In what organisers describe as the largest assembly of the Kwararafa peoples in modern Nigerian history, more than 150 royal fathers, serving governors and over 2,500 delegates will converge in Abuja, on Saturday, for the Kwararafa Peoples Assembly, themed ‘The Splendour of the Kingdom’.
The event, titled ‘The Splendour of the Kingdom: The Ancient Truths, The New Dawn,’ is expected to be graced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the distinguished guest of honour.
The occasion would also mark the formal public launch of the Kwararafa Development Forum (KDF), a non-partisan civic body aimed at driving collective economic transformation, cultural preservation and policy advocacy for descendants of the historic Kwararafa Confederacy.
The one-day assembly will feature the largest single gathering of Kwararafa traditional rulers since the founding of the Nigerian federation, including over 85 paramount rulers and more than 150 first-class chiefs and traditional council heads from across the Kwararafa nationalities.
The Executive Governor of Taraba State is the convener, while the Aku Uka of Wukari, His Royal Majesty, will serve as chief host.
Chairman of the Central Planning Committee, Alhaji Ahmadu Oga Aliyu Onawo, the Andoma of Doma, announced the assembly at a press conference in Abuja.
He said the gathering would provide an opportunity for the descendants of the historic Kwararafa Confederacy to reflect on their shared heritage and articulate a common development vision within the Nigerian federation.
According to him, the Kwararafa peoples, including the Jukun, Idoma, Igala, Nupe, Ebira, Tarok, Alago, Eggon and Kuteb, among others, were historically linked to a political formation that flourished around the Niger-Benue confluence between the 14th and 18th centuries.
He said the assembly would not be a cultural festival or political rally, but ‘a statement of civilisational intent’ and a platform for discussing unity, security, economic equity and development.
Among the activities scheduled for the event is the premiere of a documentary on the history of Kwararafa.
The documentary, he said, was filmed across five states and draws on historical research and oral accounts from community elders.
The forum, he said, would also unveil the Kwararafa Handbook, a publication containing the history, constituent peoples, economic assets and development priorities of the Kwararafa region.
Onawo said copies of the handbook would be presented to the President and the Aku Uka of Wukari.
The organisers will further present the Kwararafa Development Agenda to the Federal Government.
The document, he explained, would outline the region’s resources, needs and proposed contributions to national development.
A communiqué, to be known as the Abuja Declaration, is also expected to be issued at the end of the assembly.
The declaration, he said, will state the forum’s position on issues affecting Nigeria, including national unity, security, economic inclusion and the role of the Kwararafa peoples in the federation.
Onawo described the planned attendance of over 150 traditional rulers as a significant development, saying it would mark the first time such a large number of traditional authorities from the Kwararafa family would meet under one roof.
He said the forum’s objective was to bring together diverse peoples spread across five of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones around a common heritage and shared future.
‘Diversity without organisation is merely dispersion,’ he said, adding that the assembly would demonstrate what collective organisation among the Kwararafa peoples could achieve.