Open Letter to Gov Abdulrasaq on Marginalisation of Moro People, By TMG
POLITICS DIGEST – ThThe Moro Grou[psome burning discriminatory issues.
Moro as one of the pioneer LGAs in Kwara State and which has since then remained undivided from 1976 should not be begging for recognition in 2020 for whatever reasons. However, Kwara State government policies and attitude of neighbors in the Kwara North zone over the years have, to say the least, been very hateful and anything but fair to Moro LGA people.
The only time Moro was represented at NASS was in 1979 at House of Representatives, Hon Ibn Mohammed from Jebba representing then Moro /Edu Federal constituency. On the return of democracy in 1999 with the constituency Moro/Edu/Patigi; and Kwara North, Moro has always received pariah treatment with zero representation opportunity in either. Two Nupe speaking LGAs of Edu and Patigi have made the House of Rep seat their birthright exchanging it like a relay baton. The Senate seat has excluded Moro regrettably too with Nupes and Batonum/Kaiama domesticating it in wicked insensitive rotation.
Ask them for Moro LGA turn, and they come up with a simpleton justification that Moro is in Ilorin Emirate and the people are more of Ilorin origin forgetting the demographic reality of where Moro belong. Even when a duely elected Senator switched citizenship to a neighboring Niger State, no one was alarmed nor saw the treason as deserving prosecution; and the Nigerian citizenship of some elected from the Kwara North zone becoming issues in the same Kwara North but Moro is under perpetual stigmatization and blackmail of being Ilorin.
Kwara State government policies and programmes including special recruitment into the civil service by the last administration, special electrification of rural Kwara North, special road construction in the same North; recruitments into Federal agencies have all excluded Moro LGA people.
With the present administration in Kwara State, aside the statutory Commissioner representative of Moro in the State cabinet, no other appointment has been made from Moro. On schools rehabilitation, non was picked from Moro as if secondary schools in Moro are not reputed as the worst in the State; Moro rural roads never received any attention in history, SA, SSA and other aides to His Excellency Governor A A were appointed but Moro has not been found fit for any.
To confirm the long held attempt at annihilation and hatred for the people of Moro LGA in spite of 100% votes the APC got from Moro people in 2019, leadership of the two tertiary institutions in Moro, KWASU and Kwara Polytechnics (VC, Rector; Chairmen of Governing Councils) have perpetually excluded Moro, never even in Acting capacity. As follow up to the appointment of VC of KWASU, Boards chairmen were appointed by the Kwara State government but Moro was not found deserving anyone as the only exception, unfortunately, in the whole of Kwara North LGAs. One can infer that should KWASU not be in Malete, Moro might not be represented on the board of KWASU as indicated by the government announcement.
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More worrisome is that elected representation have excluded Moro at the national level; and at the State level too appointments representation have again excluded Moro people.
All these maltreatments are clear indications of coordinated moves to make Moro people become the Palestinians of Kwara State. As our infrastructures are left without attention, our schools derelict, we are starved of appointments both State and national including those located on lands forcefully confiscated and Moro villages driven mercilessly from their ancestral homes, what more evidence of forcing Moro people to extinction and annihilation is needed.
It is necessary to quickly add that Moro is not bereft of qualified manpower for any of these positions as Professor Kamaldeen Jeje participated in the KWASU VC contest without success; and there are very prominently qualified Moro indigenes for all of the other positions at both the State and national levels.
Moro people are exceptionally peace loving and very hardworking that in the face of provocative discrimination we forge ahead to sustain the harmony of the State as obedient patriots. However, it is our hope not until the people are forced to openly resist and evolve the Avengers kind of protest before Moro people are taken as humans and deserving of what her contemporaries are getting.
Sir, your administration will go down in history as a corrective and fair minded reflective era when the dignity of citizenship of a State is restored on Moro people; and we could be given a fair sense of participation in the governance of Kwara State and Nigeria.
Our Demands
- Appointment of Moro persons to be Chairmen of SUBEB and a College of Education
- Appointment of Moro persons as Special Advisers to the Governor and Head of notable parastatal of current Kwara government to include the LGA in State governance
iii. A mandatory appointment of qualified Moro indigenes as Registrar and Bursar of KWASU and Kwara Polytechnics for the time being, pending vacancies of VC and Rector when it would only be most fair for qualified Moro person to be appointed as done for indigenes of locations of other tertiary institutions in Kwara State to compensate for the long deprivation of Moro people in spite of sacrifice to have these institutions.
- An immediate inclusion of Secondary schools in Moro LGA to list of State school rehabilitation and in subsequent phases.
- Special inclusion of Moro people in the civil service of the State and nominations into Federal agencies, and a special compensatory rehabilitation of Moro rural roads and electrification of our villages.
- Nomination of a Moro person to be Chairman of a Federal agency Board.
Since our silence has been taken for granted for too long, the time for actions has commenced.
We sincerely appreciate the very proactive response of the State government to the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic. We beseech the Almighty to restore good health to all the affected in Kwara State and Nigeria; and may He restore peace and freedom to humanity.
The Moro Group (TMG) is peopled by largely academics of Moro extractions.
For and on behalf of TMG
Dr. Iliyas, R. A.
Dr. Hannafi, A. H.
