By joshua THE OHINDASE THE GREAT OF OKENGWE: A NEW ERA OF CULTURAL RENEWAL, UNITY, AND DEVELOPMENT
A Paper Presented by His Royal Highness, Ohindase The Great of Okengwe
At the Colloquium, Lecture and Dinner Organised by the Committee of Friends
Monday, 5th October, 2026
Protocol
The Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee of Friends,
Our highly respected traditional rulers and chiefs,
Distinguished political leaders and public office holders,
Elders and leaders of thought,
Religious leaders,
My brothers and sisters from Okengwe, Ebiraland and beyond,
Our sons and daughters in the diaspora,
Invited guests, friends, well-wishers,
Ladies and gentlemen.
It is with a heart filled with profound gratitude, humility, and a deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you today as the newly coronated Ohindase The Great of Okengwe.
Today is not merely a celebration of my person. It is, in my humble view, a celebration of our heritage, our identity, our unity and our collective responsibility to preserve what our forefathers entrusted to us and hand it over to future generations in a stronger and more dignified form.
MY PROFOUND APPRECIATION
First and foremost, I wish to express my deepest appreciation to the Almighty God for His grace, protection, and guidance throughout the journey that has brought us to this historic moment.
I also wish to sincerely appreciate our respected traditional institutions, elders, community leaders and everyone who contributed in one way or another to the process that culminated in my emergence and coronation as the Ohindase The Great of Okengwe.
To the Committee of Friends that conceived and organised this wonderful colloquium, lecture, and dinner in my honour, I say a very big THANK YOU.
You have demonstrated that true friendship goes beyond words. You have shown that friendship can become a force for community development, cultural preservation, and service to humanity.
Your sacrifices, financial contributions, mobilisation, encouragement, and prayers have touched me deeply. I shall remain eternally grateful.
To all our distinguished guests who have honoured this occasion with your presence, despite your busy schedules, I thank you most sincerely.
To my brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, friends and well-wishers who have travelled from different parts of Nigeria and from the diaspora, your presence here is a demonstration of love and solidarity that I will never take for granted.
THE MEANING OF THE OHINDASE STOOL
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the stool of Ohindase The Great of Okengwe is not simply a title to be worn with pride. It is a sacred responsibility.
A traditional institution is a bridge between the past, the present, and the future.
Our forefathers did not preserve our traditions merely for entertainment. They preserved them because they understood that a people without knowledge of their history, values, language, customs, and traditions risk losing their identity.
Therefore, as I assume this responsibility, I do so with a clear understanding that the crown is not an ornament; it is a covenant with the people.
The authority of the stool must, therefore, be used to promote peace, unity, cultural pride, education, development, and the dignity of our people.
MY VISION AS CUSTODIAN OF EBBIRA TRADITIONAL CULTURAL HERITAGE
As the Custodian of Ebira traditional cultural heritage, I intend to devote my reign to the preservation, promotion, and responsible transmission of our cultural heritage.
I believe that our culture must not remain something that we remember, only during festivals and ceremonies.
Our culture must become a living institution—something that our children understand, practise responsibly, and proudly identify with wherever they may be in the world.
I therefore wish to place before you some of my goals and aspirations.
1. PRESERVATION OF OUR HISTORY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE
We must document our history.
The stories of our ancestors, our traditional institutions, our migration histories, our festivals, traditional titles, indigenous knowledge, music, dances, arts, crafts, folklore and oral traditions must be carefully documented for posterity.
We must ensure that future generations will not have to depend entirely on oral accounts to understand who we are.
I therefore envision collaboration with historians, scholars, cultural organisations, universities, researchers, and our people at home and abroad to document and preserve our heritage.
2. PROMOTION OF THE EBBIRA LANGUAGE
Our language is one of the strongest pillars of our identity.
I want us to encourage our children and young people to learn and speak Ebira.
There is nothing backwards about speaking one’s indigenous language.
Indeed, people who are proud of their language demonstrate confidence in their identity.
We should encourage the production of books, dictionaries, educational materials, digital content, and cultural programmes in Ebira.
3. REVIVAL AND PROMOTION OF OUR CULTURAL FESTIVALS
Our festivals should become instruments of unity, tourism, education, and economic development.
We must preserve the authentic meaning of our festivals while allowing them to evolve responsibly with the times.
Festivals should provide opportunities for our young people to learn about our history, showcase our cultural talents, promote local businesses, and attract visitors from within and outside Nigeria.
4. EMPOWERMENT OF OUR YOUTH
The future of our culture belongs to the younger generation.
If we fail to involve our youths, we can not successfully preserve our heritage.
I therefore intend to support initiatives that expose our young people to our history and culture while also encouraging education, entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, and responsible leadership.
Our young people must understand that being modern does not require them to abandon their identity.
They can be globally competitive while remaining proudly Ebira.
5. WOMEN AND THE PRESERVATION OF CULTURE
Our women have always played an enormous role in preserving family values, language, food, dress, music, folklore, and traditional knowledge.
Their contributions must be recognised and strengthened.
I will encourage greater participation of women in cultural programmes and initiatives connected with the preservation and promotion of our heritage.
6. CULTURAL UNITY AND PEACE
The traditional institution must be a house of peace.
I intend to use the office entrusted to me to promote unity among our people and peaceful coexistence with our neighbours.
We may have differences of opinion, political affiliations, and personal interests, but our common heritage should always remind us that we are one people with a shared history and a shared destiny.
Let us disagree without becoming enemies.
Let us compete without destroying one another.
Let us forgive one another and work together for the common good.
7. ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR PEOPLE IN THE DIASPORA
Our sons and daughters living outside Okengwe, Ebiraland, Nigeria, and indeed outside Africa remain an important part of our community.
Distance should never mean disconnection.
I therefore wish to establish stronger relationships with our people in the diaspora.
I call upon them to contribute their knowledge, expertise, resources, technology, and international connections to the development and preservation of our heritage.
Our diaspora community can become a powerful bridge between our traditional heritage and the wider world.
8. CULTURE AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY
We must take our culture into the digital age.
Our history, traditional stories, festivals, songs, photographs, artefacts, and oral traditions should be preserved digitally.
We should use social media and other modern communication platforms to educate our young people and introduce our culture to the world.
If other cultures can be promoted globally through technology, there is no reason why Ebira culture can not receive the same attention.
9. CULTURAL TOURISM AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Our culture has enormous economic potential.
Traditional festivals, historical sites, traditional crafts, music, food, clothing, and cultural performances can contribute to tourism and create opportunities for our people.
We must, therefore, begin to see culture not only as something to preserve but also as a potential source of sustainable economic empowerment.
10. COLLABORATION WITH TRADITIONAL RULERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS
Finally, I can not achieve these objectives alone.
The traditional institution is greater than any individual occupant of a stool.
I therefore seek the cooperation of my fellow traditional rulers, chiefs, elders, community leaders, religious leaders, political leaders, professionals, youth organisations, women organisations, and all stakeholders.
I particularly seek the wisdom and guidance of our elders.
Our elders are living libraries. Their experiences must be listened to, respected, and documented.
A SPECIAL APPEAL TO OUR PEOPLE AT HOME AND IN THE DIASPORA
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I wish to use this occasion to make a special appeal.
Let us take ownership of our culture.
Let us stop waiting for the government alone to preserve our heritage.
Let us stop assuming that somebody else will do it.
Every Ebira man and woman has a role to play.
Our academics can research.
Our writers can document.
Our artists can create.
Our musicians can promote our language.
Our youths can use technology.
Our women can preserve traditional knowledge.
Our elders can transmit wisdom.
Our professionals can provide expertise.
Our diaspora can build bridges and provide resources.
Our traditional institutions can provide leadership.
And together, we can build a cultural legacy that our children will be proud to inherit.
A MESSAGE TO OUR YOUNGER GENERATION
To our young people, I say:
Do not be ashamed of who you are.
You can be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, entrepreneur, professor, politician, artist, or technology expert and still be proudly Ebira.
You can live in Abuja, Lagos, London, New York, Dubai, or anywhere else in the world and still remain connected to your roots.
The world does not respect people who have no respect for themselves.
Therefore, learn our history. Learn our language. Understand our customs. Respect our elders. Embrace education. Acquire skills. Work hard. And become worthy ambassadors of our people wherever you find yourselves.
THE RESPONSIBILITY BEFORE ME
As I wear this crown, I am conscious that I am not merely receiving honour—I am accepting responsibility.
The people will judge this reign not by the beauty of the coronation ceremony but by what we accomplish after the celebration.
I therefore make this commitment:
I shall strive to be a bridge between our past and our future.
I shall strive to be a voice for peace.
I shall promote unity.
I shall defend our cultural heritage.
I shall encourage our young people.
I shall respect our elders.
I shall welcome constructive ideas.
And I shall seek the cooperation of all men and women of goodwill in building a stronger cultural institution for Okengwe and Ebiraland.
MY PLEDGE OF SERVICE
My dear friends, brothers, and sisters, the crown I have received today belongs, in a sense, to all of us.
It represents our collective heritage.
It carries the prayers of our ancestors.
It carries the hopes of our children.
It carries the expectations of our people.
I therefore accept this responsibility with humility and a determination to serve.
I can not promise that I will have all the answers.
But I can promise that I will listen.
I can not promise that every challenge will be solved immediately.
But I can promise that I will remain committed.
And I can not do this alone.
I need you.
I need your counsel.
I need your prayers.
I need your ideas.
I need your constructive criticism.
I need your cooperation.
And I need your continued friendship.
CONCLUSION
Ladies and gentlemen, today is a day of Thanksgiving.
It is a day to celebrate friendship.
It is a day to celebrate our culture.
It is a day to celebrate Okengwe.
It is a day to celebrate Ebiraland.
But above all, it is a day to recommit ourselves to the preservation of our identity and the advancement of our people.
To the Committee of Friends, who have gone out of their way to organise this remarkable event in my honour, I say once again: thank you from the depth of my heart.
To every guest present here, I am deeply honoured by your presence.
To those who could not attend but sent their goodwill, prayers, and support, I am equally grateful.
To my people at home and abroad, I extend a hand of friendship and partnership.
Let us work together.
Let us build together.
Let us preserve together.
Let us disagree respectfully and reconcile quickly.
And let us leave behind a legacy that will make generations yet unborn say:
“Those who came before us did not allow our heritage to die.”
May the Almighty God bless the traditional institution.
May He bless the people of Okengwe.
May He bless Ebiraland.
May He bless Kogi State.
May He bless Nigeria.
And may He grant us the wisdom, unity, and strength to preserve our heritage and build a better future for our children.
Long live Okengwe!
Long live Ebiraland!
Long live our traditional institutions!
Long live the people of Ebira!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Thank you all, and may God bless you.
— His Royal Highness, Usman Ibrahim Okidi, Ohindase The Great of Okengwe
Custodian of Ebira Traditional Cultural Heritage