His Royal Majesty, Dr Abu Ali Mopa III, is the first class paramount ruler of Etsu Bassa-Nge kingdom in Bassa local government area of Kogi state. In this interview with SALIHU OYIBO, the royal father says the purported name reversal of Bassa Nge to Nupe is a nullity.
Some of your subjects under the aegis of Bassa-Nge Development Union (BNDU) are championing the name reversal of your kingdom to Nupe. What is your take on this?
It is obvious that 99 per cent of my people want to maintain the name Bassa-Nge. Going by history, in 1833 our forefathers left a town called Gbara in Niger state as a result of crises and trekked more than one thousand kilometres in search of new home and as a result of that some of them passed through Kabba while some passed through Gerinya.
Also worthy to note is that from 1833 to date, 17 paramount rulers have ruled this kingdom peacefully and the people have never contemplated or contacted the rulers that they need a reversal of name to Nupe or any forms of name change. It has become expedient for me to make a few clarifications not to be misled by some of my subjects, who, in the exercise of their freedom of expression have offended the sensibilities of a larger majority of my kingdom, both at home and in the diaspora.
Many media houses had reported a purported name reversal by BNDU. Unfortunately, such development, for all intents and purposes, can’t be as simplistic as it was made to appear and I wish to state categorically, as the custodian of the culture and tradition of Bassanges worldwide, that the purported name reversal is null and void and of no consequence whatsoever. It is not the wish and will of the people of Bassa-Nge Kingdom. The challenge of my kingdom is development, not name reversal. The purported name reversal going on has caused a lot of unrest and disunity among my subjects both at home and in diaspora.
The press conference organised by BNDU on December 4 2021 for the name reversal was done to destabilise the peaceful coexistence of my people, as they are not legally mandated to carry out such name reversal as majority of Bassa-Nges are not in support and were not properly sensitized, rather the wish of BNDU is to impose it on the good people of Bassa-Nge and Bassa-Nge Council of Chiefs and also to redicule the paramount traditional ruler before his subjects. Due process was not followed in carrying out the name reversal.
As the traditional ruler of the kingdom, what action would you take?
It is obvious that Mohammed Bako the national president of BNDU has publicly identified himself as a security threat to Bassa-Nge kingdom. With the power conferred on me as the custodian of Bassa-Nge Development Union and also the custodian of peace in the kingdom, I will refer his case to security agents to investigate and ask him to provide answers to the following questions.
First, he should tell us the remote cause of the reversion of the Bassa-Nge to Nupe, secondly, why did he come to Gboloko with his delegates for the name reversal and failed to pay homage to Etsu Bassa-Nge and thirdly, he should explain why he sent his boys to various communities in the kingdom sharing money to them to sign a form bearing the name of Etsu Bassa-Nge telling the people that the letter and forms emanated from me. The security agents having received my letter of complaint should evaluate and examine evidences to determine those involved in the criminal act and take necessary action. Meanwhile Mohammed Bako should be made to step aside as the national president of BNDU to allow uninterrupted investigation.
The national vice president should take over the affairs of the union depending the conclusion of the investigation. I also wish to call on the federal government, Kogi state government, speaker and House of Assembly members, Bassa local government authority, all security agencies and the public to disregard the purported name reversal by BNDU. Their action is illegal and has no place in law. There is no doubts that Bassanges have both historical and dialectical relationship with the Nupes, but tribal reversal have never been an option. We are Bassa-Nges, it is the language of my forefathers and it would be our language till the end of time.
You mentioned dearth of basic social amenities in your kingdom. What effort are being put in place to address that?
Apparently, what is happening now has taken many people by surprise because the plan is a misplacement of priority. What we want now is provision of basic necessity of life such as water, electricity, hospitals, schools, roads which are lacking in the kingdom. This is what we have been preaching and appealing to government to provide for us and that is what some of our younger ones who have the wherewithal were striving to provide within their financial capabilities.
In fact there are some Bassa-Nge young people now who have started constructing roads to their Gagus administrative areas to make life meaningful for their people.
At Emi-Audu a young man has constructed the road to the village and provided solar light for the community. We are working very hard to move the study centre of National Open University of Nigeria to this land. When that is achieved, many people who have been hindered by long distance to acquire western education would get it at their door steps. Even me as the traditional ruler would enroll to acquire more knowledge.
What is your advise to those who are agitating for the name reversal?
We believe that the agitation for the reversal of name should not be an issue of discussion because the name Bassa-Nge had been gazetted for over 100 years ago and to reverse the name would be a herculean task. We are saying that such effort and money that would be use to chase that shadow should be channelled to effect massive development for the people of the kingdom who are mostly farmers, fishermen and hunters.
The name Bassa-Nge has never be a cog in the wheel of any body’s development in the kingdom and I don’t see the reason and need for the reversal.
It is not the name that made our roads horrible; it is not the name that deprive us of not having health facilities, water, electricity among other things that can change our lives for better. The reversal of the name is being championed by few at the detriment of the people of Bassa-Nge without considering the aftermath of their actions.
Those clamouring for the name reversal alleged that on several occasions, they sought to see you over the issue, but you declined. How true is?
This statement is an attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Sometimes, critics are failures and failure is an orphan. What we want is progress and development, not change of name.
BNDU was created in 1941 by eminent personalities of this kingdom to pursue the development of the Bassa-Nge people, regrettably the union up till date does not have a secretariat anywhere and whenever they want to hold meeting, they do it in a hostel in Lokoja which is not the land and kingdom of Bassa-Nge people.
People expected that they should come home to hold their meetings, but they would not because they were not popular and close to the people. When they held their meetings, I even sent a goodwill message to them because the progress and success of the land is what is paramount in my mind at all times and I told them that our priority is not reversal of name rather we want development that would remove our people from the shackle of poverty.
Even now, the ferry that conveys our people to Lokoja are aged; some are no longer serviceable while others are beyond repair. I told BNDU executives that they should contact NIWA so that they can build ferry for us just as the agency built for the people of Arugugu and other riverine communities, but BNDU ignored the advice and began to pursue issues that are not meaningful to us.
On the December 4 when they came for press conference where they purportedly declared the name reversal, I waited for them in my palace till 11am, but nobody came. In an ideal society, they are supposed to pay homage to the traditional ruler of the kingdom before they proceed to the venue of their conference, but because they were not sincere with themselves, they came quietly and left quietly like a stranger in another man’s land.
What is your message of peace, unity and development to the people of Bassa-Nge kingdom?
Let me use this medium to thank members of Bassa-Nge Traditional Council, all my Shaba(s), Adoja, Alesho and Anaja. My kingdom is made up of many tribes; we have Igala, Kakanda, Agatu and others. We tolerate our differences; that is why we have lived in peace and harmony. I have told my Gagus to live a life of leadership by example so that the people can emulate and follow them.
