By KT Reporter
The Chief (Agofe) of Lugbara Kari, His Highness Yuma Manase Abuku, has urged his subjects to uphold unity and refrain from politics of identity as the community heads into the elective period. Speaking to chiefs, elders, opinion and religious leaders during his 79th birthday thanksgiving at his home in Angorovu village, Ayivu Division, Arua City, the Agofe challenged his people to embrace respect, love, honesty, integrity, and equal treatment for one another.
The Agofe’s call comes at a time when the people of Ayivu, who elected him as their cultural leader on January 15, 2023, are grappling with political divisions and land wrangles in Arua City.
His Highness Yuma Manase was first elected as Chief of Ayivu by 52 clan heads, and on April 24, 2024, he was chosen by the chiefs of Maracha, Terego, Ayivu, and Vurra as the Agofe following the death of the late Lugbara Agofe, Jackson Avutia.
Paramount Chief Manase told URN at his ancestral home that challenges such as poverty, political divisions, and disunity can only be overcome if people unite, love one another, and stand together.
Meanwhile, Suzan Ezatia, the Minister for Gender and Culture in Lugbara Kari, said that without unity, the cultural diversity of West Nile could become a challenge to development in the region.
Some Ayivu elders and subjects of the Agofe also stressed the need for political and civil leaders in West Nile to embrace unity in diversity and deliberately promote it among the people.
Yuma Manase Abuku, the 4th Agofe of Lugbara Kari, has yet to be officially enthroned since his election due to political fights in Ayivu.
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