The ascendancy of His Royal Highness, Obol Sunday Obono Okoi, Obol Lopon of Mkpani, on the 27TH October, 2011, according to the people marks the beginning of a new era in the history of the traditional administration of Mkpaniland. This is an epoch making event. For many this event is a time to wish for. Yet it is important for the people to count their blessings from his able leadership. He brought the people together and renewed their identity, oneness, love and peace. Today is a day worthy of celebration.
When he ascended the throne of Mkpani dynasty, he met a decayed and neglected institution which was characterized by envy, hatred, selfishness and falsehood. A system where some individuals derived pleasure and their daily bread through crisis and disrespect to constituted authorities. A menace he resolved to tackle headlong.
These encumbrances of vested interests nearly brought the community to a state of anarchy. Having known the task ahead of him was challenging, firstly, he sought, reconciled and united the various components of the community. He strengthened mutual co-existence and repositioned the bartered and chattered administrative structures of the community through the re-establishment of Obol Lopon of Mkpani Advisory Council and the Mkpani Development Council formerly known as Mkpani Town Council. As well as the institution of a Code of Conduct for traditional rulers for better performances and appraisals. He had laundered the image of the community within and outside the shores of Mkpani to restore its dignity.
He also worked to project the long neglected cultural values of the land by inculcating the philosophy of Yakoism which stresses that as a Yakurr man one must accept his or her identity and cultural values, that it is through this, the people can favourably exploit their God-given potentials in the 21st Century. By this, he compared the cultural values of China as being a brain behind their economic successes. Since education in China is mainly on their local language and everybody is a great contributor towards their economic growth and development and their ability to transform their cultural values into a global phenomenon is what brought the country into the global diplomacy.
To make Mkpani a peaceful and most friendly community in Yakurr, he placed a ban on any act within and outside her neigbours that might lead to communal clashes. The recent incident where an Mkpani son was shot at Nko was a case study. This does no means the people have abandoned strategy but because, where there is no peace, progress and development will elude the people.
HRH Obol Sunday Obono Okoi, had affirmed that, with passion and patriotism, his reign shall prove to match the hopes and aspirations of our great community. And with continued demonstration of leadership, statesmanship, vision, capacity and sacrifice, our traditional institution and community shall be transformed.
We must then, as a community, strengthen common grounds, develop new areas of understanding and collaboration and seek fresh ideas that will continue to enrich our community consensus. There is no doubt that, his transparency, fairness and justice to all shall play prominent roles in moving Mkpani to the next level.
In another development, to make Mkpani community a most hospitable community in Yakurr, within his first year on the throne, he worked assiduously to reduce the crime rate and arrested about 35 cult members in the area, who subsequently denounced their membership of the various cult groups, before a team of pastors, men of the Nigeria Police Force and their parents. The denounced cult members signed an undertaken never to involve in cult activities.
In 2012 and 2013, the Obol Lopon of Mkpani packaged his community to participate along side with other Yakurr communities in the Yakurr International Leboku Festival and emerged the Best Participated Community back to back.
Obol Sunday Obono Okoi is a professional historian, who believed in cultural dynamism. One most challenging aspect of his reign is his quest to transform the community and the traditional institution to face the challenges of the globalizing world.
Obol Omon samkani. Obase noh owukoka yoyimoyimo.
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