By Hassan Zaggi
Tiv Youth Organisation (TYO), Worldwide, has appealed for more slots to its members at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA).
It has, however, expressed concern over the way its members have been deliberately refused admission into the prestigious defence academy over the years.
At a world press conference in Abuja, yesterday, TYO President-General, Andy Anzah, called on the Commandant Major General JO Ochai to take necessary actions in order to rectify what it described as the gross marginalization of the Tivs and ensure a fair representation of the true essence of federal character moving forward.
The TYO also condemned the call by the Coalition of Idoma Professionals in Benue for the removal of the current SGF, Senator George Akume.
It described the call as a misplaced priority and unnecessary display of anger directed at the wrong person, noting that the events in question are unrelated to Senator Akume or his role in office.
Comrade Anzah said: “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 in reserve, while the Idomas with nine LGs got 10 slots.
“The recent one is the admission into the 75 Regular Combatant Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy, 2023, where the Idoma generals and their political collaborators have made it a duty to deprive Tiv youths of 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 has three slots, while the Idoma got 10.
“At various levels, this has been happening for years. It will only grow worse now that their son is in charge of the military academy.
“While we do not demand the dismissal of Maj.-Gen. JO Ochai, we do ask him to address the unfairness in the admission of Tiv kids to that school in order to represent the genuine spirit of federal character.”
Anzah disclosed that, “When Abba Moro was the Minister of Interior under former President Goodluck Jonathan, he superintended over massive recruitment of Idoma youths in the paramilitary with impunity to the detriment of the Tiv job applicants. Yet no one said anything.”
He noted it is necessary to address the general public in order to clarify the false impression created by the Idoma group in an effort to sow enmity between the Tiv and the Idoma people,
Anzah further stressed that the call by the Idoma Professionals is covered with divisive tendencies and ethnic chauvinism and an attempt to sow discord among brothers and sisters from the same state.
He disclosed that the cause of anger of the Idoma group is the selection of Prof. Joseph Utsev as ministerial nominee and also the appointment of Sen. Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The TYO President, therefore, charged the Idoma group to quit criticizing the nomination of a Tiv man as SGF, and instead place the responsibility on the President and not Sen. Akume.
He emphasized that Sen. Akume did not appoint himself as SGF; rather, the SGF is a position that is appointed by the country’s President.
The Tiv organization also urged the Idoma group to handle important things with decorum rather than resorting to causing commotion by planting the seeds of conflict in the state. This, he insisted, will retard the needed development of Benue State.
