By Clems Ukechia
The Tiv Youth Organisation (TYO) has berated the Idoma elders for demanding the sack of the Secretary to the Governor of the Federation, Dr. George Akume over non inclusion of an Idoma person on the Ministerial list.
President General of TYO Comr. Andy A. Anza, at a press conference in Abuja said the call by the Idoma elders shows hatred on Akume.
The Idoma elders “should stop sowing seeds of discord between the Tivs and the Idomas for their personal interest. President Tinubu is an experienced political leader who can not be intimidated and blackmailed into taking a gutter decision based on the call by political vultures who are looking for pieces of meat to feed their greed at the detriment of others.”
He advised them to “go and lobby for appointments and desist from this divisive, ill-timed and ill-advised outburst against the President and the SGF.”
“Tiv Youth Organization wishes to state emphatically that the call for the sack of Sen. Akume by Idoma nation is a clear expression of absolute disdain and hatred on the person and personality of Akume and on the Tiv nation. We roundly condemn this naked show of hatred” he further stated.
TYO noted that “Sen. Akume is a very kind man who has demonstrated great love and affection for our Idoma brothers. He is a great leader with a big heart that accommodates all and sundry. It is sickening learning that the same people he has previously helped to power in one way or the other are now calling for his head.”
Going down memory, the group said “as Governor of Benue State, Sen. Akume backed Audu Ogbeh, an Idoma man against his own brother Sen. Banabas Gemade, to become the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Akume also supported supported Dr. Oyegayi as Managing Director of Federal Medical Centre Makurdi against his own brother. When an Idoma son, Mr. Daniel Onjeh, former NANS President was rusticated from the University, it was Akume who helped him to get back on his feet by sponsoring him in a foreign University.”
Comr. Anza further noted that Akume did all the above not for mere political gain but to cement the relationship between the Tivs and the Idomas. “Rather than being thankful to Akume, the so called coalition of Idoma professionals who are on a self serving mission are rather attacking and calling for Akume’s head” he noted.
According to him, o”ne would expect a group such as the Coalition of Idoma Professionals” to honourably channel their energies on innovations in their noble professions rather than delve into matters that will breed acrimony between ethnicities. Such an act is capable of breaking every form of trust ever built between the Tiv and Idoma. It is therefore, unfortunate, to say the least that such negativity emanates from a group that would rather be solving problems and not creating them.”
He noted that “during the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration when Sen. David Mark was the Senate President, Comrade Abba Moro was the Minister of Interior while the Tivs had a junior minister in the person of Chief Samuel Ortom, the immediate past governor of Benue state. But no Tiv man or woman raised an eyebrow.”
“Within that period, several jobs opportunities meant for the Tivs were cornered to Idomas. Even slots allotted to Benue for recruitment in the paramilitary agencies, military, civil service and other agencies and parastatals were brazenly given to Idoma youths. Tiv youths were denied employment and other privileges and are continuously been denied lots of benefits at the National level in areas Idoma indigenes are holding sway. As peace loving people, they continue to accept their fate in good faith while praying for a day their political kingdom shall come. And today, it has indeed come with the meritorious appointment of Sen. George Akume as SGF.”
He further noted that” at the moment, Dr. Mrs. Mary Ada Ogbe, an Idoma woman is the federal permanent secretary enjoying the Benue slot. This is the position that no Tiv man has held for many years. Another one is Arch. Sunday Echono, the former permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education who is now the Executive Secretary of TETFUND. We also have Maj.-Gen. JO Ochai, who was appointed by President Tinubu as the 32nd Commandant of the NDA. Others are Dr Barr. Sam Ode, Deputy Governor, Benue State, Dr Moses Agbogbo Ode, Head of Service, Benue State, Comrade Austin Agada, Chairman, APC Benue State, Hon. Mrs Lami Danladi Ogenyi, Deputy Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly.”
Also “the only three career ambassadors from Benue are all Idomas. It is so bad that if you go to any barracks or government offices and request to see anyone from Benue working there, you will be shocked that out of 100 Benue people there, Tiv would have just five percent. A tribe that is the fourth most populated ethnic group in Nigeria being dominated and suffocated at the national government. The Idomas dominates the federal institutions compared to the Tivs. They even take slots belonging to the Tivs who are majority in the state. They spread their applicants in Tiv Local Government Areas, some take Tiv names and fraudulently obtain state of Origin certificate to show they are from such Local Governments just because they have highly placed kinsmen at the federal level who are aiding and abetting this evil against the Tiv people.
“The recent one being the admission into 75 Regular Combatant Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) 2023 where the Idoma generals and their political collaborators have made it a duty to deprive Tiv youths admission into that prestigious military school. Out of 13 slots for Benue state, Tiv who are the overwhelming majority in the state with two senatorial districts have three slots, the Idoma has 10.
In the 2021 admission into the 73 Regular “Combatant Course of the NDA, out of 12 slots for Benue, the Tivs who have 14 LGs got two slots, with one on reserve while the Idomas with nine LGs got 10 slots. This has been going on for years at various levels, hence they call themselves “Effective minority.” Now that they have their son as the Commandant of the military school, it will only get worse. While we are not calling for the removal of Maj.-Gen. JO Ochai, we want him to correct the imbalances in the admission of Tiv youths in that School to reflect the true spirit of federal character.
Again, when Abba Moro was the Minister of Interior “under former President Goodluck Jonathan, he superintendented over massive recruitment of Idoma youths in the paramilitary with impunity at the detriment of the Tiv job applicants. Yet no one said anything.
“Take for example appointments made at the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue state where all the key positions are taken over by the Idomas without including any Tiv indigene in the system.
“The first is Professor Innocent Ujah (Idoma) who is the Vice- Chancellor, Prof Ediga B. Agbo (Idoma) is the DVC Administration, Prof Stephen O Abah(Idoma) is the DVC Academics, the Bursar, Idoma, the Director of Physical Planning, Idoma, the Provost, College of Medicine is Idoma.
“Also, the Deputy Provost, College of Medicine is Idoma, and no admission quota is given to Tiv indigenes in the University. Even, the representative of North Central on the Governing Council of the University is Professor Idoko, an Idoma man.
“This is a clear case of a minority ethnic group dominating the majority at the Federal level and shedding crocodile tears of marginalization at the state to deceive unsuspecting members of the public to attract unmerited sympathy.
“Their impunity is so loud that, when Echono was due for retirement, he orchestrated the appointment of another Idoma indigene, Mrs Ogbe to succeed him while he moved to TETFUND. He manipulated the Buhari administration to have his way at the detriment of the Nigerian people. The most senior Tiv Director at the Ministry, Bem Goon, a Tiv man was sidelined.
“Now, the Idomas have two federal institutions under former President Buhari administration, while the biggest senatorial district in Benue, the Benue North East has only one Government College in Vande-Ikya LG. The Idomas have more federal institutions than any other part of the state.
“We have been quiet for too long. Now that they have touched the apple of our eyes, we will respond accordingly and tell the whole world of the evil this minority tribe is doing to Tiv in Nigeria.
“They are beating us mercilessly and crying the loudest. They are blackmailing us and our leaders and claiming the victim. This political, economic and social dominace of the Tivs by the Idomas and co travellers over the years is causing youth restiveness in the state. The huge unemployment rate in Benue among the Tiv youths is alarming” the group indicated.
