Project 2023: Tiv vs Idoma in Benue

By Prince Asom SteveWords Jr

Clearly I am a Tiv man from Guma local government, council ward Mbadwem, I am a pure Ihyarev man, no doubt about that, I love the Tiv man I am but let me tell us a bitter truth.

As long as the Tiv man believes in his heart that the government house belongs to the Tiv alone and should be occupied by them alone, we will never have the Benue of our dreams.
You see, a Tiv man believes that the turns to occupy that house should be based on the formula of “Ya Na wangbian” but refuses to see an Idoma man as his brother that should be included in that formula. He prefers to choose the man that has not performed and give him another 4 years, why? Just because if peradventure the other brother wins the zoning formula will be altered, so he prefers to sacrifice quality for a mere formula.

But you see, just maybe the savior we so much clamor for is in that Zone “C”. But what have the Tiv man done, he has made the Zone C man a second class indigene in his own State, pathetic. You see, we’ve only ended up rebranding slavery. The Zone “C” man has become like a slave (who in real sense is also of royalty) who serves the wine at the royal banquet, he serves the wine to the self acclaimed royal sons, who only get drunk and go home to their warm beds without working and leaving the State falling like a withered leaf while he goes home licking his lips in admiration and wish to taste the wine, but No, he dares not come close. What’s left for him is only the spoils that come in form of;

•Commisioners,
•Permanent secretary,
•Secretary to the government,
•Special Senior assistants,
•And if with proper bidding gets a ministerial appointment.

How then do we define tribalism? How then can we say we are One Nigeria, a people united in love for man and country?
You see, these problems stare us right in he face but you dare not point it out else you will be termed a betrayal to the “Ayatutu” family, but of what use will we be to the society if we do not point out the ailing that is sending us to an early grave in a bid not to offend the gods. For if the gods do not care about us and how we feel then we need not worship them.

You see my people, we’ve become the blacksmiths that forge the swords that slit our throats, we’ve spilt the very antidote meant to save us from the poison we drink with our own hands filled with selfishness, greed and mischief. What differentiates a Tiv man from an Idoma man is tongue but we are united in color; “Black”, that alone is divine.

May the rains of sense wet us!