James Ojo
It was a display of rich festival of folk songs, dancing and display of tradition recently when Kabba Community Association Abuja rolled out the drum to celebrate its annual end of year social gathering.
The event brought back memories of the culture of Oweland in Kogi State, as members in their traditional attires took to the floor to dance to the rhythm of a popular local musician from the town. The event, which has become a ritual provided an avenue to reawaken the consciousness of members to meet developmental demands from home.
President of the association, Sir Johnson Jomoh, used the well-attended gathering to renew the pledge of one project one year to improve the community’s infrastructural base.
Addressing his people before he opened the floor for dancing, he went down memory lane on the commitments to institute one visible project per year was conceived in 2003:
“It was a response to clarion calls from home to indigenes abroad that our ancestral home is yearning for basic infrastructure to support modern living, and I need to pay glowing tributes to our forerunners who caught the bug and applied themselves to it.”
Jimoh applauded the forbearers of the association who birthed the idea of ‘One year, one project, which he noted had assisted in bridging the gap of infrastructural deficit was visible:
“The need to provide social amenities for Kabba community had been championed by Kabba Development Association, the umbrella body of all social and cultural groups, but their efforts had been a drop in the ocean because of the rate of expansion and increase in population.”
The Abuja association was founded in 1990 to bring together sons and daughters of Kabba living in Federal capital city: “Indeed, it was an offshoot of the bigger Kabba Development Association (KDU), so, we are an affiliate, just like other assemblages of Kabba people in other towns in Nigeria and Overseas.”
The first project embarked upon was the donation of 120 Bed sheets and pillow cases to Kabba General Hospital in 2003. This was followed in 2005 with a donation of 3,000 custom made exercise books to selected Primary schools within the town.
2007 saw the donation of 30 units of Orthopedic mattresses to the General hospital, as well as Uniforms, materials and equipment to the Vigilance Group that are assisting in securing the people from criminals.
In 2009, Kabba Community Abuja made the highest donation of N370,000 to the Endowment Trust Fund launched by Kabba Development Association.
For the 2011 project, a block of three classroom at St. Barnaba’s Secondary school at a cost of N1.5 million was renovated, while for 2014, a block of two classroom at Kabba Community Secondary school, Kakun costing N1.4 million was equally renovated.
For this year that is ending, a motorised borehole costing about N2 million was provided for residents of Aiyedun Egunbe.
Added to the milestones achieved by the association according to Sir Jimoh was the resolve to continue donating food stuffs worth N300,000 to selected villages every December 26 of each outgoing year.
“Villages that have benefitted from this gesture since we started in 2010 are Okedayo, Apanga, Egbeda Oke, Egbeda Isale, Ayangan, Ogbagba, Aiyedun, Otu Egunbe.
“In addition, the association ensure that every year, we visit the Kabba Medium Correctional Services Center, the General Hospital and St. John Hospital to encourage the inmates and patients with materials and consumables,” he mentioned.
Jimoh challenged all the other affiliate of Kabba Development Union and other notable individuals to rise up to the great task ahead in one accord and join forces together to build Kabba.
He said that the understanding of the sons and daughters of Kabba in Abuja about the mission and the vision of the association had helped him to pilot its affairs will less rancour.