BENUE POLITICS: THE MARGINALIZATION OF IDOMA BY THE TIVS, THE NEED FOR PRESIDENT TINUBU TO CREATE APA STATE

 ------Isaiah Adanu

I wish to humbly draw the attention of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,  His Excellency, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu,  to the  obvious, clandestine and  overwhelming political relegation and stigmatization of Idoma people  of Benue South Senatorial district in the scheme of things in Benue state.

My appeal is coming against the  back drop of  harsh treatment my zone C  people are being  subjected to, additionally this move and criticism is coming  on the heels of recent deliberate political   sidelining of Idoma  Nation especially the ministerial position that ought to have come from  Benue state as well as  the wider condemnation that has trailed and greeted  the nomination of Professor Joseph a Tiv man to represent Benue state at the Federal Executive Council at the expense of Idoma and Igede tribes.

It will be recalled that Benue state was created from Benue/Plateau 5 decades ago, out of these years, no Idoma or Igede man has occupied the coveted seat of the chief Executive (Governor) of the state.

Equally worth mentioning, is the fact that the Tivs have kept the Idoma people at bay  and arm's length from the position of Speakership of  the Benue State House of Assembly (BSHA).

Both the Vice Chancellor of the Benue state University and Chairman Benue state Council of Chiefs have become the exclusive preserves of the Tivs whose   penchant for winner  takes all appears legendary.

The position of  Secretary to the State Government which used to be consolation for Zone C has now whimsically  be taken and merged with that of the Tivs- thereby,  making the situation of the  people of Zone C to be like that  of pounded yam or the proverbial tailless  cow who relies on God to chase away its pestering house flies.

The Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM)  led by AVM Monday Morgan three years ago embarked on a diplomatic  shuttle and  drive to both Zone A and B on the need to give Zone C a chance to steer the ship of the state but to no avail a move that met brick wall and stiff resistance from the  Tivs from both zone A and B Senatorial districts.

In the past, slight provocation  and altercation  arising from minor political views  expressed  by Idoma  assembly Members and debate  at the floor of the  Benue State House  of Assembly has seen the Tiv dominated assembly  excising twice  the Idomas from Benue without concomitant  recourse to our political stakeholdership  of the food basket of the nation state.

In the United States of America where Nigeria  claimed to have borrowed its form of democracy and federalism from, the state of  Wyoming with a population of about six hundred thousand enjoys equal right,  privileges and compete favourably with the California state which boast of about 20 million people.

This development in USA is premised and predicated on the fact of economic viability of the former against the later if placed  paru pasu (side  by side).

It is again worrisome that Idoma of Nigeria today  with over 250 Professors second highest  in Nigeria after the Yorubas,  5 Million population spread across  Nigeria  according to the 2006 population census still battles and contends with relegation and high wired marginalization in their own state of Benue.

It is important to note again with pronounced emphasis that  Idomas are capable of holding their own and head high given the quality of human capital, huge deposits of natural resources and God given talents to develop a state of their own, called Apa state.

In the US, states are created based on admistrative conviniences  language and cultural affinity and social contingency rather than demographic yardsticks and barometer as  popularized and celebrated by Nigerian elites.

A peep into the Federal system of America  underscores the bastardization  and commonization of Nigeria Federalism by elites, leaders and handlers.

It is in a bid to guarantee Idoma independence,  secure a virile future for the generations yet  unborn and develop at our pace that I call on the President and commander in chief of  the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in collaboration  with the National Assembly and Senator Jibril Barau led constitution review to open the floodgate of state creation at the early stage of Tinubu's Renewed Hope  administration with a view to creating APA STATE so as to insulate the Idomas from the age long Tiv ochestrated dominance  and marginalization in Benue state.

The question now is,  if states in USA are created based on economic viability why then is the proposed  Apa State different and often premised on population inadequacy as justification by the elites school in Nigeria? a development that has placed our situation in a precarious political  position and our faith hanging in the balance for decades.

Adanu Isaiah,

Political Scientist, 

Youth Activist cum 

Good Governance Advocate

Write  in from Ugbokpo in  Apa LGC Benue state.