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Ile Arugbo: Towards a peaceful roadmap

 

WITH SALIU MOHAMMED WORU

My dear good people of Ilorin Emirate, it is necessary to remind ourselves that both oral and written history shows that the curtain came down on the Roman Empire, the Mughai Empire crumbled in 1858, the Mongol Empire crashed in 1368; the Russian Empire followed a similar shameful way in 1917. Today things are falling apart in Iran and Libya due to act of disunity among the citizenry and the center thus can no longer hold again. The list is endless due to discontinued unity. The reason was also not farfetched as citizens of those empires mounted the rostrum of individualism and selfish interest rather than collective goals and ambitions. The Ilorin Emirate cannot be allowed to journey this same disdainful path.
Our pride in Ilorin Emirate and Kwara State generally is “harmony”, that is, peace plus unity and progress, devoid of rancour, chaos, crisis and disjointedness. It is however frightening that this, in the recent political evolution in the Emirate, is being seriously threatened and prone to expose us to nakedness and sell us out to external attack and victimisation. It is also feared that if the unity, consciously entrenched and engraved by our forefathers in the Emirate is lost to political sentiment, it may spell doom for the present and future of the Emirate. In other words, the gains of Unity would be a better option than the pains of disunity and disintegration.
This legacy for keep, is now unfortunately being dismantled by diverse political interests which if not reversed, could bring suffering to our now vulnerable Ilorin Emirate community and erode the welfare and living comfort of thousands of our people.
Worst still, our conflicting political interests cannot be the solution to the debilitating poverty ravaging the citizens. Amidst these diversities, we need to carefully plan to defend our cultural heritage, never to allow ourselves to be vulnerable to external political influence, manipulation and slavery. We must not allow the ‘Berlin Wall’ to crumble as being canvassed and planned by the enemies of the Emirate. As is of old, we must defend and stand firmly by our leaders, our Governor, our political leaders, we must protect what is ours and settle our misunderstandings within ourselves and not expose ourselves to public ridicule.
We cannot confront more challenging period than this in the history of our existence as a united and progressive people. So, peace is sacrosanct and the roadmap to the joy of a nation, a race and people! No trade in peace ever fails, no enterprise rooted in harmony ever runs short.
It is gladdening that my people have once again demonstrated the cherished culture of the Ilorin Emirate brotherliness, forbearance, knighthood zeal, uncommon unity and loving patience. These, summed up, gave the sons and daughters of the Ilorin Emirate the strength that we have been which has also distinguished us as a peculiar people in the universe.
Everybody from anywhere in the World who has had reason to come into contact with the true breed of the Ilorin Emirate has reasons to celebrate our cherished culture, rooted in peaceful coexistence, tolerance and obeisance to our age-long inheritance of cohesion and indivisibility.
Recently, it is worthy to note that the Kwara State Governor, His Excellency, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq and former Senate President, His Eminence, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki have proved their mettles. They have shown and justified that they are true blood of the Emirate in opting for peaceful settlement of the Ile Arugbo issue.
In doing so, they have demonstrated that they would never antagonise the cherished culture of their root, the Ilorin Emirate. They have shown the world that blood is thicker than water, they have proved to those near and far that Ilorin Emirate “the Berlin Wall” will never crumble.
The two great sons of the soil have used their actions to speak unequivocal language that they will never soil the white garment of the ancient Ilorin city which groomed them, pampered them and nurtured them to stardom.
It is therefore worthwhile to commend all the actors that have been working towards bringing truce on the issue. The pronouncements by the jurists, the peace initiators and the traditional institution in setting up an internal peace committee to warrant peaceful settlement and once again restore unity and love among the disagreeing parties. Indeed, history will never forget you and the positive role you have played.
It is true that any community, family, nation, state or people can only develop and enjoy an unblemished joy and happiness when all the variants are committed to peaceful actions and dispositions.
In peace, farmers clear the land, weed and prune to have bumper harvest. In peace, parents raise happy and useful children. In peace governments make development policies, and execute the programmes to spread the dividends of governance.
In peace, life is well livened. No product, position, wealth, riches or power is worth the price of peace. In the words of Baruch Spinosa, a philosopher, riches, wealth, positions are fleetin, ephemeral and evanescent. And they are all perishable.
No king in the world ever receives accolades nor is he remembered for his billions of naira or dollars or for the vast plots of land or numerous houses and mansions he had while on earth. What lives after a great man is his good name. Also, the worth of a great man is the wisdom he sowed to make life worth living for fellow human beings. A great man is recognised so many years after his death for the bridges he had built to ease the crossing to glory for the weak and the helpless. All of us still living must reflect very greatly on this fact of life. People who sow peace where destruction rears an ugly head are also remembered for a very long time and earn handsome rewards from the Almighty.
On this premise therefore, one feels duty bound to appeal to members of the peace committee on the Ile Arugbo issue to do their job, guided by peaceful outcome to bring all the parties together as one indivisible sons and daughters of the Emirate.
It is also important for members of the committee to distance themselves from anybody, group and any so-called self-seeking advisers who may be fanning the embers of disunity and disintegration.
It is on this note I appeal to all lovers of peace and harmony, particularly the members of the Peace Committee not to listen to the recent outburst of my good friend and lawyer, Kunle Suleiman labelling them the supporters of former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki. His comment sound sadist and alarmist, one wonders what Barrister Suleiman will gain if the crisis degenerates among the two leaders and brothers. However, a lot of people always become beneficiaries of political crisis.
Let me remind Barrister Kunle Suleiman and his cohorts that even the three years Nigeria Civil War was settled through dialogue.
All the sons and daughters of the ancient Ilorin Emirate must once again stand up taller and stronger than before to restore our cherished cultural heritage of unity, love and togetherness which will continue to remain our pillar of strength.
Finally, I urge our highly respected traditional rulers, the Emirs, the Obas and the community leaders to continue to use their positions to ensure peaceful settlement of the Ile Arugbo tragedy; it must be JAW JAW JAW, not WAR WAR WAR.
For me, I’m proud to be a native of Ilorin.
Mohammed, is the Magaji Nda of Ilorin.

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