Time For Yo TIV to Rise Up Again

Herdsmen attacked have resumed according to a press release by Ortom. He also demanded that these herdsmen be declared as the Terrorists that they truly are. 

Where are the angry Tiv men and stubborn women I remember and know. Why is Facebook not agog with the news and commentary support, why is the Tiv Brotherhood Page with thousands of members empty of comments. Is it because we do not identity with unknown peasants from remote villages. 

The period of peace following the vigorous introduction of RUGA and the sympathy following the ignoble massacre and public burial of hundreds of TIV seems to have induced some sort of slumber and even the MAFO and beef seems to have lost its vigor.

No one seems to be sensitized that it starts small in remote villages before towns get overrun.

Why is Governor Ortom they only one staking and risking his political career, albeit skillfully, in confronting this menace which extends beyond the political to every Tiv man, we know he is the Governor and has the mandate, but is it not time for others to come out?

Why do I hear reports of these massacres from only two sources on Facebook, one from a tribe and state name and from another certain individual.

Why are the NASS representatives, including a billionaire former governor not up in arms on the floor screaming to high heavens about the resumption of these attacks to draw attention and including the reprisal attacks by the Jukun militia and a compromised Nigerian army.

On the political front yo Tiv have fallen back into the habit of falling in lockstep or trying to endear itself to Arewa. The extreme antipathy towards the indifferent Buhari seems to have abated to the point where he scored significant votes in the last election even though those same voters vilified many who even showed even a slight supportive comment of Buhari in the past.

The other camp, the remnants of extreme anti Buhari or Fulani antipathy still found themselves in the camp of another Fulani man, actually he is a chamba man, but with power and connections synonymous with being Fulani with reported holdings of a great percentage of the cows under the custody of herdsmen. This is despite the extinguished warnings and accusations from an elder who has handled the swem.

In a vexing conundrum, supporters of the chamba man viewed supporters of the Katsina man as something akin to traitors, when in fact they are two sides of the same coin, one could almost sense the collective sigh of despair when the Fulani man from Katsina was returned. 

Why did the energy from MAFO dissipate so soon before the election and why did almost every single TIV man and woman not strike out and vote for any other candidate besides the two to signal its displeasure and warn of the start of an intent to begin a political re-alignment; the 2019 was one of the most significant opportunities wasted by the Tiv nation, and for what, a few token appointments.

Presently there are glaringly no signs that Benue or the middle belt is being incorporated into the financial blueprint of one Nigeria, almost all the industries are comatose and even the Airbase in Makurdi is not being used as an airport, nor is it being used to provide surveillance over the Tiv hinterland to check the scourge of Fulani herdsmen.

The state of the nation is indeed precarious and under sublime attack on multiple fronts, namely

1) although the state seems to be receiving its statutory allocation, it has been cut off from additional feeder supplemental funds to sustain and further support its activitie like Kaduna and even Taraba, it is no accident that Borno seems always seems flush with cash, many do not understand this underhanded reality.

2) on another front, they Jukun have escalated attacks against the Tiv settlements in taraba with the active connivance of the army. The Jukun militia appears to be well armed, many have alleged they are being supported by certain Jukun law men and a retired billionaire three star general. 

3) Almost all the federal roads are bad, there is no federal incentive to convert the cash crops into industrial goods and the crown jewel of Benue, the cement factory is owned by non-Tiv or Benue interests.

4) There has been alleged to be an undercover move to allocate land along waterways to herdsmen and RUGA type settlements, RUGA may yet be accomplished through other means under a different acronym despite the much touted anti grazing law. 

Since the passing of the late JS Tarka, yo Tiv nation has lacked a vocal and militant leader to actively and furiously articulate and advocate for the Tiv nation.

The efforts of the highly effusive and persuasive Ortom and his international campaign that has served as a leash to check these attacks need to be applauded, they are highly commendable. 

Another politician deserving honorable mention and who has staked his neck and miraculously came out alive through his skilled presentation of indisputable facts is Mark Gbillah on various mediums including on Channels TV, a few others have tried, other more powerful politicians have opted to remain silent or work behind them, but it is obvious that more voices are needed before we have a full blown escalation.

It is time for yo Tiv to observe the high level of political activeness by other groups across Nigeria either calling attention to genocide or voicing calls for succession.

It is time for every man and woman to begin shaking the table to express outrage about the untenable and escalating insecurity in the hinterland that is increasing IDP camp numbers and turning vast tracks of farmland fallow with the resultant multiplier affect on poverty.

The battle for peace and security is not over, it is time to stand up and raise the alarm before the Benue experiences more massacres, and stop leaving it to beleaguered politicians. 

Will you stand up, please stand up

Msugh ne chi

Terhemba Osuji 

 The Ikenga Yo Tiv

 Deputy Commander Tiv Native Authority Task Force

By Terhemba Osuji | July 11, 2020