2023 PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the Tiv people as a nation whose heritage is anchored on courage, dignity, industry, and an unyielding commitment to justice, unity, and communal harmony.
The former Vice President, who identified with Tiv nation during the Tiv Day celebration in Gboko on Saturday said: “Tiv Day is therefore far more than a cultural festival.
“It is a powerful reaffirmation of identity, a declaration of pride, and a renewal of the timeless values that have guided generations of Tiv sons and daughters through adversity and triumph alike.
“I salute His Royal Majesty, the Tor Tiv, for his principled leadership and unwavering commitment to peace, cultural preservation, and the dignity of the Tiv people”.
Atiku , who is also a holder of one of the highest traditional titles in Tiv nation, “The Zege Mule u Tiv”, said, “it is with profound honour and a deep sense of responsibility that I extend my warmest felicitations to the Tiv Nation as you commemorate Tiv Day 2025 and confer well-deserved chieftaincy titles on distinguished sons and daughters of the land”.
The former Vice President reiterated that, “even in celebration, we must not avert our gaze from painful realities”.
Atiku also lamented that the senseless and unprovoked attacks on Tiv communities in recent years resulting in the loss of innocent lives and mass displacement are indefensible and must never be normalised.
The former Vice President assured of his solidarity with the Tiv nation and condemned the atrocities and demanded decisive and sustained action to restore security, justice, and trust.
He noted that “criminality must never be allowed to redefine relationships between communities bound by centuries of good neighbourliness and shared humanity. Our diversity is not the threat; impunity is”.
Atiku urged the Tiv nation to remain steadfast in unity, peace, and resilience as it marks Tiv Day 2025.
