By Sadiq Abubakar, Abuja.
It was on Sunday, July, 25th when the Egbira speaking ethnic group across the nation converged at the palace of the Ohimegye of Igu-Kotonkarfe kingdom in Kogi Local Government Council of Kogi state, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Alhaji Abdulrazaq Sani Isa-Koto, to showcase their cultural/traditional attire in the area.
The occasion, which was heralded with cultural display, local hunters, musicians, masquerade and fashion parade, also witnessed the present of Egbira sons and daughters from Edo, Nasarawa, Niger, FCT and Kogi state and in diaspora.
Speaking at the event, the national president of Ohikwu Egbira Descendants Union (OEDU), Alhaji Musa Ibrahim Ahmadu, who was the chairman of the occasion, said one of the way to showcase culture and tradition by a tribe with historical background was through wearing of attire.
“And that is why when you come across the Tiv people, you will discover that the color of their attire is black and white, while Idoma people also have their color too.
And any part of the world you come across them, you will know immediately that this person is a Tiv or Idoma by tribe,” he said.
He said in Egbira natives in Edo state and Okene in Kogi state, also their own color of attire, which he said it became necessary for all Egbira speaking ethnic group to also have a single traditional/cultural attire across the world to signify as a symbol of unity among all the Egbiras.
Also speaking, the national chairperson of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Comrade Hafsat Shuaibu, said the showcasing of the Egbira cultural and traditional attire was a welcome development, saying the generations unborn will be happy and celebrate the showcasing the Egbira cultural and traditional attire.
She said since the youth are involved in showcasing the Egbira attire, it will enhance the leaders and Egbira traditional leaders to come together to celebrate Egbira special day, through wearing of the attire.
“I am very confident that the showcasing this Egbira cultural and traditional attire will not phase out since the youth and our leaders are involved,” she said.
“The Egbira Nation Will Miss Isa Bukar” —- Barr Tanko
A house of representatives member for Kogi-Kotonkarfe-Lokoja federal constituency, Barrister Ibrahim Shaba, said sustaining a culture should be seen as paramount, saying people without an identity are lost people.
He said the Egbiras are among largest ethnic group in Nigeria, saying they are marginalized geographically, adding “but we have been segmented into bit and pieces all over the place, as I wouldn’t know where that administrative conspiracy came from,” he said.
He said the showcasing of the Egbira cultural and traditional attire has brought all the Egbira speaking ethnic group under one roof like other tribes in the country.
On his part, the Ohimegye of Igu-Kotonkarfe kingdom, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Alhaji Abdulrazak Sani Isa-Koto, said the Egbira cultural and traditional attire has been existing for decades, but said it was only redesigned with a more quality and befitting colors and to showcase it as a symbol of unity among all the Egbira speaking ethnic group across the world.
He said the redesigned Egbira cultural and traditional attire are symbols of identity of all the Egbiras, saying the white among the colors stand for peace, red for struggle the Egbira made to have their way, black, which he said stand for heritage while yellow depict abundant natural resources in the kingdom.
Global Times Nigeria report that the monarch, appreciated members of the organizing committee and his traditional council for ensuring the event was successful.
