WELCOME ADDRESS BY EDITOR IN CHIEF OF KSN, MR. IORLIAM’ AMO SHIJA ON THE OCCASSION OF THE 2011 CHILDREN’S DAY FIESTA. VENUE: ADIKPO COMPREHENSIVE COLLEGE ADIKPO. DATE: 27TH MAY 2011.

Salutation,

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the grand finale of the 2011 Children’s Day Fiesta. I appreciate the fact that  you at this event. As we are all aware, Children’s Day is a day designed  for the society to look at the general issues affecting the child. When we grew up in the late 80s and early 90s around this environment, Children’s Days were coordinated by the government and glamorously celebrated.

In those days, students of various schools were brought together and engaged in activities that would expose them to new education challenges and friends; also, their potentials were shown to the public glare, but government’s insensitive to these celebrations in recent times have affected  the joy and beauty that used to accompany the event. It is on this basis that Kwande Source News decided to reactivate the celebrations, expecting to re ignite the feelings that went with Children’s Day in the past.

We started this venture in 2009. In the Maiden edition, we engaged secondary schools in Debate, Quiz and Essay competitions. In last year’s edition, in addition to the above, we added Football and Spelling Competitions; the latter for the Nursery and Primary schools specifically. In line with our desire to explore every possible angles, 2011 edition was designed for only Nursery and primary schools and the three  events of the year are Football, Drama and Spelling Competitions.

We can’t claim organising an event of this magnitude has been easy because Kwande Source News is just 3 years in practice. But we feel it our collective responsibility to the children that should not be ignored. That is why we have been daring against all odds. Basically, I want to express that this is one of the reasons upon which Kwande Source News was established.

I will like to use this opportunity to say a word briefly on our genre of journalism, community media practice because so many people want us to expand and become what they call a BIGGER PAPER. Community journalism encourages journalists to address the basic values and principles of traditional journalism in light of democratisation, social change, and community empowerment initiatives. As such, community journalism is an extension, a maturing, of development communication efforts that began many decades ago to help nations grow and to assist in the rapid increase in the productivity of their IMMEDIATE society

Daniel Lerner (1958) found evidence that societies can change through the apparent influence of mass communication. Schramm (1964) further advocated the use of media because they had the ability to enhance development and social change. Citing three great communication tasks–as watchmen, as participants in the decision process, and as teachers–he said the media were able to: broaden horizons, focus attention and raise aspirations, create a climate for development, help change attitudes or valued practices, feed interpersonal channels, confer status, enforce social norms, and help form tastes .

The belief that radio, television, and newspapers could be used by the central government of a country to help build a nation is not only very important but also a misunderstood concept. Governments in developing countries interprete this to mean that they could take control of the media and that they would use their authority to tell the media what is important to tell the people. This top-down approach disenfranchises the people and the media. As a result, growth or change is temporary or non-existent in a centrally controlled media.

Nation building, through development communication, occurs as the result of people, not of government. No matter how much the government tells the media to develop people, if people don't want to develop, they don't–and nations don't develop. This is where the theory and the practice of development communication collide. The  Media are often used to support a government agenda instead of being used to create cooperative ventures, to support the people's agenda, or to integrate efforts into developing a community identity.

Improvements in literacy, health, poverty, education, religious thoughts and political awareness are all elements of nation building, of people building. While governments of developing countries acknowledge that these issues are important, it is probably the government’s heavy-handed control that  has caused the lack of media support of initiatives in developmental communication .

 But UNESCO, in their report on the New World Information and Communications Order (NWICO) about democratisation of the media indicate, that it is a matter of human rights, the right to communicate is an extension of the advances toward liberty and democracy. "Extension of these communication freedoms to a broader individual and collective right to communicate is an evolving principle in the democratization process" (UNESCO 215). Democratizing the media cannot be simply additional facilities. It means broader access to the media by the general public, "the free interchange of ideas, information and experience among equals, without dominance or discrimination" (UNESCO 216).

When the media is democratised, it serves the people and people then use the media to obtain the information they are interested in so that they can improve their daily lives and their community. In order for that to happen, the people must participate in determining the focus of the media. There is not necessarily a hierarchy in this process. Journalists are not above the people in this regard. They are servants to, or partners with, the people of the community. All people are considered equal and central to the purpose of the media. Community journalism is a process. It emphasises the important connection between the people of communities and their media. Community journalism encourages journalists to address the basic values and principles of traditional journalism in light of new democratisation, social change, and community empowerment initiatives.

 From research, Community journalism can be described using a simple three-phase process. These phases include: consciousness raising, working through the issue with the community, and issue resolution. While the resolution phase may sound like a final stage, it is just the beginning of actually solving problems and getting the community involved in solving their own challenges.

In the consciousness-raising phase, the journalist finds out what issues are of concern in the community. To do that, the journalist must become part of the community. The journalist connects to the citizenry, not just opinion leaders in the community. They need to learn: what the people think is going on in their community; what the people would like to know more about; and, how the citizens think they can make a difference and improve their lives.

In the second phase of working through issues, people have now identified–for the journalist–the issues. This can be thought of as a ‘community agenda’. The citizens have given their input to the media and enlightened them on what is important in their community. From these issues, the journalist can begin to construct news stories that highlight the peoples' point of view of what is happening, or perhaps hold meetings to find out what the community would like to know more about, how they would like to see issues addressed, collect ideas, discuss ideas, bring government into the discussions, and see how they fit into the picture. This activity leads to the third phase of civic/community journalism: resolution.

Because community journalism is a process, the resolution phase leads back to the beginning of the process. In the resolution phase, news stories and projects may be completed. This may result in a resolution to the issue originally identified by the community. But other issues may have come to the surface during the reporter's work with the community. It is at this time that these new issues are taken back to the first phase and again worked through the process. The media provide a forum–where the public knows they are the centre–for the citizens to solve their community’s challenges.

So we want to state here that Kwande Source News is your paper. We need your support to continue and actualize these lofty ideas. It is on this basis that we thank our supporters, those who have been helping our paper and especially those who gave us the financial assistance to hold this event. To share in this appreciation is TYOOR USAR, Tivlumun Ako Dzungwe who has assisted us and provided generously for this occasion. We welcome the pupils, parents and teachers; we wish YOU all a happy Children’s Day.

Thank you.

UNONGO SPEAKS

Not afraid of being sanctioned by his party, Second Republic Minister of Steel, Wantaregh Paul Unongo, told newsmen in Makurdi, Benue State capital, that although he was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) won the recent governorship election in the state. The elder statesman also blamed his party for the killing of some youths in the state. He speaks on these and other national issues. Excerpts…

You have been quiet for some time. Why are you breaking your silence?
Today, you have come. I hope I won’t disappoint you. What I will do is to tell you why I am relevant in Nigeria and will remain relevant till you people put me in the ground. So, I make comments that allow discussions in the process and also I allow people to ask me my views about what I think. I am only 75 years young. I think that is a good age. I think I have participated in every single thing in Nigeria and I think I have contributed very creditably in the evolution of Nigeria and the Nigerian political system.

I am competent, eminently competent to make statements on its growth and problems and what is happening in it. Many things have happened in this country of late and I always refused to give press conferences because, when people come to me for abrupt press conferences as if I want publicity, I think I have had enough publicity when I was out there with you. But I just want those who are interested in knowing about me and how I am feeling. In fact, I was very happy when I heard you were coming to the village.

I thought you would see what I am doing. I am not one of those retired. I will retire the day I die. So, I am strongly active, enjoying what I am doing in my village. I make relevant questions available to friends and they make relevant questions available to me and I answer them. I thank you very much for giving me the honour of coming to my house for this interactive session.

What is your take on the current development in the political landscape of PDP, the party you belong?
Considering things that have happened in Nigeria, I want to let my views known because I have refused to be in the background by attaching myself to a political party. By wanting to be in the background, I shouldn’t have attached myself to a political party. Those of you who know my history, you knew why I came to attach myself to a political party, the ‘dominant’ party or the party in power, PDP. At the creation of PDP, I believe my brain created it and I registered it also with the then INEC. I was the first to bring that thing about.

Then my younger brothers made some games and tricks that affected the ideological orientation of the very PDP I formed; contradictory to the behaviour of my kids, who came and took the PDP and made it a different thing, so I withdrew from it and didn’t go to court. I went and collected my money from INEC and they took their PDP and made it something that had nothing to do today with liberal democracy. I think based on social democracy since we have been crying for a long time that Nigerian political system did not have an ideological orientation. So, I wanted to make that contribution by starting a political party that would have an ideological orientation that can accommodate liberal and social democrats.

Why didn’t you correct the ills in the PDP rather than leaving the house you built?
I was quite prepared to entertain modalities of moving the people along the line of manifestos we gave. What is the thing you choose, are you going to be leftist? Are you going to the left or to the right, or centre? Some people would be in the centre or the left, some would be left and some would be absolute left.

So, I discovered that after this thing was split up and the PDP came, it was nothing that we wanted to bring dispute into the Nigerian political practice. So, I went away and remained in approximation of what was, what we had for the people, the NPP metamorphosed through a lot of things to become ANPP. And back home, which is where you are, the schisms and the practice polarized politics to such an extent that a lot of killing could take place. We insisted we would be different and we became like the official and opposition party, and the big parties that were in power didn’t like it.

Every time we did an election from the point of view of people watching and seeing the behaviour of the electorate, who are the repository of power, I notices there was resentment with people that came into power both in Nigeria and in the states, they actually assumed sovereignty over the people.

So, I feel I am rejected in that at every election we ended up short-changed. We won, they announced somebody else, and then they started the practice of killing and they killed a lot of people. I was at the centre because I took the simplest way I could handle, but my people love me so much. When I won elections and they were taken from me, the people got so angry that they didn’t want to let them go. And, of course, the big people that were running government started getting frightened about my ideas and they were very worried that if I came into power, they believed I was going to pack everybody and send them to jail, especially those who were stealing money, and that I would not allow them to steal. So, they fought and killed people in my local government, Kwande.

In that election, the government in power wanted every thing from every local government and so on, and then they wanted to humiliate everybody, they went there and humiliated them. But they were not satisfied because they couldn’t win even a councillorship seat in Kwande. So, they held Kwande people and me responsible and there was a lot of massacre as they raided Kwande. Of course, the Federal Government and the federal troops assisted them and they murdered 1,500 people in my local government just for me.

With all these atrocities committed against your people by the PDP government, why did you still choose not to decamp?
I felt the time had arrived to stop the killings, if indeed the philosophy and assumption is that I love my people and I wanted to serve them. Persistently, in 1983, I won elections, but was not allowed, in 2003 I won election landslide. I am so happy the current governor confirmed that to me and actually volunteered the information. He was the one that actually successfully did the mago mago business for them to be able to tell the people that they won the election, but told me I won. Of course, the boys that did the election also told me.

So, after the 2004 massacre, I turned back and told people in public that I was sick and don’t want to be governor of dead people. I didn’t want to rule dead people. So, I said I would stop. People told me I shouldn’t stop, that what would benefit our people in Benue would be to forget my pride and join PDP. So, I made it public, it took me sometime, about four years, I made a public declaration at a public square after a lot of consultations with my people and they gave me conditions. To leave, our party would literally be killed because ANPP was killing it by going into the PDP fellowship. I had very serious discussions with the then Obasanjo government, who assured me that there would be no more killing, so I joined the PDP.

The principal reason I gave at the public arena was that I wanted peace, I wanted the Tiv people to know that politics in Nigeria is not played the way they play politics, and that I had studied the politics of Nigeria and what we were doing was going to pull us back. And the likes of Obasanjo and then Yar’Adua were so happy that their problem in Benue was over now that the only opposition man had made up his mind to work for peace.

Would you say Obasanjo and his group fooled you?
I didn’t understand them, but I laughed and came back hoping there would be no more killings of our people. I want to repeat, I didn’t leave ANPP because somebody gave me money. Please, it has been for a long time, do all the investigations you want, I left ANPP because my people said the reasons I gave them, the primitive politics we were playing, were killing my people whom I wanted to serve. That is why they said wherever I went they would go with me. So, we all moved into PDP, which we did not recognise again. It was not the original PDP that I formed. It had no form; no ideology. Perhaps, the only ideology it had, something that bound the big men in it together, was the possibility of sharing money, and they were always doing that.

Any regrets joining the Governor Suswam-led PDP in Benue?
Yes, when everybody assured me that if I went into PDP they would stop killing my people, they would stop killing young men and cutting their lives short, they would have dialogue, and do good elections. I participated in writing all the constitutions being used in this country today. And I know I presented papers, I presented two major papers on electoral reforms in which I advocated strongly for the introduction of electronic voting system, which I said was the only thing that would stop the killing of my people. I don’t know what happened everywhere, but in my place, the only thing that would stop killing my people, which is the basis for which I continue in politics with the “biggest party” in Africa, as they always say, was free and fair election. I thought God would help us to have an electoral reform that would produce an election that is within the limits of man’s capacity and almost fair, devoid of mass thumb-printing, snatching of ballot boxes and stuffing.

Now, I had the shock of my life, I told myself that I had withdrawn from all elections and I remember how they talked to me and the things they promised me, they said be there as our father. If we do something you think is wrong, you should let us know. And, of course, that ought to be my role at 75. And I have done so and I noticed that young men don’t like old men that would look them in the face and tell them this thing you are doing is wrong. So, people try to relegate me to the background.

I want you to remember that I am still in PDP, I am not an ACN member, but I will tell my party, in this and that cases you are wrong. This funny empty-headed people that hang around those in authority would say, you cannot insult “tuhwa” governor like that. Is that “tuhwa”, you Tiv people? If you are talking to a younger person you are infinitely better qualified than him, and you’ve done this all your life for over 40 years, and the young man is 40, are they crazy?

They expect me to be afraid of saying something because somebody will not give me food?
All these funny things I see in papers that they are removing you as chairman of this, chairman of that, how do you remove me from being 75, if you are not mad? How do you remove me from being the father of politics in Benue, if you are not mad? How do you stop me from being the leader in my village called Kwande? Then you say you want to disgrace and humiliate me, you go and bring nonentities and say here is money, go and give people let them not vote for him. We will show people that he doesn’t have control in his village.

I didn’t go out. You don’t do it with me in Kwande. You can’t do it because I have been there with them for over 50 years and they have not been taken money from anybody, yet they are living. Small kids come here with their big loud speakers and make noise. They say this one is the killer of people, that one is a beater of people, this one is this and that and they ride big cars and go and say, don’t worry Suswam, we are going to deliver this place to you. So, to deliver, you have to kill?

How do you react to the recent killing of former Benue State council Chairman of the NUJ and Media Assistant to ACN governorship candidate, Charles Ayede?
We have entered a very dangerous era, the media should please, help us. If they give you money, take it and spend it, but please, print the truth about Benue. Our people have suffered to a level that some of us will not allow small children God had entrusted us with the responsibility of being leaders in government to them weapons to kill our people. They invited me to join PDP saying that killing would stop. I want you to tell me why you brought me to this part of the world again and lie to me that you are going to stop killing. What is this? I want to know, since you came to my house, I am not looking for publicity; I am not looking for anything. Tell me young man, this is the country we fought for and went to jail for you to come and look after me in my old age, this is barbaric destruction of human life, this horrible murder perpetrated in the name of politics.

We are the people who died, we are the people who went to jail, and we said we have children; we will take everything so that our children will be safe. What is this? What is this murderous thing that people want? Jesus! Is this what I went to jail for? So that you small boys would come and kill yourselves and other decent people, for what? Kill my son, Steve Davis Ugbah, for what? What is this? You wanted to be governor, the people allowed you, you asked to be a member of the Federal House, I allowed you, and they allowed you. I was with my political party, but I assisted you. You were there for eight years, God lifted and brought you to be governor for four years.

For God’s sake, if the electorate of Benue freely, and they are the sovereign people of Benue in whose laps God’s power is deposited, they are the repository of God’s own power on earth, and they say they want to change the government, what is the killing? What are these murders? Young men just going about town being seized and given thorough beating, this one, it was in front of my house in Gboko, he calls himself Crucial, these are your modern names; if you don’t like him calling himself Crucial, call him Abua. Do you have to kill him because he is not in your political party? And I say this kind of behaviour is not good. Could this society survive with the type of pictures you people are seeing, can we bless you?

Talking about political crisis or violence, whichever you choose, what’s your comment on the role of the traditional institution in Benue State?
That stupid boy called Alfred Torkula, Tor Tiv says he is the one who curses people. Is this the type of curse he has been bringing upon us? Can he curse? I can curse. Can he talk and refuse this type of carnage? Even the Hausa people that pretend, those of them that pretend to be radical Muslims, when their stupid man loses an election, they kill only Christians and burn churches. Benue people, what are you that you kill your own? They kill you up there. The ones that escape and come here, you kill them, for what? Who likes you?

That boy has a wife, that boy has children. How can you kill a human being like that and then get around and threaten old men like me, my God! As long as the Lord lives, I will not do that, this is a cry, crying out for help and I am praying not to have vengeance, but for justice; may the people who won the election, God Almighty, may He return your mandate ACN. We can’t continue like this. This is not what I fought for. This is not what I went to jail for and nobody has the power to stop you from eating. Stop abusing yourself, stop abusing your God, stand up for your right for God’s sake.

As a statesman, what efforts have you made to address this rather worrisome situation beyond the political boundaries of Benue?
If Nigeria is watching what is happening in Benue as a joke, I called Obasanjo and I want to be quoted. I called Obasanjo three days to the election and I said arrange for you, Jonathan Goodluck and me to talk; there is a change in Benue, and if we try to suppress that change we shall have a security problem. I teach intelligence at the university.
I had the opportunity under Babangida to create what was called the security apparatus of this country. So, I know what I am talking about. And I said we need this meeting before this election. I want to expose to you what we PDP are going to do that would destabilize Nigeria, because if there is destabilization, serious ones from among the Tiv of Benue, Nigeria will shake, and we kept giving ourselves appointments three times, we didn’t make the appointments.
And when this thing started. I said please, we must meet. Two days ago, I called Obasanjo, I said you are PDP’s Chairman of Board of Trustees, I told you that something is wrong in Benue.

Let us discuss and stop this thing about your daughter who stood elections for Senate, it’s not war, ACN beat her. You told me you were going to let them have it; you were president four times for God’s sake. Why would such small young men in my state, because they have tasted power and money, the sovereign people of Benue State have decided they are going to change their own leaders, why should you stop them? And when they were stopped, they called him a winner; they call them winners, why are they killing people in this bogus way? Why? I am a card-carrying member of PDP. Is Tor Tiv, Alfred Torkula, a card-carrying member of the PDP? It is because of his encouragements that these boys have gone mad.

But he is your paramount ruler, isn’t it?
I will never call him Tor Tiv again, he was made Tor Tiv in my village, the Unongo village, and I know what happened, which is why I am not going to call him Tor Tiv again. Where was he when they were butchering this boy, and why must it be Kwande always? This thing cannot be tolerated. This thing will not be accepted. This thing will not be allowed to repeat itself except the powers that be in Nigeria don’t care what we Benue people do to ourselves. If that is the case, I will be one of the people and you better quote me, I will be one of the people that would go round and tell my people to defend ourselves.

What is your reaction to the results of the general election declared by INEC?
ACN won the election; they won it. I am in PDP, we lost it, and it’s not a matter of life and death. Those who are killing people don’t represent all of us in PDP. They don’t represent the President and I know they don’t represent even the soldier.

What is the way forward?
I think the case has been made for ACN. I told ACN members that were making noise, rushing around my house and telling me they have won the election and so on. Before they started, I said well, you don’t know what we in PDP will do. I said you go ahead and win your election, we shall seize what we shall, go and announce ourselves, and they were laughing at me.

WE ARE STILL ON STRIKE-KWANDE STAFF

Kwande Local Government staff who spoke to KSN have revealed that unlike recent announcement from certain quarters that they should return to work from their two months old strike or face sanctions, they are still on strike.

Although they confirm that skeletal services are ongoing but, the strike action will only be rested after all their salary arrears are updated. “for now, we are owed only two months. we thank the bureau of local government and chieftaincy Affairs that since march, has been coming to pay our salaries, and their intervention efforts which has closed up the 6 months arreas that we were owed on the onset of this action” one of the staff told KSN.

Meanwhile, the entire congress of Kwande Local Government Staff have revealed that the NULGE leadearship has betrayed them by conniving with the authorities to worsen their conditions

Among other things, the said than to make sure that their woes are addressed, their leadership been hiding away fearfully. “even when they could not call for a strike they have been against our strike and tried to scutle our efforts, but see what we have achieved by this action” one man told me.

They have accused the leadership for refusing to  pass across their demands to the respective  authorities “When we needed them must, they were no  where to be found” one stated.

The Chairman of Kwande NULGE could not be accessed for his views, but a member of the union leadership who wishes to remain anonymous  said “it is wrong to accuse us of betrayal judging from the condition we are operating  in. We expected patience from our colleagues because strike actions, are good but more effective after dialogue have failed”

The Acting Chairman of Kwande, Hon. Terlumun Akputu Could not be reached for his views . His telephone lines  too were replied “Switch off”.

Council polls: conspiracy mounts against Ikyurav-ya

There is a grand conspiracy among stake holders in Turan, Nanev and Shange-Ya not to concede the chairmanship election to Ikyurav-Ya again, KSN has learnt.  This is not unconnected with how the latter voted in the just concluded general polls

While the whole of Kwande Local Government was voting for Action Congress of Nigerian (ACN) Ikyurav-Ya voted massively for People Democratic Party (PDP). In all the elections; National Assembly, Presidential and gubernatorial polls, in Kwande, PDP got their highest votes from Ikyurav-Ya. So the architects  of this conspiracy are harping on this. They are arguing that since Ikyurav-ya have decided to go against the collective interest of Kwande people, they have to be punished.

Speaking to KSN, a tough Kwande politicians who does not want his name in print noted that, what the people of Ikyurav-Ya have done is not only  thoughtless but it has revealed how they viewed Kwande unity, “What I know is Ikyurav-Ya people have exposed that they are not only thoughtless, but sectional and do not have sound political strategist” He said.

In his arguments, he further stated that, “lets wait and see what the PDP will do for them, if Governor Suswam can give them commissioner slot that is ok, but in the over all Kwande Picture, especially as partisans to the Chairmanship of Kwande which they hope to win….. They will need a rethink , for we are likely not to give them”

In his reasoning, a powerful Shangev-Ya politician who wishes to remain anonymous revealed that, “There is not way Ikyurav-Ya will get that slot. They have betrayed us. It is better Nanev holds it or Turan”

Turan people who voted for ACN and still have chairmanship ambitions, but there is indication that Hon. Hemen Boko who recently decamped form ANPP to ACN will be considered from Nanev to represent Hon. Terlumun Akputu.

Yet another group of politicians are beginning to argue that if Comrade Jumpa Emmanuel, 1^st vice chairman of NLC, Benue State comes up, only and on ACN platform, he would be considered. “Yes, Comrade Emmanuel Jumpa is a good candidate on any political party. Even it he comes up in PDP, he will get a lot of Supporters because he is a social mobilizer and vested man” one of these ruled in an interview  to KSN. Meanwhile Hon. Stephen Hinda has called On Comrade Emmanuel Jumpa to Stand up and declare his interest to contest. “People will reconsider their rigid anti-Ikyurav sentiments if somebody like Jumba comes on board. it is my wish, there fore to call on him to make a final decision that will put to rest this issues,” he noted to KSN.

“It takes positive minds to see surmountable difficulty where others see impossibility and if calls for a man of vision, transparent accountability peace and development to come into power to dare all odds and face difficult times and bring abundant riches to his people, thereby creating a new vista for others to follow”. Hon Hindan started.

“So irrespective of the behaviour of Ikurav to Kwande politics, I believe Jumpa is capable of turning the Tide. Therefore, I am calling for all to  support him. I want us to rally round and nominate him in our great party, ACN”. He said.  “More so, elders in ACN should cooperate to look for people that would help Kwande and not selfish people as PDP has brought in the past administration”, he said.

He also teamed people of Shangev Ya for their large turn  up to vote for ACN in the April polls.

WHERE WILL THE TER-KWANDE COME FROM: USAR OR NANEV?

Tor Tiv HRH, Orchivirigh Dr. Alfred Akawe Torkula made a very “confusing” utterance during the burial of HRH James Ityowua Adzape, Ter Kwande which has made me to wonder. I suppose I would not have been so confuse if I carried out that research with Akpera Success about the history of Usar. The research was stalled partly by our laxity    and the death of Joseph Wayo Ubwa, former Tyoor Usar, who had promised to sponsor the study-One of the research questions we outlined was to lay bare the question of “ARE USAR NANEV?”

        For now when the above question is posed; some say “Yes” others say “No” others say “Usar is wanter U Nanev” other say Usar is “Wan kwase”; I am not disputing any of these views because I have not done any serious study to challenge any biases on Usar-my concern here is principally why Tor Tiv of all people would differentiate Usar from Nanev. Is he saying Usar are not Nanev after all?

        Most political studies suggest Kwande is divided into Zone A and B. Zone A is made up of Nanev and Shangev-Ya while Zone B is made up Turan and Ikyurav. This is what will know! Turan has 5 council wards: these are; Mbadura, Mbakyor, Yaav, Moon and Kumakwagh. Ikyurav has Menev, Liev I and 2.  That is the political picture of the people called Zone B.

        In Zone A; are Shangev with 3 council wards; Mbaketsa, Tondov 1 and 2; Nanev where will wish to focus has 3 or 4 Wards; Mbayoo, Mbagba/Mbaikyan, Usar and may be Township? Mbayoo Mbagba/Mbaikyan and Usar have three district heads the incumbents are; Mbayoo-Tyoor D.I Chula, Mbagba/Mbakyan –Tyoor Akile Jukul, Usar- Tyoor Tivlumun Ako Dzungwe.

        On this background, could we be right to conclude that the Tor Tiv was saying, Mbayoo and Mbagba/ kyan are Nanev and Usar is Usar? Moreso,  Tyoor D.I Chula defeated Wayo Ubwa, or as an Elder told me, Ako Dzungwe Shande had compelled on him to leave the Tyoor Mbayoorship to Tyoor Chula because it would have tied Usar to Nanev forever? (Note that then it was Usar/Mbayoo) That Shande promised to create a district for Usar soonest. He did that in 1992, and late Beagh Yawe was the first Tyoor of Usar.

        This issue would not have generated this confusion if  Tor Tiv did not raise it .Let me clear another air here. The Tortiv was represented by Ter Kyor, HRH Jam Gbinde. It was him who is reported to have made that statement…..He noted that “……..as we all know, selection of the next Ter Kwande will be based on the conception of Ya na Angbian,  AS THE LAST TER WAS FROM THE OTHER ZONE, comprising of Turan and Ikyurav, the next TER KWANDE will come from USAR and Nanev…..”. Does it mean the Tiv Traditional Council see Usar as a distinct entity from Nanev? If this is concluded so, it will have a deeper implication, especially as pertains the question of who becomes the next Ter Kwande.

        Shija I. etal in “The triumph of principles……” noted that, “When Gom Gire died on 11^th October, 1993, the post of Ter Kwande once again became vacant. But before a new Ter would emerge, the Tyoor of Mbayoor Donatus Iorsaer Chula was chosen as the Acting Ter Kwande…………” P35.  Does it mean then that Nanev have had their turn already? So Usar is the only one left from THE USAR/NANEV combination? Athough there are some people who argue that, as WANTER or WANKWASE, Usar can not or should be giving that opportunity….

        There are a lot of questions on ground, But I see these congent issues before the king Makers…

Usar

From every point, Usar are marginalized- would they then capitalize on this technical lapse to spring a surprise- would they argue that since Nanev (Mbayoo/Mbagba/kyan) has tested in an Acting capacity they are obviously the ones most qualified between Nanev and Usar?

Mbayoor

Experience is their strong word-we have a son who has acted Already; more so, he used to represent the Ter Kwande so why not give it to us? Funnily, this is what Usar might be calling and advantage on their part. 

  Mbagba/Mbakyaan

Seniority-Mbakyaan is said to be the eldest son of Nanev. So, it is not better to give this the eldest son?Although the Tor Tiv’s utterance will count  against them if Usar harp on it.

From every angle one looks at these arguments, they appear confusing. But I advise the King makers that when they reach a stalemate on the arguments of where the Ter will come from, the focus should be shifted to the character and integrity of those who have presented themselves for the exalted position – they should seek to know their antecedents.