By Comr. Destiny Okpali
Good day, my dear brothers and sisters of Utonkon District, wherever you may be across the world. I sincerely appreciate every one of us for the concern and collective outcry shown over the adoption of the nine Catholic members of Ojije Community in our beloved Utonkon District.
Over the past few days, I was in Abuja on a private visit. Upon my return to Otukpo yesterday, I was confronted with the disturbing and ungodly incident that reportedly took place in our district. Since then, numerous calls have been made to critical stakeholders within the community and the local government to draw their attention to this unfortunate development, while also brainstorming on the way forward.
As I reflected deeply, several troubling questions came to mind: Why does it always seem to happen in Utonkon District? Why are other districts within the local government enjoying relative peace while we continue to grapple with unrest? It is becoming increasingly clear that there is an underlying motive behind these recurring incidents. We are under siege. Gradually, Utonkon District is being crippled economically, agriculturally, and politically, and now, these forces have advanced to threatening our freedom of worship.
At this critical juncture, we, the Ufias, must engage in deep and honest self-reflection. Our persistent internal and unnecessary crises are creating opportunities for external forces bent on destroying us to exploit our disunity. Today, several communities and wards in Ufia are engulfed in deep-seated internal conflicts with no clear resolution in sight. This unfortunate situation has weakened us, allowing our enemies to take advantage of our divisions and reducing a people once known as giants to mere puppets in the hands of others.
It is time for us to wake up. In the days of old, our heroes and forefathers always found ways to resolve their differences, no matter how severe, without allowing them to fester to the point of threatening their collective existence. Sadly, today, many of the elders we once looked up to are no longer willing to fight for and sustain the bonds that have kept us united as a people, often because of ephemeral and trivial issues that were never central to the values of the Ufia Kingdom.
We have repeatedly sought temporary solutions whenever our farms, homes, and now places of worship are attacked. This approach is no longer sufficient. It is time to rebuild our bonds, restore our unity, and stand together as we once did, so we can collectively confront the forces threatening our very existence. If we fail to resolve our internal crises, we will continue to remain vulnerable and prey in the hands of our enemies.
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