THE TIV QUESTION WITHIN THE NATIONAL QUESTION By John Tine Esq.

The Tiv race of North Central is the 4th most populous ethnic group in Nigeria- about 14 million strong. They are one of the over 250 ethnic nationalities tagged the “Paradoxical Majority” because they constitute over 51per cent of Nigeria’s total population. But just like other Nigerian ethnic nationalities, they have gone through a perennial, epochal and politically orchestrated marginalization on account of socio-cultural and religious prejudices. As it is, this has generated endemic, intense feeling of mutual distrust, arising from the fear of domination by statist vanchist elements among the disparate cultural groups that make up the Nigerian Federation.

It is on record that between 1652 and 1779, Tiv progenitors migrated from South Africa and, after traversing several continental territories, finally settled within Benue Valley. Today, there is no single state of the 36 and FCT in which their presence is not felt, but they densely inhabit the North Central States of Benue, Taraba, Nassarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Niger and the FCT, and it is noteworthy that their populations significantly added up to qualify Taraba and Nassarawa for separate states of their own
By the time the colonial masters invaded their kingdom and subsequently integrated it into the Northern Regional Government of the British Indirect rule in 1912, two years before the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorates in 1914; the Tiv nation was well organised socially, economically and politically as their traditional authorities were already exercising effective control over subjects within their domain.

Following the full integration of the Tiv into the predominantly Hausa/Fulani North ,the Tiv were discriminated against due to their different way of life. It was thought that they would abandon their cultural and religious values and adopt those of the ruling elite.

This overture was however rebuffed and for this defiance, they were made to suffer all sort of indignities and were even referred to as “infidels”. This development escalated agitations for the creation of entities that could give a new lease of life from the servitude in which they found themselves.

The then leader of Tiv nation J S. Tarka, in corroboration with Chief Awo were most trenchant in their calls for the liberation of Nigerian ethnic minorities.

It is doubtless that these agitations for minority rights which sometimes turned sanguinary, coupled with the deep-seated mutual distrust and fear of domination led to the collapse of the First Republic. The military interregnum which ushered in General Yakubu Gowon brought reprieve to the minorities including the Tiv people, as J S. Tarka was appointed in the Federal Cabinet as Federal Commissioner and another Tiv compatriot Col. Joe Akaahan by merit assumed the position of Chief of Army Staff. Moreover, Gowon in response to the yearnings of the Nigerian ethnic minorities created the first set of states, thereby enabling the Tiv to gain their political freedom.

Thence forward, they began to feel a sense of belonging due to the opportunity given to their political leaders to represent them and since then and until 2015, no other government at the centre has completely excluded the Tiv people from the national scheme of things. In the 2nd and 4th Republic, under President Shehu Shagari and Umaru Musa Yar’dua respectively, the Tiv were given the most prominent roles and recognition. During his relatively short tenure, Shagari availed Tiv people the opportunity to produce three ministers and a Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives ,apart from the several other executive appointments offered them in the MDAs. Similarly, President Yar’dua appointed Tiv kinsmen in strategic positions of Chief Justice of the Nation; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Auditor General of the Federation in addition to several Chief Executives of agencies and parastatals. 


When Buhari vied for the presidency in 2015, the Tiv electorates voted massively for him. Their hopes were very high, but it has turned out that those hopes were misplaced and today, they are in a shameful dilemma and in spite of their huge support, the Tiv have no single representative in his cabinet and ditto in other key MDAs, whereas some states within the North have several of their indigenes appointed in high government positions as well as the Federal Executive Council and this is within the backdrop of the provisions of Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) which together expressly discourage discrimination on any ground and makes it mandatory for the Presidency to be fair in the distribution of allocative positions and other political patronages, with intent to promoting national unity and loyalty as well as actively promoting national integration, in addition to ensuring a balanced economic development in pursuit of the common good.

That the gains made in the efforts at national integration by successive administrations since the ugly events of the First Republic is being reversed is an aberration and against the letter and spirit of the Constitution which is being perpetrated against an ethnic group that has contributed enormously towards the peace, unity and progress of the Federation.

It is being rumoured in some quarters that the Tiv people have been excluded from the National Executive Council because President Buhari harbours personal grudges against some Tiv individuals. It will be most absurd if this is true and most disturbing because 90% of the votes which the President and his party, the APC received in Benue during the 2015 presidential election were those of the Tiv electorates and the records speak for themselves.

Therefore it will be most appalling to millions of Tiv people worldwide and particularly those who massively mobilised and voted for him in that election if their race is being arbitrarily deprived of their constitutional rights on the basis of personal grudges . 
On the other hand, there has been this deep seated fear of marginalisation and domination of one ethnic group by another in the course of appointments into public offices; sharing of the national wealth and other political patronages which has amplified the issue of the National Question .

This fear has gained ascendancy in some quarters especially with regards to the predominance in federal institutions and agencies of persons from certain sections of the country; whereas other sections have disproportionately low number of representation in the same federal organizations, including the Tiv and ,since public office is seen as a resource sharing mechanism through which the national wealth flows, the representative of the ethnic group that holds political office is seen as the determinant factor of how the national cake is shared .

This is more so when leadership at the centre becomes arbitrary and sectional in the conduct of state affairs and in the course of the distribution of national resources. Consequently, the fear of who controls the process and appropriates the resources has consistently given rise to the mutual distrust among the diverse ethnic groups. The tension has manifested in riots, violent demonstrations and other forms of disruptions. In response to this, however successive administrations have devised constitutional measures including Creation of States, Federal Character and Quota System, Revenue Allocation Formulae, Derivation Principle among other measures as panaceas to this phenomenon. 


So far, and with the benefit of hindsight, these policies have not achieved much, more so that they are seen as mere camouflage and instruments of exploitation for those ethno-religious chauvinists that often find themselves in positions of power and hence recently, they have been trenchant calls for the convening of a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) where the manifest destiny of the country will be discussed and the awkward structures of the Nigerian Federation may be overhauled and reconstructed on the basis of universal ideals, principles and values including good governance, social justice and the rule of law.

Some stakeholders have proposed the adoption of a policy on Zoning and Rotation of both the Presidency as well as the Governorship at the state level. Such a policy is envisaged to guarantee stability in our political and economic system. It is reasoned that for Nigeria to make any meaningful headway in its developmental efforts, it must be fair in its leadership recruitment process and also promote merit by guarantying the selection of leaders with sterling personal qualities and whose characters, visions and programmes are firmly anchored on sound philosophical and ideological principles and values.

At this juncture, it can be deducted from the epochal narrative of the marginalization of the Tiv people that they are very sagacious politically just as they are fair minded and liberal. In the First Republic, they were aggrieved due to their exclusion from the allocative decisions and other patronages of the then Regional Government and so found it more expedient to politically align with the South West.

This coalition promised a vision that could guarantee their basic freedoms and liberties. In the Second Republic, they reviewed the political options and when convinced that their Hausa/Fulani brethren were prepared to work with them as partners in nation building, in spite of the social cultural and religious differences between them, they corroborated and formed the NPN which overwhelmingly won the 1979/83 general elections, including the Presidency
Similarly, the Tiv played a major part in the formation of the PDP in 1998 and worked assiduously to ensure its victory at the polls in 1999. However, in the post Yar’dua era, when their leader, Senator Akume became subject of political villification by certain retrogressive rival forces which apparently conspired to pull him down politically, the vast majority of Tiv masses followed him en masse to join forces with the ACN under the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and on which platform he won and retained his a senatorial seat upon which he rose to become the Minority Leader of the 6th senate.

It was this bold and courageous step to leave the PDP for the opposition ACN whose chances of winning a major national political contest then were tenuous that laid the foundation for the subsequent emergence of the APC as a broad based national party that ultimately won the 2015 general elections including the Presidency. 
By this tactical alliance with the South West, George Akume succeeded somehow in re-enacting the precedent set by J.S.Tarka, his kinsman and leader of the Tiv people in the First and Second Republics. Therefore, it could be said that without the sacrificial leadership role of Sen Akume in the 4th Republic, just like the self- immolation of Tarka in the First Republic, and coupled with the foresight, political dexterity and altruistic nature of Asiwaju; it would have been almost impossible for the APC and Buhari to emerged triumphant in the 2015 general elections.


The political consciousness of the Tiv is amplified by the fact that as a minority ethnic group, they pioneered an alliance with a Regional platform and sought to gain political power at the centre based on a well articulated vision of self-determinism which was informed by the circumstances of the day .In the 4th Republic, different scenarios and issues dictated the alliance with the ACN. However, unlike their compatriots of the First Republic, the present Tiv leaders have been complacent at best and hobbled by mutual political war of attrition at worst.

At one point or the other, Wantaregh Paul Unongu and or Tarka , formulated visions for the Tiv based on the prevailing issues and mobilised them for political action. But what is it that the present Tiv political elite has identified as the raise d’ etat of their people and the next generation, especially within the context of the most complex issues of the Nigerian federation of the 21st Century ?
Any wonder then that some Nigerian leaders have taken advantage of the polarisation in the ranks of the Tiv political leadership to further exacerbate the marginalization of the Tiv people.

Therefore, a renaissance of sort is urgently needed for the Tiv nation if it is to develop and meet its potential in a fiercely competitive and most prejudicial country like Nigeria.
Now, if President Buhari is to leave indelible marks of a great leader of the 21st Century on the sands of time, he must deepen his reforms so as to strengthen institutions in all the relevant sectors and also rejig his appointment pattern in order to give the Tiv and other ethnic minorities, the opportunity to represent their people in his government and feel a sense of belonging that propels that patriotic spirit that is necessary to build mutual confidence that fosters unity, stability and development. For as the saying goes, symbols and courtesies matter in all human affairs.

In conclusion, it could be apt to say that since independence, Nigeria has not had a cerebral statesmanship leader with philosophical and ideological depth as to be able to turn things around. So far, when our leaders assume public office, rather than take the country as their constituency as a whole, they conduct themselves as the representatives or champions of their immediate ethnic-group or fellow religious adherents.
Nigeria of the 21st century therefore does not need a leader who is driven by normal presidential chores and protocols of office but one with egregious and gargantuan vision, programmes and reforms that make him bestride his nation like a colossus which towers over and above any type of parochialism and one who can inspire a sense of nationalism into the masses by his dispassionate deeds of patriotism in all facets of governance.

 
In this wise, looking at President Buhari’s antecedents, coupled with his political will and his performance thus far, it is safe to conclude that he is the first Nigerian democratically elected leader that has come close to being a great leader .

This is because he manifests some level of true greatness, and such greatness is said to prize integrity more than anything else, and holds honour dearer than life. This kind of greatness is that spirit, the inspiring soul of heroes, which raises men above the level of humanity.

This is called a high, lofty, generous and noble spirit. It is high because it is elevated above all vulgar considerations. It is lofty in that it despises whatever is little and mean, whether in character, council or conduct; it is generous as it freely grants to the weak and indigent, protection and support; it is noble because it dreads shame and dishonour as the greatest evil, esteeming fame and glory beyond all things human.



John Tine Esq.
President General National Tiv Youth Vanguard (NTYV)