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By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja.
The Kogi Central Think Tank Forum (KCTTF) has expressed deep concern over what it described as the alarming decline in the number of Egbira people employed in the Kogi State Civil Service.
Members of the Forum raised the alarm during the Forum’s monthly meeting held in Lokoja on Wednesday and chaired by the Chairman, Dr. Haroun Opotu Yussuff.
They warned that the dwindling Egbira presence in the civil service is contributing to the growing social and economic challenges in Egbiraland.
While commending the Kogi State Government for appointing no fewer than 3,000 Egbira indigenes into various political positions, the Forum noted that the same level of inclusion is not reflected in civil service employment.
Members of the Forum therefore called on relevant state authorities to urgently address the imbalance, particularly during future recruitment exercises, to ensure that qualified and unemployed Egbira youths are given fair opportunities.
They stressed that such steps would help curb unemployment-driven social vices in the area.
The Forum also expressed its readiness to engage top Egbira civil servants in the state, with a view to strengthening collaboration and encouraging greater participation in efforts aimed at advancing the social and economic development of Kogi State.
On the issue of indiscriminate masquerade outings in Egbiraland, the Forum disclosed that it is already working on measures and stakeholder engagement to help find lasting solutions to the problem.
Contributing, Malam Mohammed Abdullahi, who was screened for membership of the Forum during the interview, called for collective responsibility in addressing the problem.
He stressed that perpetrators of illegal activities should be made to face the consequences of their actions in order to deter others.
At the end of the exercise, Malam Mohammed was formally admitted into the Forum, having demonstrated an impressive performance during the screening.
Regarding land disputes in Egbiraland, the meeting proposed the use of historical maps and get them gazetted as a basis for resolving the issues effectively and for correcting areas bearing foreign names to reflect Egbiraland heritage.
The Forum further recommended that the state government could build estates on lands with disputed nomenclature as a means of settling ownership issues.
The Forum, once again, congratulated Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, on the completion of two years of his first term in office, commending his administration for what it described as notable contributions to the social, economic, and political development of the state.
