By Prof. Fidelis Aôndover Gberindyer
Our people, distinguished leaders, elders, youths, women, and comrades of conscience, we stand before you today with a heavy heart because silence in the face of injustice is no longer an option. We must speak, and we must speak plainly. Kwande has suffered marginalisation, suppression, and political exclusion for far too long. People blessed with strength, education, history, and capacity can not continue to be treated as though they are strangers in their own political destiny.
For decades, Kwande has been denied what should naturally be its rightful place in the political arrangement of our state. One of the most painful examples is the denial of the opportunity to occupy the Senatorial seat for Zone A after several decades. This is not merely an oversight. It is not a coincidence. It is the product of deliberate political design, sustained exclusion, and the calculated refusal of powerful interests to allow Kwande to rise.
What makes this even more disturbing is that both factions of the ruling party have, in practice, ganged up against the Kwande people politically. When factions that should differ in vision and method suddenly agree on one thing, the continued exclusion of Kwande, then the truth becomes impossible to hide. They may wear different political colours, but on this matter, their interests converge. They have found common ground in the suppression of Kwande’s political advancement.
And let us not deceive ourselves: this injustice has not survived by external force alone. It has also been sustained by internal weakness. Some of our own people, instead of standing as defenders of the community, have allowed themselves to be used as instruments against their own land. Some have chosen personal survival over collective dignity. Some have chosen an appointment over principle. Some have chosen the temporary comfort of political patronage over the lasting honour of standing for their people.
This is why our youths must hear the truth. The failure of the youths to speak out is one of the most painful betrayals of this era. Too many of them have been silenced by the transient loaf of bread, by small offers, temporary favours, and short-lived gains. But let us ask ourselves: What is bread when compared to destiny? What is a token today if it costs a generation of its future tomorrow? A youth who can not speak when the people are being denied can not complain later when history writes him as part of the problem.
The tragedy of Kwande is not only that we have been marginalised; it is that many who know the truth are too afraid to say it. They are afraid of losing positions, afraid of losing contracts, afraid of losing access, and afraid of losing approval from those who benefit from our silence. But courage has never been the child of convenience. Truth has never been defended by the cowardly. People can not rise when their educated sons and daughters choose silence for the sake of personal interest.
1. Kwande deserves better.
2. Kwande deserves political recognition.
3. Kwande deserves fairness.
4. Kwande deserves the chance to occupy leadership positions that reflect its contributions, its capacity, and its sacrifices.
5. We must reject the politics of exclusion.
6. We must reject the politics of tokenism.
7. We must reject the politics of divide-and-rule, where our people are used against one another while outsiders laugh at our disunity.
Let this be a call to conscience. Let this be a call to the elders, to the leaders, to the youths, to the women, to every son and daughter of Kwande: enough is enough. We must no longer beg for what is rightfully ours. We must no longer clap for those who use us and discard us. We must no longer allow factional politics to weaken our collective voice.
The future will not be built by silence. It will be built by courage. It will be built by truth. It will be built by men and women who are willing to stand up and say, Kwande matters, Kwande must be heard, and Kwande must no longer be denied.
May the day come when our people are no longer used as political pawns, when our youths no longer trade conscience for crumbs, and when Kwande rises to take its rightful place in the political life of our state.
Thank you.
_An overview from engagement with stakeholders during a quarterly virtual meeting of the Balance Rights Advocates Nigeria (BRAN)_
