By Samuel Allen Zenke
In recent days, I have lost my appetite for writing commentaries, especially political commentaries because of how insentive Benue politics has turned. I came back from a community meeting this evening and launched my blue app and came across a a video of a world press conference by a group of elders under the umbrella, “Jechira Stakeholders”. What they seek to achieve has no business with me but I want to make a strong correction on the use of MINDA to describe the whole people of Gwer and Lobi and to ascribed MINDA with as a political block or an intermediate area in ‘Tar Tiv’ and ‘Tar’ Benue and Nigeria at large.
WHAT IS MINDA?
MINDA is an acronym for ‘Masev, Ihyarev and Nongo Development Association’. It’s a pan Ichômngo-Tiev association. The idea of the association was conceived and birthed in the early 70s, after the end of the Nigerian Civil War by likeminds from the three super clans of Ichômngo Tiev – Masev, Ihyarev and Nongov. Tar Tiv and particularly the Tiv Native Authority existed long before the association was birthed. But our people, especially those from the Jemgbagh and Jechirah axis whom used to share the same Senatorial Constituency and zoning arrangements under the sociocultural umbrella, “Double J” has forcefully or rather, cunningly made MINDA an Intermediate Area in Tar Tiv while their “Double J” has metamorphosed into Jemgbah and Jechirah.
In 2022, I read one of the worst books about Tiv literature titled “Minda In Tiv Politics” authored by Alex Aondover Iorahungwa. I asked myself, how can a well educated person be so lazy to researched Tiv genealogy and sociopolitical history and end up with this kind of crap? What is MINDA?
When will our people embrace our true formation and structure? Where is “Double J” (Jemgbah/Jechira Development Association)? Can we now refer to SADA, JEDA, JDA etc as geopolitical zones or intermediate areas in Tivland?
Turan, Ikyurav, Ugondo, Masev, Ihyarev and Nongov are super clans (sub-group) of the Ichômngo genealogy. These super-clans share the same progenitor-Tiv, with their Ipusu consanguinity – Shitire, Tongov, Ukum, and Kpar super-clans of the same Tiv. Jemgbagh and Jechirah are not super clans of Ipusu, but descendents of Kpar, a super clan of Ipusu. However, these two clans enjoys autonomous status as intermediate areas and political blocks in Tivland while, Gwer and Lobi, housing two super clans of Ichômngo are cunningly assembled under the umbrella, MINDA, an association whose membership is ‘even’ by registration. This ‘ifer’ has to be condemned and discouraged by both elders and young people in Tivland, most especially, those in the academia and leadership positions.
Tiv Sociopolitical Structure:
Tar Tiv is made up of 6 Intermediate Areas as gazetted by the Tiv Traditional Council (TTC) and Benue State Chieftancy Law. These intermediate areas are Kwande, Jechirah, Jemgbah, Sankera, Lobi and Gwer. All of the Tiv intermediate areas have had their shot at the Benue’s Apex Office with Gwer Block (intermediary) the only exception. In 2023, Jechirah became the first Intermediate Area to produce two governors with Very Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu in 1992 and Very Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia in 2023. Jechirah has three sub-clans, namely, Kunav, Gaav and Shangev Tiev scattered acrossed Vandeikya and Konshisha local government areas.
Benue State was created in 1976, February 3rd, under the military administration of Gen. Murtala Ramat Muhammed. In 1979, Late Appollos Aper Aku contested and won the Benue’s governorship under the platform of National Party of Nigeria (NPN), becoming the first civilian governor of the state. Since it’s creation to date, Benue State has produced 6 Civilian Governors.
The first Intermediate Area to produce a Governor was Kwande – Mr. Aper Aku who served between October 1st, 1979 to December 31st 1983.
Second was Jechirah – Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu – 2nd January, 1992 to November, 1993.
It is worthy to not that both Governors Aku and Adasu tenures were interrupted by military coup d’etat that ended their administrations with Adasu and Jechirah serving just a single term of less than 2 years (20 months).
When Gen. Sani Abacha’s “Abacha Must Stay” project failed after the gallant General’s death was pronounced in 1998, June 8th, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar emerged as the new Head of State. Gen. Abubakar would later announced that the socio-political programmes of the Abacha administration will be faithfully pursued in order to transfer power to a democratic government on October 1st, 1998. Gen. Abubakar would later change his mind.
On July 20th, 1998, Gen. Abubakar unveiled his political transition programme and declared May 29, 1999 as handover date. He cancelled all elections, dissolved NECON (National Electoral Commission of Nigeria) and the five political parties that were registered by NECON – National Consensus (CNC), United Nigeria People’s Convention (UNPC), National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN), Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN), and Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) respectively. He also freed all detainees, drops charges against exiles, and makes commitment to respect human rights.
Gen. Abubakar kept his word and on May 29th, 1999, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo succeeded him as President and Commander in Chief in the second successful Military to Civilian Transition in Nigeria. In Benue, HE. George Akume (now, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation) from Jemgbah Intermediate Area succeeded Col. Dominic Oneya as Governor of Benue.
Akume became the first Governor to serve a complete two tenure of 8 years in office and handed over to Sen. Gabriel Torwua Suswam of Sankera Intermediate Area on 29th May, 2007. Accordingly, Suswam handed over to Dr. Samuel Ortom of Lobi after also, completing two terms of 8 years on the 29th of May, 2015. And on the 29th of May, 2023, Chief Ortom handed over the banton to the present Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia of Jechirah.
It should be on record that I am not against nor in support of Jechirah Stakeholders and their world press conference but I am against their description of the people of Gwer and Lobi Intermediate Areas as MINDA.
Gwer Intermediate Area in its original creation is as old as Gboko, Makurdi (Lobi), Katsina Ala Divisions. Gwer as a Local Government Area was created on the 3rd of February, 1976. Kwande, Katsina Ala, and Vandeikya Local Government Areas would later be created in the later parts of 1976. The first 6 local government in Tar Tiv were Makurdi, Gwer, Gboko, Katsina Ala, Kwande and Vandeikya.
The wisdom behind the creation of local government areas in Tar Tiv in 1976 was the same hatched by Elder-Stateman, Wantaregh Paul Iorpuur Unongo Kwaghngise: “to promote equity and fairness (YA KWAGH NA ANNGBYAN)” in the zoning of leadership positions in Tivland.
Unongo had appealed and proposed for Tar Tiv to have 6 Intermediate Areas to arrest clannish politics, selfishness and craftiness which was promoted by “some selfish politicians” in his book, “Where Do We Go From Here?” written in 1969.
Unongo lamented that it was wrong to have an Intermediate Area in the name of Ichômngo (present day Gwer and Lobi) while some Ichômngo lineages were inhabitants of Ukum-Shitire (present day Sankera) and Kwande.
He also faulted the name “Ukum-Shitire” which was known to describe the people of the present day Sankera back then. He posited that it was wrong to identify Ikyurav-tiev, Turan-tiev, Ugondu, Tongov, Shitire and Ukum people under the name “Ukum-Shitire Intermediate Area.” Ukum and Shitire are sub-clans of Ipusu just as Tongov while Turan-tiev, Ugondu and Ikyurav-tiev are of Ichômngo.
These abnormalities about the true status of Tar Tiv intermediate areas continued until the Tiv Traditional Council under HRH Gondo Aluor, Tor Tiv II endorsed Unongo’s thoughts and 6 Intermediate Areas were lined up for creation to arrest the many problems Unongo raised in his “open letter” to Tar Tiv and Tiv People in 1969. This would also later be unsuccessful due to the political tensions between Chief. JS Tarka, Tor Tiv Aluor and other human political elements in Tivland.
This progressive thought would later be hoarded for over 3 decades but as it is naturally for the sun to rise after the nights, the administrations of Governors Suswam and Ortom brought this it to fruition by not just gazetting the creation of 6 Intermediate Areas of Kwande, Sankera, Jemgbah, Jechirah, Lobi and Gwer but also appointing Chiefdoms (First Class Chiefs) to act as the Chief Custodians of the various Intermediate Areas (House).
These intermediate areas are uniquely created in equity in mind. We have two pure Ichômngo Intermediate Areas (Lobi and Gwer) and two pure Ipusu (Jemgbah and Jechirah) Intermediate Areas. The remaining two are Kwande and Sankera. Kwande and Sankera are unique in nature, inhabiting both descendants of Ichômngo and Ipusu respectively.
The Tiv man in his wisdom and natural being is not selfish. Civilisation and interactions with “atô a tiev” has robbed the Tiv man a great deal. Out of the 6 Intermediate Areas of Tar Tiv, only Gwer has not produce a Governor and Chief Ortom is the only Ichômngo person to amongst the 6 governors produced so far.
The essence of this post is not about Gwer Governorship but it is a wake up call for the people of Ichômngo, especially those from Gwer and Lobi intermediaries to wear their true identity and sanction whoever or whatever group created in any disguise that refers to them as MINDA Intermediate Area.
Enough is enough! I don’t care where the governorship comes from in 2027, but in 2031, it should come from Zoned C and if it were to remain in Tivland, then, Gwer Intermediate is the only block that has not tested the office before. The argument should be between Gwer East and Gwer West. For equity.
Samuel Allen Zenke hails from Tse-Nyaregh, Mbanyiar, Mbawa, Isherev, Ihyarev in Guma. He’s also the Chairman of the Implementation Committee, Gwer-Lobi Forum.
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