A former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday congratulated the
new Tor Tiv, the monarch of the Tiv people of Benue State, James Ayatse.
Read Mr. Abubakar’s message below:
Your Royal Majesty, Orchivirigh Professor James Ayatse,
Congratulations on your coronation as the new Tor Tiv of the Tiv
Kingdom of Nigeria. This great day will no doubt be inscribed in your
memory and in that of your generations to come, and also in the annals
of Tiv history forever. As a firm believer in our country’s unity in
diversity, all the way from my home in Adamawa State, I celebrate with
you as a fellow citizen of Nigeria. As the holder of the Zege Mule U Tiv
title, the highest traditional title for a non-indigene of the Tiv
kingdom, I also celebrate with you as a stakeholder in the affairs of
Tivland.
Agreed that our various communities have been jolted by needless crisis in recent times, but suffice it to note, however, the bonds of friendship and camaraderie that has long existed between my people and the Tiv. I recall with nostalgia that in late 1945 (at a time of great strife), a year before the coronation of the first ever Tor Tiv, the illustrious late Makir Dzakpe in 1946, a Fulani prince from the Sokoto Caliphate, who incidentally was also known as Atiku Abu’bakr, made entreaties to the Tiv monarch during his coronation. His message of peace, which was read in Tiv, were also accompanied by gifts of two Zebras (an animal striped with the symbolic colours of the Tiv people of black and white), went a long way to end the bloodletting at that time.
Your Royal Majesty, you are stepping into this great role at a very
trying time in the affairs of our great country. The Tiv like so many
other groups in Nigeria are most likely facing monumental challenges and
finding life tougher than we all have in a long time. I, hereby, call
on you to bear this keenly in mind as you begin your journey on the
throne of your forefathers. Your leadership must be felt from Day 1. All
of us stakeholders in the Tiv kingdom are putting our trust in you to
lead your people to progress in every facet of human development. Let
your people know and see that they can look up to you for a breath of
fresh air and for ideas. Let your leadership shine a light at the end of
the dark tunnel.
Your Royal Majesty, the process by which you emerged as leader may
have left a number of bruised egos and bruised relationships. There may
be those with whom you have never seen eye to eye on issues. But, today,
please, bear in mind that your coronation as the Tor Tiv makes you the
traditional leader of the entire Tiv kingdom, of everyone including of
friend and foe. Let peace be your most potent weapon. I urge you to
immediately set about mending fences and building bridges. Without
peace, progress and development become even more difficult if not almost
impossible. As someone from the northeast of Nigeria, a region that is
still recovering from the devastating effects of the Boko Haram
insurgency, I am speaking from sad and bitter experience.
I do not think it is by chance that a man of your advanced
educational qualifications has been chosen by God at this time in the
history of the Tiv kingdom. Your Royal Majesty, you are an academic: a
professor and a former Vice Chancellor of a university. My passion for
education is behind many of my investments in Nigeria. Without
education, I would not have become who I am today and I suspect that the
same is true for you. I call on you to pass on that same passion for
education to every citizen of your Tiv kingdom. Let every parent and
child understand its vital importance. Let every Tiv child be given the
same opportunities that you and I had to expand our minds through formal
education. Let them aspire to be literate, and to improve their world
through knowledge of both the arts and science and technology.
Once again, I congratulate you on this great day. Remember that, even though this coronation is being executed by human beings, you were actually chosen by God, and it is to Him that you owe your primary allegiance. It is to Him that you will justify whatever you make of the special position in which He has placed you.
Once again, I congratulate you on this great day. Remember that, even though this coronation is being executed by human beings, you were actually chosen by God, and it is to Him that you owe your primary allegiance. It is to Him that you will justify whatever you make of the special position in which He has placed you.
May God guide you as you function in this new seat as the Tor Tiv.
May he be your wisdom and strength through what I pray will be a long
and fruitful journey undertaken in good health.
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