My brother, our “God” given gift of a centre of learning has been reduced to ashes.
My dear brother what are you telling me again? You have come again with your stories.
Have not read about the “greek Gift” of a centre of learning that was to be donated to us in Ikaland?
You mean the library? I thought you meant another thing when you talked of centre of learning, reduce your “oyibo” to enable me understand your line of discussion.
O.k, I’m talking of the so-called library that one Kairo Ojugbo was to donate to the entire people of Ikaland where he envisaged that our children can improve their reading.
Library, oh no, don’t believe all that you read
Why, should I not believe all what I read, afterall, it was reported in many newspapers in Nigeria and it was also reported that some Ika sons abroad had even made arragements to import some containers of books to equip the said library.
Yes, that may be true that some sons of Ikaland have bought books to equip the library, but whose library?
The library that Mr. Ojugbo was building which Mr. Ibori destroyed (sorry Chief Ibori) through his commissioner.
Here I will want to make some observations.
My brother, I beg give me story, what are your observations.
I too have read that he, Mr. Ojugbo, wanted to build a library and donate it to the entire Ikaland, but it was located on the premises of the State Ministry of Education and so the landed property belonged to the state government.
Yes, your story is old, before he started the project, he was quoted as saying that he bought the land from the State and got permission from the local government and the traditional institutions of Ikaland, so the state governemt then acted in illegality.
You want to bring me to the level of law?
Yes, but no, if yes, what have you a lay man have to say in the area of law and land related issues?
I have nothing to say, but from the layman perspertives, I could have expected Mr. Ojugbo to have gone to court to challenge the state government and her agents and may be ask on behalf of the Ika people for compesations, to atleast atone for the blood and man hour lost.
Oh, yes, now you are speaking as a peaceman, the court of Nigeria is the agrieved man’s last hope, but in Nigeria, do we trust the courts?
Yes, no matter how bad the court maybe, even IBB went to court to challenge the Oputa Panel decision, so if a man like IBB knows the importance of a court, so why not Mr. Ojugbo.
But that is sensible, still don’t you think that he may have acted in illegality too and so he can not challenge the issue in court?
I think so too, if not, as a member of the highest law making body of Nigeria, he could have gone to court as he knows the rule of law
But have you observed the reactions of the people of Ikaland? Nobody has been able to ask him why the building was destroyed. Only what you read is the calling for the head of the state government. One could have accepted that one respected person of the commnunity will rise to ask questions to know if he is playing the fast one on the community, or if he, as reported, is planning to use the house as a campaign office and pretending to us that he wanted to donate it to us as a library?
The other question is; if it was to be a gift of a library, why did he not involve the people whom the library is to benefit?
Why would a state government whose mission of governance is to make life more abudant for the people destroy something that may or will benefit then
If the land in question was lawfully acquired from the state government, where is the Certificate of Occupancy? We the people of Ikaland demand to know more. If he was given a Certificate of Occupancy and permission to build this library, we shall all pool our little resources together and hire a lawyer to fight the just cause.
We demand that Mr. Ojugbo, as an elected representative of Ikaland, should be open to us by telling us what really happened to avoid we being mocked by other communities and using us as an example of a weak people. Ikas are not known to be weak.
Oh, cry the beloved Ikaland, wake up from your slumber and ask Ojugbo to help us solve these mysteries. He alone and the state government are the only ones who know what is happening. It is like the case of the thief and the owner of a box. Only the two know the content of the stolen box.
As I rest my case, like many Ikas, I cross my fingers and wait to hear the last verdict!
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