Tiv Issues According to Terhemba Osuji

It was only a matter of time before the unguarded utterances by Wantareuh Paul Unongu against Biafra would draw the ire of IPOB (see press release down below) and drag the Tiv nation by default into this debate and identity crises all tribes have about Tiv people.  Besides self-aggrandizement and self-elevation, it is difficult to understand why Unongu was elected or appointed chairman of the Northern Elders Forum in light of the slaughter of innocents in Benue State and it is equally conflicting that Unongu has not resigned his position after these massacres.  Was Unongu allowed to emerge as chairman of the Northern Elders forum in his personal capacity, or as an agreeable Tiv man, better still, whose interests does he represent, is it for a unified Arewa or does he speak for Tiv people, or is he chairman to weather the storm of reactionary statements that would have been more incendiary if there were a Fulani man in his stead instead?  Equally more confusing are statements attributed

I am monitoring reports that the Fulani want to avenge the deaths the suffered in the Mambilla hills of Taraba, that is Jukun Territory. The rumors of this possible revenge attack by the Fulani do not take into account the violent militant history of the Jukun and they may yet be one of the few tribes in the middle-belt not to be defeated militarily. Very few Nigerians know the warrior history of the Jukun and though numerically inferior to the Tiv the have battled and in some cases defeated them in numerous Jukun vs Tiv wars not given prominence in Middlebelt history. The plot thickens now that their beloved son Lt. General TY Danjuma has seemingly broken ranks with the NW power block aka Kaduna mafia and issued a statement about a plot to islamize Nigeria. This is no idle statement from a statesman who usually guards his utterances and truth be told it's a semi declaration of WAR, or intent at resistance. The General is no ordinary citizen or statesman, he is one of the wealthies

The recent quit notice by Arewa youth to Igbos to leave the north due to abuses and Biafra Agitation serves as a wake up call to other regions to rise up and protests threats to their stability and sense of dignity.  Arewa and Igbo nationalism is not a tool restricted to these groups and can be adopted by other regions particularly the middle-belt that has not formed an independent political identity or ideology of its own and perspective about its predicament in Nigeria.   In my dreams, I see The middle-belt waking up one day and issuing a Quit notice to all Hausa and Fulani herdsmen to leave the region for aiding and abetting the slaughter of its people so that peace can finally return to the region and farmers can go back to work without fear and in peace.  Let these Fulani take their cows and religion which we don't want and return back to Futa Jalon, pigs are a close and tastier substitute to beef. Contrary to the popular narrative, the Igbo are not the problem of Nigeria or

There are still a few vexing issues from the successful coronation of Tor Tiv V that must be addressed before the details get forgotten with time. POLITICS 1. As stated in previous notes, while the Tiv nation owes a debt of gratitude to the Governor for the role he played in not only shepherding the process of amending the chieftaincy laws, selecting the kingmakers of the various clans and setting up the coronation committee and prearranging the repair of the Tor Tiv palace, many observers still feel that his prominence and leadership in seeing through these matters still gave him undue political power over the Tor Tiv and in retrospect is subverting the future power of the Tor Tiv. It did not help that many traditionalists were worried about the appearance that the Governor handed the staff of office to the Tor Tiv and many have argued that the staff should have been presented by an elder or by the IJIR TAMEN as a group to the TOR TIV instead of a politician however highly place

Against strident advice from the last remaining traditionalists still left alive after nonpayment of salaries in Benue, Ochivirigh Ayatse swore the oath of office with the Bible no doubt buoyed on by the Governor who advocated that path even before Ayatse's selection. The cause of disagreement is that despite the Bible being the source of theology of Christianity it is still a divisive force for TIV people in practice. The dominant version of Christianity in Tiv land is the NKST church, distinct in many respects from the Catholic and Protestant church. According to most reports Ayatse is a devout Deeper Life another distinct sect. While the Tor Tiv has sworn the oath of office using the Bible and by it signaling that the Tiv nation is a Christian, 95% Christian as claimed by Ortom on channels tv, the other bone of contention is that he will revert back to his sect, Deeper Life, thereby abandoning the Catholic Church and it's off shoot NKST variation. This is troubling knowing h

Please Read: Choosing the Next Tor Tiv Msugh ne chi Finally, the TIV nation heaved a collective sigh of relief when the Traditional Council congregated in Gboko and selected Prof. James Ayatse as Tor Tiv V on December 20, 2016. His coronation is scheduled for March 4 2017 at the J.S Tarka Stadium in Gboko and already grand plans Have been finalized for his investiture with the symbol of office, but there are many vexing issues that must be addressed in the aftermath of his selection and before his coronation: RULES AND REGULATIONS: 1.         His elevation to the stool exposed the lack of decisive leadership and responsiveness to crises situations as it took the Tiv nation thirteen months to select TOR TIV V after the death of the immediate past Tor Tiv who passed away on November 11, 2015. It also took a long time before Tor Tiv IV was finally laid to rest.  2.         It was generally accepted that the ipusu order were likely to provide the successor to the lat