OFFICIAL GAZETTE OF EGBIRA AS COMMON NAME FOR PEOPLES OF EGBIRA NATION

MATTERS ARISING:

Compliment of the season to you my beloved brothers and sisters of Egbira Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria. Indeed, with joy and with keen interest, I have painstakengly gone through the criticisms of some very few individuals in deferent platforms over the newly Gazetted common NAME for all Egbira Nation with one Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria by the Federal Government. It is rather quite unfortunate that the critics of this Noble achievement did not take pain to find out how this was arrived at and who were the drivers that brought this ship to this level. 

Well, for the interest of those who may not know, the brain behind this are the members of "Ohiku Egbira Descendants Union", an Umbrella Organization for Egbira Ethnic Nationalities with it's Executive Members drawn from the 3 areas or zones of Egbira Nation. That is, Opete, Maiyakan and Etuno respectively. The process of this NAME began since 19 years ago with the Paramount Rulers in these 3 areas - HRM Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, HRH Otaru of Etuno, HRH Ohimage Kotonkarfi, HRH Ohimage Panda, HRH Ona of Abaji, HRH Ohinoyi Toto and HRH from Mosum with HRHs the Ohis in Opete respectively. After their approval, a Committee of Eminent Sons and Daughters of Ohiku was set up to come up with a common name that will be acceptable to the 3 areas. The Committee in it's wisdom suggested that 2 alphabets be taken from the name of each of the 3 areas as follows to make every area feel belong: 

1. "EG" from Egbura Maiyakan

2. "BI" from Ebira Opete

3. "RA" from Igara (Etuno)

That was how the Name "EGBIRA" emerged and all the Traditional Rulers from the 3 areas accepted it. 

After the approval of the Traditional Rulers, various stakeholders meetings, conventions and conferences were held in the 3 areas including Abuja to brief the people. Town Hall meetings were organized in the 3 zones wiith the people and the Other Traditional Rulers to get the approvals of the generality of the people across the Zones. The Name was overwhelmingly accepted by all without objection. It was after going through all these processes successfully that the Name was forwarded to the Federal Government for approval which now gave birth to the Gazette. Ninety percent of all our prominent Leaders of the stratas in the 3 Zones like late Dr Abdulmumuni Atta, Gen Chris Ali, Gen Amuda Yusuf, Sen (Gen) Tunde Obeha, Admiral S L Baje, Gen S Y Audu and a host of other Generals and DIG Abdulrahim Yusuf with other Snr Police Officers, Amb S A Lawal, Prof Tom Adaba, late Engr Joe Makoju, Prof Angela Okatahi, Hajia Ladi Ibrahim, Hajia Lari from Maiyakan, Barr (Mrs) Obaro from Etuno, Prof Marietu Tenuche, Justice Galadima of the Supreme Court, Justice Bello former President of Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Ajana the former Chief Judge of Kogi State, the 3 Umbrella Associations from the 3 Zones such as EPA and a host of very many other prominent people that space will not permit me to mention here were all part of those who supported and approved the Name and encouraged the process to formalize the Name, believing that, our coming together will place us among the major ethnic groups in Nigeria that can together draw the attention of the Federal Government anytime to issues of National interest that affects us as a people just like the Niger Delters and others are doing these days and they are getting attention. The Yorobas have glaring dialectical differences between them yet, they are all known and identified as "Yorobas" and as "Omo Oduduwa" so also are the Igalas in Kogi State and the Gwaris in Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi and FCT who changed their Name recently from Gwari to "Gbagi" as one Ethnic Nationality. Instead of us remaining as negligible minorities suffering in silence in our various localities, it is better to come together as one Ethnic Nationality in Nigeria to have weight. Therefore, the advantages of us coming together to be known and identified as one Ethnic Nationality Nationwide is enormous.

I hope that those who are critical of this development are by this highlight adequately informed about the essence of the Name "EGBIRA" for all Egbira Ethnic Nationalities. 

Thank you all and God bless.

Chief Adinoyi Joe Anivasa JP,

Vice President 1,

Ohiku Egbira Descendants Union.