By Dansu Peter
BYF President, Terrence Kuanum in a statement said the attention of the Benue Youth Forum, BYF, has been drawn to a statement credited to Retired General Geoffrey Ejiga on behalf of the Benue Rebirth Movement, BRM, over their agitation for an Idoma governor.
Gen. Ejiga while addressing newsmen in Jos, Plateau State a few days ago had sounded militant and with the intent to cause dishormany in the state.
Kuanum said the retired General disclosed that the BRM has barred Idoma sons and daughters from accepting to serve as running mates to Tiv governorship aspirants in all the political parties in 2023.
"The BRM through Gen. Ejiga is quoted to have said, for peace to reign in Benue State, the governorship seat of Benue State must be given to the idomas.
"He went on to say,
"the unjust deprivation of the ldoma people from leadership is bound to create insecurity in the state as very soon the ldoma youths will revolt creating a massive problem for the Tiv governors and the federal government will be called to help."
"As a retired senior military officer, General Ejiga knows the implications of his recent outbursts and the consequences thereof. This is an incitement that the Idoma people should take arms against the Tiv people and by extension, cause an unrest that may be unprecedented in the history of this state because of their agitations for the position of governor of the state.
"As the umbrella youth group in the state, we wish to clearly disassociate the Benue youth from any attempt by anyone or group of persons to create insecurity in the state as a result of their inability to achieve his inordinate political ambition" he added
Kuanum however called on the federal government and security agencies to place General Ejiga and his cohorts on security watch for planning to destabilise the government of Governor Samuel Ortom. We also urge all well-meaning Benue citizens to rise up and resist the activities of the BRM, whose main objective is to destabilize the relative peace been enjoyed by Benue people, through the pain-staking efforts of Governor Ortom, to ensure that every Benue citizen lives in Peace, harmony and love.
"BYF also notes the act of deliberate mischief and distortion of facts by the BRM when it claimed that, "since Benue state was created in 1976 almost half a century ago, the Idoma people of Benue South Senatorial Zone have not been given the opportunity to produce the Governor of the state nor the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Head of Judiciary, Vice Chancellor of Benue State University or Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi."
"The aforementioned positions or offices are either attained by popular or majority votes or seniority in the profession.
"Contrary to claims that an Idoma person has never headed the Judiciary in Benue State, it is on record that on December 15th, 2017,the Benue State House of Assembly confirmed Justice Adam Onum as the Chief Justice of Benue State.
"Former Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon James Okefe even commended Governor Ortom for the confirmation of Justice Onum as the Chief Judge of the judiciary in Benue State and for his fairness to all sections of the state.
"Okefe who commended Governor Ortom’s administration for fairness is an Idoma man.
"Justice Onum, an Idoma man, was eventually sworn-in on December 18th, 2017 and he retired as Chief Judge of Benue State in October 2018.
"It is obvious the BRM is not aware that a Chief Judge of a State is the Head of the Judiciary in that state.
"On the non-appointment of an Idoma son or daughter as Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (now Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University), General Ejiga and his co-travellers should know that the appointment of a Vice Chancellor of a Federal University is not the fault of Tiv people in Benue State, as such appointment squarely rests on the President of Nigeria and not Tiv people or the Benue State governor.
"In case General Ejiga is not aware, the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, where an Idoma man, Professor Innocent Uja is the Vice Chancellor, no tiv man or woman was qualified to be appointed into the management staff of the institution. But at the Benue State University, BSU, Idomas have always been part of the management team.
"It will interest General Ejiga and his allies ri know that out of the the first set of 326 students admitted at the Federal University of Health Sciences, ONLY ONE was a Tiv student.
"At the recently established Federal Polytechnic Wannune, in Tarka Local Government, an Idoma person is part of the management staff, whereas no Tiv person is qualified to be in the management at the Federal College of Education in Apa.
"BRM must have also forgotten that an Idoma man, Dr. Mathias Oyegeya was a two term Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Center Makurdi.
"It is also necessary to remind the BRM that throughout Governor Ortom’s tenure, the Head of Service has remained permanently in Benue South, as all the occupants of the office Iwanta Odaikwu (June 2015-2017), His Royal Highness, Chief Engr George Aboh Ode (2017-2018) and Mrs Veronica Onyeke Onyeke (Sept. 2018 till date). Mrs Onyeke who is also the first female Head of Service in the state are all from Benue South.
"We also use this opportunity to remind the BRM that, the position of Secretary to the State Government, SSG, was given to people of Idoma extraction for over a decade without a protest or blackmail from the Tiv people.
"Perhaps, General Ejiga and the sponsors of the Benue Rebirth Movement, BRM have turned blind eyes to the continued marginalisation of Tiv people in the recruitment into Federal Government Agencies and Parastatals. Or the deliberate placement of Idoma names in Tiv local governments for the recruitment into federal agencies like the Nigerian Defence Academy, the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, Airforce, Navy, DSS, Immigration, Customs, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence etc. How can recruitment from the 9 Idoma speaking local governments be more than that of 14 Tiv speaking areas?
"We invite the BRM to visit Nassarawa State and see how people are marginalized.
"The Tiv people are the single largest ethnic group not just in in Nassarawa South Senatorial District, it the entire Nassarawa State, but the highest position given to them in the history of the state is Commissioner.
"The Tiv people have never resorted to blackmail and intimidation in Nassarawa or even Taraba State where they are the single largest ethnic group.
"As we all know, politics is a game of numbers, he who wants political power must have the number. Where he doesn't have the number, he should be willing to negotiate and not to blackmail or use of force ro intimidate.
"We wish to advice the BRM to learn how to effectively negotiate from the Ijaw people of the Niger Delta. They Ijaw won the Presidency in 2011 despite not having the majority in the country or been amongst the major ethnic groups in Nigeria. BRM should have began negotiations for power by being persuasive to the Tiv people across all strata and not to display arrogance and intimidation against the Tiv and Governor Ortom.
"On the flip side, we call on the BRM to stop the modern day slavery of the Igede nation. The fact that the Igede people belong to the Idoma traditional council doesn't mean they don't exist or shouldn't be recognized as the Tiv people have done to the Etulo and other ethnic groups under the Tiv Traditional Council.
"Once again, we call on well-meaning Benue citizens to rise up and resist the activities of the BRM, whose main objective is to destabilize the relative peace been enjoyed by Benue people, through the pain-staking efforts of Governor Samuel Ortom, to ensure that every Benue citizen lives in Peace, harmony and love.
"Like the saying goes, he comes to equity must come with clean hands.
The BRM did not recognize that they came so arrogantly and demanded to retain the Benue South Senatorial Seat and also blackmail the Tiv people to get the governorship.
"BRM has never seen the Igede people worry of repenting them in the Senate, hence they are looking for the governorship and have also backed the current occupant who is an Idoma man to return to the Senate in 2023.
"This conceptualization was found possible because they had over the years relegated every Benue tribe to the background at the federal level and arrogantly felt that can be achieved within the Benue space.
"We commend Governor Samuel Ortom for standing up as a true leader. The Governor had advised the Benue Rebirth Movement to bring every Benue stakeholder to the table as brothers and sisters and to build trust. This they failed to do.
"And as democrats, we stand solidly behind the position of Governor Samuel Ortom that an Idoma Governor is possible but should ba achieved through a democratic process and not not through and blackmail.
"Gen. Ejiga who is supposed to be a great grandfather and his co-travelers have disappointed the good people of Benue State who have always seen them as statesmen that should bring ideas to develop and move Benue forward. We thought that we could tap from their experience they have gotten through public service on the ticket of Benue. Alas, they have rather chosen to destroy Benue with their selfish and arrogant desire, having not contributed anything to Benue, in spite of the generosity extended to them by our dear state" he said
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