Wantaregh Paul Iyorpuu Unongo: A dogged fighter goes home to rest, By SIMON SHANGO
Beginning from Tuesday November 26 – final internment on the November 30th, 2024 in his hometown, Unongo village near Jato Aka, Kwande local government of Benue state, I met Wantaregh Paul Iyorpuu Unongo for the first time in the early 1960s at the annual convention of the Community of Tiv Students, CTS, in Gboko. He was the president of CTS and I was then in my early years in secondary school
Looking back at that time, I can say that the Tiv society or tribe is very young. At 78 now years now , I can testify that I have met every educated Tiv man of that era in school. The first set of Tiv graduates, Mr J. Adom Gande the famous principal and geography master in most government secondary schools in the then northern region, and who is still alive, ,late Apollos Aper Aku the second Republic governor of Benue state and late Ezekiel Aker Akiga , second Republic head of service of Benue state, all graduated between 1964 and 1965 from Furah Bay College, Freetown , Sierra Leone.
Wantaregh Paul Iyorpuu Unongo came in the second set of educated Tiv people but this time at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology Zaria. It is therefore quite surprising that today, the Tiv nation has numerous professors and other experts in all fields of endeavor . I lost touch with Wantaregh until I left secondary school and found him working or reconnected with him while he was working as a social welfare officer at the Social Welfare Department of the Government of Northern Nigeria . His brother in-law , Professor Justin Tseayo was also working at the Social Welfare Office in Kaduna. Both of them later left to pursue higher education abroad; Wantaregh in Canada and Justin Tseayo in the United Kingdom.By this time also, I did not meet Wantaregh until I met again in Lagos ,lecturing at the University of Lagos . I was later to learn that it was J’s Tarka who introduced his young and bright associate, to his cabinet friend in the government of Gowon, Chief Abdul Eke,who was federal commissioner for education , but still operating effectively as the registrar of the university of Lagos ,to secure a teaching job for him at the University … I had gone to Lagos for relieve duties at the New Nigerian office in Ijora.I was later informed that Wantaregh had left the University of Lagos to set up consultancy services, Psycoman Consultants in partnership with his friend Dr George Okon.
By this time he was a close ally of my uncle JS Tarka , When Benue Plateau was created along with other states, of Nigeria , Wantaregh moved from Lagos to set up business in Jos along with his partner Dr George Okon and worked very closely with the then Governor of Benue Plateau Commissioner of Police J D Gomwalk. Wantaregh’s stay in Jos was a very memorable period as it was at that time that his famous booklet “Where Do We Go From Here” was written . This booklet gave rise to the creation of six more divisions as they were called at that time, from the very large Tiv Native Authority.Seemingly, this appeared to have been the beginning of partying of ways between Wantaregh and J S Tarka as both leaders had different views about creation of divisions or local governments in Tivland.
This apparent political and development stand appealed to a lot of Tiv people, especially the elites, and gave rise to the birth of Unongo group as politically opposed to the Tarka group. Wantaregh set up a large business empire in Jos known as JULADACO Company Limited. The company was involved in housing , transportation, education and health services among others. One of its schools, JULADACO High School Kassa Plateau State, produced leaders like Rochas Okorocha who became Senator and I Governor in imo State, Mrs Becky Orpin , a journalist, council Chairman and now a member of the Benue State House of Assembly and numerous others. As a matter of fact, JULADACO operated like a government ,awarding scholarships. One of its recipients include Professor Steve Igba current commissioner of the Revenue Mobilisations, Allocation and Fiscal Commission and a former Chief Accountant with the Benue Cement Company BCC , Mr Jonathan Ichaver, a chartered accountant.
The JULADACO company also operated hotels in Jos ,Katsina Ala, Jato Aka and Gboko. He also had a private security company that was rumoured to be his private army comprising quite a number of battalions. Wantaregh was a philanthropist per excellence, a maker and keeper of friendship and a family man. He has brought up a large family of people ,some of whom I believe he does not know or remembered again in the same manner he brought up his children without discrimination .
He has brought up politicians, entrepreneurs and beaurucrats by lobbying and putting them in positions. His children ,Jude, Pauline,David and Lante have remained obscure in the background after their education overseas . Wantaregh joined politics when the military handed over to a civilian administration in 1979. This time it was very clear that he would not work in the same political party with JS Tarka, so he joined the NPP headed by Alhaji Wazirii Ibrahim and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe
. Paul Unongo and his followers joined the party and he became its national secretary . At the end of elections Paul Unongo became the Minister of Steel in the alliance the NPP formed with the NPN . Although it may appear that Wantaregh did not succeed in getting into an elective office in his political career ,his image looms large both in Benue and throughout Nigeria and beyond .
He will be remembered in Nigeria and abroad as a fierce fighter for justice ,peace and freedom for mankind .I cannot end this tribute without mentioning his childhood wife who happens to be my auntie, Mrs Vicky Averave Unongo who had earlier passed on to God’s eternal glory .She was the immediate younger sister of Professor Justin Tseayo and remained the pillar of the Unongo dynasty .Politics will lose Paul Unongo and I believe more than his loved ones because he brought color, fun and charisma to political campaigns. His family will miss him. Indeed Nigeria will miss him.
May his fighting spirit rest in peace as he goes home to become a greater fighter in the kingdom of God
Chief Simon Shango,MFR