The wise learn from their errors and successes of their neighbors. And as they say, we learn from history that we learn nothing from history. Actually, history is his story told by him or by others, written with his actions and published by observers. Errors could be made in the telling of history, but perfection in construct must never be the objective.
Origin and Evolution of Afenifere:
* It was founded in 1951 as the political and cultural wing of the Action Group (AG), under Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s leadership.
* Rooted in Yoruba nationalism and federalism, Afenifere was designed to safeguard Yoruba interests within Nigeria’s political structure.
* After the decline of the AG, it re-emerged in the 1990s during the military regime, especially after the annulment of the 1993 election won by MKO Abiola.
* Afenifere evolved into a non-partisan socio-political pressure group, focused on:
* Regional development
* Constitutional restructuring
* Protection of Yoruba culture and interests
* It has experienced internal divisions (e.g., Afenifere Renewal Group vs. the mainstream Afenifere), but it remains a reference platform for Yoruba identity and political negotiation.
How the Tiv Can Build a Similar or Better Pressure Group:
1. Identity-Based Unification, Not Royal Centralization:
The Tiv people need to emphasize ethnic solidarity through shared language, history, and grievances—like Afenifere did—not through rigid monarchical centralization.
2. Non-Partisan Leadership Council:
The Tiv people must establish a Council of Tiv Elders and Professionals (CTEP) from diverse sectors—law, academia, clergy, youth, diaspora—not just traditional rulers or politicians. It is all too common to see select politicians and Tiv traditional rulers gather at the Tor Tiv Palace in Gboko in the name seeking reconciliation between feuding Tiv politicians or peace in Tiv land. Have such efforts ever succeeded? Of course, they haven’t. You cannot exclude a significant segment of society and ignore the culture of the people and yet achieve success.
3. Clear Ethno-Political Agenda:
This agenda should include advocacy for Tiv regional development, resource allocation, and security with strategic engagement of federal and state actors. Today, although the Tiv nation is replete with highly cerebral, well-learned, and privately successful patriots, they presently lack a coherent or collective voice that can instigate respectful recognition and response by the national government and other nationalities in the Nigerian Federation.
4. Constitutional and Institutional Focus:
The Tiv must push for restructuring, federal equity, and policies that directly address Tiv marginalization or neglect (e.g., land rights, farmer-security conflicts).
5. Media and Youth Mobilization:
The Tivs must use digital platforms, education, and civic programs to raise awareness, especially among Tiv youth, to end cycles of internal violence and manipulation. These should not be tools for individual Tiv politicians to push their private agenda at the expense of the Tiv Commonwealth. We must name and shame such politicians who sow divisions in our midst and seek to exalt themselves above the people. No Tiv person is greater than the whole. This philosophy is rooted in the Tiv culture. For too long, the Tiv people have failed to manage their culture. In their bestseller Change the Culture, Roger Connors and Tom Smith wrote: “Either you will manage your culture, or it will manage you.”
6. Cultural Cohesion Without Royal Absolutism:
The Tiv should celebrate Tiv identity through annual congresses, history projects, arts, and language preservation, not just the court of the Tor Tiv.
On the Creation of the Tor Tiv in 1946:
My consistent observation on the polarizing and weakening tendencies of the Tor Tiv institution is undeniably piercing and historically grounded (I present this in my forthcoming novel). Here is a brief reflection:
* Before 1946, the Tiv had a diffused, democratic leadership system—the Ate u Tyoor (clan councils) where consensus, not absolutism, ruled. This level of Tiv cultural governance has been corrupted in our time.
* The colonial invention of the Tor Tiv was a British strategy to impose centralized rule on a decentralized society for ease of governance—similar to what they did in Northern Nigeria.
* While the Tor Tiv has symbolic and diplomatic importance today, its evolution into a monarchical authority has arguably:
*Weakened clan-based consensus politics, eroding the Tyoor institution.
* Contributed to elite divisions and political cooptation of the traditional institution.
* Failed to resolve intra-Tiv conflicts (e.g., the Nande–Nande killings, post-1999 political thuggery, and elite betrayals).
* Unlike the Yoruba (no single king), the Tiv centralized their ethnic leadership, ironically making the institution more vulnerable to state capture and internal manipulation.
Conclusion
The Tiv nation can regain its strength by reclaiming its pre-colonial democratic ethos, modernizing it into a collective, knowledge-based pressure group, and limiting over-centralized royal authority. A federated approach—akin to Afenifere’s origins—can revive Tiv unity and restore its place in national affairs.
Alert: Watch out for my fictional literary work that comes out SOON. It highlights some of those woes in Tiv land.
© Shilgba
Leonard Karshima Shilgba, PhD (Yokohama)
Professor of Mathematics, Admiralty University of Nigeria (ADUN)
Dean Faculty of Science (ADUN)
Former Pioneering Acting Vice Chancellor/President (ADUN)
Former Pioneering Vice President for Academic Affairs (ADUN)
Former Director of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance (ADUN)
Chairman 9th Governing Board of National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB)
TEL: +234 (0) 9074346000
Websites: www.adu.edu.ng; www.leonardshilgba.com
