said this singular act by the colonial masters and its acceptance by IGALA frontline nationalists has been the main cause of IGALA's loss of strength and voice in national matters.

According to HRM, Attah Amocheje has signed a treaty with the British as early as 1841, twenty years before Lagos signed a treaty with them in 1861,the IGALA nation had been a very strong kingdom, controlling the commercial activities and navigation on the Niger River at Idah many years before the advent of the White men. He also reminded the people that as early as 1963 during the national head count, the IGALA tribe was declared the MINTH (9th) largest ethnic group in Nigeria despite her reduced geographical spread, and consequently listed among the national languages.

Lamenting the marginalization of IGALA Nation by the federal government, HRM narrated notable IGALA sons who have risked their skins for the success of Nigeria as a country; late Dr Abubakar Usman whom he described as an ebullient political analyst that ensure the emergence of Alh Shehu Shagari as president under NPN but was just honored as minister for state, foreign affairs. He said Abubakar died in the course of serving the nation in a plane crash while on a peace mission to São Tomé and Príncipe. Dr Stephen Achema plaid a very Cardinal role in the election that brought in Former president Olusegun Obasanjo but was just given appoint as senior special assistant to the president and was serving in that capacity until he died in auto crash, the same way the late legal icon, Barr James Enejo Ocholi was instrumental to the merger of APC and the subsequent victory of President Muhammadu Buhari at the polls in 2015.

He also reminded the people that, the military government of Gen Ibrahim Babangida created local government areas in Kogi central and west but despite the numerical strength of the IGALA, no local government was created in the district even though local government areas were created twice in both central and western districts of the state.

HRM said Kogi east was 'honored' with a harvest of five ministers of state of which one was elevated by accident along the line to substantive minister. In the history of Nigeria, Kogi East has had only three ambassadors of which the last one was appointed during president Obasanjo's administration about ten years ago to Botswana. Dr Idakwo went further to say that it was on record that out of over fifty (50) federal ministries, parastatals, departments and agencies of the federal government, no IGALA indigene is considered fit to head one despite being ninth in terms of number going by the 1963 census, describing the situation appalling considering the contribution of IGALAS to the development of Nigeria. HRM said when the allocation of resources, power, and position are subject of controversies, then one can easily imagine what befalls the equitable distribution of those resources and consequently even development.

He called on all IGALA sons and daughters to come together and unit to speak in one voice, work and pray for the development of IGALA Nation.

In his felicitation message, The governor of Kogi state, Alh Yahaya Bello who described the Attah of IGALA as the biggest Masquerade in the land said, he was pleased to be part of Nigerians from all over the world, friends and tourists from foreign lands and other categories of people who converged to celebrate the third anniversary of HRM Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni ll on throne as the Attah of IGALA.
Describing the Attah IGALA as a father of immense foresight and forthrightness, Gov Bello said on his campaign visit to Attah IGALA sometime ago, HRM charged him to be bold and courageous and to expect divine help from above in his political struggle.

In fulfilling his promise, the governor said "we promised your RM that we shall be detribalized and we are making every attempt to live up to that promise. I took the oath of office 59 days ago. Immediately after the event, I appointed one o your sons, Hon Edward Onoja from Emonyokwu, Ogugu district of Olamaboro local government area as my Chief of Staff. This is the first time a governor in Kogi state has filled that sensitive position with someone outside his tribe. In our appointments and actions in office, we have made sure that there is something for every part of the state and many more are yet to come. I am ready to work with anyone who believed Kogi can be greater".

"A legend of Igalaland has it that when another direct descendant of Ameh Oboni the first sits again on the throne as Attah IGALA, IGALA nation will see unprecedented development. By the grace of God in heaven, Your Royal Majesty you are that direct descendant and I am the governor who will fulfill that prophecy".

Gov Bello promised HRM that his administration will develop Igalaland as rapidly and as extensively as resources and equity to all parts of Kogi will allow.
The governor said, on the 24th of March, 2016, exactly 57 days of his assumption of office, his administration has paid salaries to all civil servants in Kogi state whose nominal roll was forwarded and guaranteed by heads of their parastatals or offices. Noting that the ongoing screening exercise has yield tremendous success, the governor appealed to the traditional rulers and stakeholders to cooperate with his administration to move the state forward.

Speaking earlier, the former National Chairman of the People's Democratic Party urged the people to support the present administration, noting that it's only God who gives power to who He wants. He said Ebira and IGALA has filial relationship and are brothers and sisters.

Other speakers at the occasion include Prof SEIDU Muhammed Oga, Chairman of Idah Local Government and host of others.
Dignitaries at the occasion include former chief of defense staff Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi, former chief of Naval Staff, Real Admiral Jibrin, the deputy governor of Kogi State, Chief Simon Achuba, Chief of Staff to the governor of Kogi state, Hon Edward Onoja, auditor general of the state and other top government officials, Comrade Mohammed Ali and other local government chairmen, foreign and local dignitaries, religious leaders and traditional rulers.

Nigeria, just like in some parts of the Occident, has been the greatest opportunity and the worst influence; a place of creation and decay, of freedom and subjection, of riches and poverty, of splendor and misery, of communion and lonesomeness—an optimal milieu for talent, character, vice and corruption.

Many desirable things are advocated without regard to the most fundamental fact of economics, that resources are inherently limited and have alternative uses.

In the 2015 presidential election campaign, the All Progressive Congress promised Nigerians 'Change'; change from bad economy to good, from bad healthcare system to the best, from insecurity to safety, from unemployment to employment and so on. Who could be against good healthcare system, safety, or employment opportunity? But each of these things is open-ended, while resources are not only limited but have alternative uses which are also valuable. No matter how much is done to promote health, more could be done. No matter how safe things have been made, they could be made safer. And no matter how much jobs are available, more could be created.

Facts and Fallacies of 'Change' of this administration subjects many widely held beliefs to the test of hard facts and it is glaring that many beliefs held about the ability of the present government to fulfill its electioneering campaign promises cannot survive that test, including some, like the creation of 3,000 jobs annually and payment of five thousand Naira stipend to Unemployeed graduates that have already collapsed like a house of cards and others where the truth turns out to be the direct opposite of what has been so often asserted such as equating dollar with Naira, increase in foreign reserve and others.

The purpose of this article is not simply a debunking, in order to conduct a sort of demolition derby of ideas, but to reveal fallacies that have had harmful effects on the well-being of millions of people in this country. Economic policies based on fallacies can be and have been devastating in their impacts.

Fallacies are not simply crazy ideas. They are usually both plausible and logical—but with something missing. Their plausibility gains them political support. Only after that political support is strong enough to cause fallacious ideas to become government policies and programs are the missing or ignored factors likely to lead to “unintended consequences,”

.in politics, particularly when they invoke some principle that engages people’s emotions. “Change” is one of those undefined words which have attracted political support for policies. While the fact that the word is undefined is an intellectual handicap, it is a huge political advantage. People with very different views on substantive issues can be unified and mobilized behind a word that papers over their differing, and sometimes even mutually contradictory, ideas. Who, after all, is in favor of unchanged policies of the last administration? Similarly with “social justice,” “equality,” and other undefined terms that can mean wholly different things to different individuals and groups—all of whom can be mobilized in support of policies that use such appealing words as the All Progressive Congress has done.

From the experience of former spokesperson of the All Progressive Congress and the current minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, a strong advocate of policies that are backfiring often attribute these bad consequences to something else. Lai Muhammed have claimed severally that the bad situation left behind by the former administration would have been even worse if it had not been for the wonderful policies the present government of the APC advocated.

There are many reasons why fallacies have staying in power, even in the face of hard evidence against them. Elected officials, for example, cannot readily admit that some policy or program that they advocated, perhaps with great fanfare during their campaigns have turned out badly, without risking their whole careers. Similarly for leaders of various causes and movements. Others who think of themselves as supporters of things that will help the less fortunate are finding it so painful to confront evidence that they have in fact made the less fortunate worse off than before. Currently, a bag of sachet water which sold for N70 in January this year is currently selling at N150, same with basic food items such as garri, beans, rice, Maggi and so on whose prices have taken a dangerous nosedive at a high level. In other words, evidence is too dangerous politically, financially and psychologically for some people to allow it to become a threat to their interests or to their own policies but the evidences of the current hardship faced by Nigerians are ubiquitous and dangerously harmful to destroy by any image launder of the government.

In dissecting the facts and fallacies of 'Change', Over the years, unemployment rates have tended to be chronically higher, and the periods of unemployment chronically longer, reducing the rate and shortens the period was what the people expected while going into the 2015 presidential election but after nine months, this expectation still remain elusive. In the recent clandestine recruitment carried out by the Central Bank of Nigeria, sons and relatives of affluent politicians serving in this government were recruited without following the due process anchored on federal character principle. Nigerians are biting their fingers just to access common basic needs such as water, food items, medical, education and others as a result of increase in costs.
Before the 2015 presidential election, Nigerians' hope was to usher in a government that will revamp our ailing industries and reactivation of comatose refineries thereby reducing the cost of petroleum products on consumers and create jobs for the unemployed qualified graduates. This expectation remain a lost ball in the high weeds and regrettably lugubrious, the scarcity of the products goes on unabated, with a liter of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) also known as petrol sales between N150-170 today. While the 'Change' administration is making remarkable impact in its fight against insurgency and corruption, it has done nothing to improve the standard of living of the electorate, the common man can barely afford two-square meal a day, businesses have crippled due to fall in power generation and distribution and high cost of raw materials. These, and more to come, are the facts and fallacies of the 'Change' administration in Nigeria.

Onogwu Isah Muhameed
Lokoja, Kogi state.
@onogwuMuha