Communique Issued At The End Of The All-Tiv Summit Organised By The Ontiv Professionals Association, Abuja In Collaboration With The Tiv Traditional Council, At The Winika Hotels, Gboko, Benue State, From September 14 – 15, 2017

PREAMBLE

The OnTiv Professionals Association (OPA), Abuja in collaboration with the Tiv Traditional Council, organised a two-day All Tiv Summit with the  theme:  “The Quest For Socio-Economic And Political Development Of Tiv Nation,” at  Winika Hotels, Gboko, Benue State, from September 14 -15, 2017.

The Summit brought together all Tiv sons and daughters from different parts of the country to articulate their common challenges as a people and proffer solutions that could set an agenda for His Royal Majesty, Tor Tiv V, Professor James Ayatse and the Tiv nation at large.

Coming against the backdrop of the continuous lamentations of the Tiv people for inadequate representation in Nigeria despite their numerical strength, the Summit also provided an avenue for the people to earnestly discuss among themselves how to re-situate themselves in Nigeria.

The All Tiv Summit was formally declared open by the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom (who was represented by his Special Adviser on Rural Development, Hon. Adzer Abya), while HRM, Tor Tiv V, Orchivirigh Professor James Ayatse, accompanied by scores of First Class Chiefs, Second Class Chiefs and other traditional rulers in Tivland, as well as prominent Tiv sons in the National Assembly, actively participated in the  opening session, which was chaired by a former military Governor of East Central State and Benue State, Brigadier-General John Atom Kpera (Rtd).

 

A total of 12 papers were presented by eminent sons and daughters who graciously accepted to serve as resource persons. These included: The quest for socio-political and economic development of the Tiv nation of Nigeria, by Prof Zack Anger Gundu;  Politics, Leadership and Governance:  Identifying and mentoring for effective leadership, by Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Orker Jev; Politics, Leadership and Governance:  Feedback mechanism for accountability, by Prof. Leonard Shilgba; The Role of Security Agencies in Curbing Herdsmen/Farmers Conflict in Tivland, by Prof. Alloy Ihuah; Security and Youth Restiveness in Tivland, by Prof. Gabriel Ukertor Moti and; Socio-economic condition of the Tiv in contemporary Nigeria, by Dr. David Utume.

 

Others were:  Eroding Tiv Culture and Tradition, by Prof. Ephraim Idyorough; Tiv: Why are we not in the scheme of affairs in Project Nigeria?, by Dr. Tavershima N. Ashwe; Entrepreneurship as viable Tool for Development, by Mr. Peter Chieshe and Mr. Terna Hemba; Harnessing Agricultural and Natural Resources for Development in Tivland, by Dr. Ahen Labe and; Empowering Women and Youths for Development, by Ms Patricia Mimi Achakpa.

 

Besides the welcome Address by HRM, Professor James Ayatse, Tor Tiv V and the Keynote Address/Official opening of the Summit by the Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom, goodwill messages were delivered by several eminent sons and daughters of Tiv, including Dr. Emmanuel Gemade (who is the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the OPA); the Tiv Caucus in the National Assembly; President-General of MUT, Chief Edward Ujege; Executive Director (designate), National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Mr. Manz Denga; INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Kogi State, Prof. James Iorliam Apam and; Chief Shaakar Adagba, from Taraba state.

 

At the end of the thought-provoking presentations and discussions, the Summit resolved as follows:

 

1. To call for the convocation of a conference of all ethnic nationalities based on equal representation of all tribes in Nigeria , to discuss restructuring of the cou

 

2. The Summit takes note of the Federal Government’s announcement of the formation of a 3000-member “Agro Rangers” outfit to protect cattle farming and the provision of insurance cover for cattle farmers. According, the Summit calls for similar measures for crop farmers.

 

3. To commiserate with all persons affected by the recent floods in parts of Benue state and to appreciate the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Benue State Government; Nigeria’s First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari; corporate organisations, faith-based organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); various State Governors; and public spirited individuals, who in one way or the other, provided succour to victims of the flood.

 

4. To call on the Federal Government to ensure that it fulfills its promise to dredge the River Benue to forestall the perennial flooding in the state, and to equally include Benue among states that are flood prone and deserving of special intervention through the Ecological Funds to construct water channels in Makurdi and its environs.

 

5. To remind both the Federal and State Governments that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) occasioned by Fulani herdsmen invasion of Tivland are still there and in dire need of assistance.

 

6. That all are to blame – politicians, traditional rulers and general citizens – for the underdevelopment of Tivland, and that our leadership needs to brace up to give effective direction that will ensure progress of our nation;

 

7. The Summit acknowledges the need for a clearly defined agenda for the Tiv nation.  It also believe there is the need for  the Tiv nation to take the on-going restructuring debate seriously so as to clearly articulate its identity and position in the Nigeria project;

 

8. That development in Tiv nation should be a collective project.

 

9. That the security threats of grave concern to Tiv Nation include Herdsmen attacks in Tivland, Inter-Intra clan conflict, Political crises and conflict, Inaction and inappropriate response by security operatives, Weak leadership and actions on security matters by traditional rulers, Insecurity as a result of porous water and land borders, Corruption by political leaders, Poverty and unemployment in Tivland and, Weak economic base of the Tiv people.

 

10. The Summit frowned at the lack of federal presence in Benue state as well as the poor appointment of Tiv sons and daughter at the federal level despite massively voting for the governing APC in the last General Elections.

 

The Summit recommended as follows:

 

1. That the Tiv nation should build bridges of collective unity. Our programmes should be Tiv first;

 

2. That the Mdzough-u-Tiv and Tiv leaders should continue to give a leadership direction to development in Tivland;

 

3. That the All Tiv Summit in collaboration with Mdzougu-U-Tiv (MUT), should draw up a clear agenda for Tiv nation in project Nigeria instead aimless pursuit of general interests;

 

4. That the Tiv nation should advocate for true federalism where powers are devolved to states. This way, we will have control of our resources and harness them for sustainable development of our land;

 

5. That the Tivland should strive towards mechanised agriculture. Development efforts should also be geared towards establishment of agro-based industries instead of placing emphasis on crops and livestocks;

 

6. That the Tiv nation should place more emphasis on Science and Technology education and that the youth should strive to acquire education and employment before marriage.

 

7. That the Tiv Traditional Council should wade into discouraging the current scattered settlement patterns. Better settlement patterns will pave way for enhanced development;

 

 

8. That Religion, Politics and Culture in Tivland should be re-alligned to eliminate conflict in Tivland.

 

9. That vigilantes should be formed to compliment security efforts of the state in Tivland

 

10. That cooperative societies should be formed to boost economic initiatives in Tivland including increasing cash crop production

 

11. That the  youths in Tivland should be empowered with economic and vital skills.  It called for empowerment of women and youth in Tivland for the advancement of society.

 

12. That the traditional institution should be strengthened to have capacity to exert its influence on the citizens through a reward and punishment system. In this regard, the Tiv Traditional Council (TTC) should establish a conflict resolution mechanism and the convocation of Ijir tamen by the Tor Tiv to deal with political tensions, in the process to the 2019 elections

 

13. That Agricultural productivity should be promoted by all stakeholders in Tivland including the full utilization of the Benue River Basins and the revitalisation of Ikyogen cattle ranch

 

14. That the Anti-grazing law in Benue state should be implemented and that the  Tiv nation should support the implementation of the law against open grazing and constitute vigilante groups to man our porous borders;

 

15. That the economic base of the Tiv should be expanded beyond agriculture to other areas including industries, commerce and services

 

16. That Traditional institutions should work towards protecting Tiv interests in terms of security and the economy

 

17. That Communities should have community watchers at the village, district, LGAs and at Central level of Tor Tiv and President-General. There should be leaders at all levels who respond appropriately through the chain of command from the village through to the central level depending on the nature of security challenge

 

18. That the Tiv Nation supports restructuring along the lines of true federalism where more powers are devolved to the States;

 

19. That True Federalism is the panacea to bring out the true identity of the Tiv man in Nigeria as a great citizen out to fully realise his potentials;

 

 

20. That to correct the leadership question, there is the need to constitute an elders committee that would choose its chairman and advise the Tor Tiv and ensure that leaders in Tivland evolve naturally.  Similarly, there is the need for a compendium of professionals who should be consulted on issues affecting their areas;

 

21. That the steady build-up of political tension in Tivland ahead of the 2019 elections portends serious danger and so political leaders must desist from conducts capable of causing crises just as it called on the Tor Tiv to mete adequate sanctions on defaulters. The summit also appealed to politicians in Tivland to desist from using the youth as thugs to fight their political battles.

 

22. That Tiv sons and daughters should embrace entrepreneurship as a contemporary pathway to prosperity with government acting as a catalyst.

 

ENGR. BENJAMIN NYIOR                         MR. ITIZA UKPI

Chairman                                                         Chairman

Ontiv Professionals Association, Abuja         Summit Planning Committee