Fact Finding Mission To Benue: Political Wickedness And Poverty: Otukpo’s Only Tar Is David Mark Road
The Oasis Reporters
February 15, 2025
L
Is there any Benue State government development project in Idoma land?
After watching the former Benue State governor on television sleekly answering a reporter on why he could not pay workers in his state their emoluments, I was really unsettled because the holy book says a worker is worthy of his wages.
Former governor Samuel Ortom who is now said to be a pastor was performing a smooth routine in an atmosphere of governors getting away with anything they like. Something in my subconscious said to me that I should investigate the performance. He may have been performing smoothly, but his face looked troubled and sad.
The answer he gave was that he had made arrangements for profitable earnings through internally generated revenue from Benue State which is the food basket of the nation. And unfortunately for him, Fulani herdsmen militia attacked Benue State and after their killings, Benue State farmers abandoned their farms and are now in Internally Displaced People’s Camps (IDP).
He then looked pitiable. This was why his government could not pay wages to workers.
I was unconvinced and therefore made a mental note to check the man’s story.
One day I called up three online friends of mine. One is Tiv. The other is Idoma while the third is Igede.
First, I told the Tiv friend that I wanted to go to Igede land. Can he give me directions?
Yes, he said.
If I were coming from the South West, I should find my way to Otukpo, the political headquarters of the Idoma nation. I’ll have to spend a night there in any available hotel.
By the following morning, I should proceed to Oju Township. From there to any Igede communities that I wished to visit.
Next I called the second friend who is Idoma and asked him to book a hotel room for me. If possible, give me the hotel’s numbers on the phone.
I interviewed him a little bit about Benue State and he cried about political oppression. The Civil Service in Benue is constituted by about 70% Tiv. Idoma land was not developed because they were a minority tribe, compared to the Tiv who take the lion share of everything. They were suffering. But the worst discrimination was being faced by Igede people who are only in two local governments, Obi and Oju.
I called the Tiv friend again to ask how I could transport myself to some Igede villages.
“Take a motorcycle ride to any village you want”. There are no tarred roads in Igede land. All the roads are earth roads. Many of them are hilly.
What? Are there no taxi cabs from the Oju Township or Keke Napep tricycles?
No.
I gasped. Perhaps my gasp offended him. I apologize.
In order to put me in my proper place, he called me back himself with a retort.
Mr. Greg, is there a tarred road leading to your own village?
He sneered.
I laughed heartily before answering.
I’m from Delta State of Nigeria. I needed to give him a little lecture.
We elected James Ibori as governor in 1999 and he served for 8 years.
Within that period, he tarred all the untarred roads in Isoko land. Mind you, Ibori is not Isoko at all. He’s Urhobo. As much as he could, he touched every local government area with infrastructure. From pipe borne water to electricity to schools and hospitals. Delta State has its own problems but political selfishness is not one of them.
After 8 years, James Ibori handed power over to Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan who continued where Ibori stopped. Uduaghan is Itsekiri.
Next came Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, from the Igbo speaking part of Delta State.
Currently, the present governor is from Okpe.
I added my own rider. “When it comes to infrastructure, don’t hold a torch light to us. We shine and we are not a state where political power in a multi ethnic state remains strictly and squarely with only one tribe who use the collective patrimony to develop only themselves and their tribe”.
I think my words unsettled my friend because it didn’t seem like he would want to be in communication with me any longer.
The Igede friend pretty much corroborated what the other two said.
Since I didn’t fancy the idea of climbing motorbikes, I opted to go in a car. My delegation and I first drove from the South West of Nigeria to Okene. There seemed to have some good roads there because since after the sudden slumping and death of Prince Abubakar Audu at the very point of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) announcing his name as the winner of the Kogi gubernatorial election and the changes that occurred that led to the process of Yahaya Bello being eventually sworn in, his home area in Igbirra land started seeing development.
From Okene, we drove to Anyingba in Igala land. Anyingba is the birthplace of Prince Abubakar Audu, a governor who had been elected more than once.
The road was tarred and Anyingba also hosts the Kogi State University. After Anyingba, we were to drive to Ankpa (another town in Igala land.
The shocking road was bumpy, dusty and almost impossible to drive on. Pure earth road. I could not understand the sheer neglect and the wickedness of having governors who collect allocations but yet do nothing to develop infrastructure.
The bumpy road itself made us sick as we started retching. The dust blocked our nostrils since we were really not prepared for what we saw. We had no face masks. Our eyes were red with the haze of brown dust.
Still we soldiered on and kept going until we got to Otukpo in Benue State. As soon as I sighted a tarred road in Otukpo, I asked the driver to turn into it and find a hotel for us to lodge in for the night.
It turned out that the road is called David Mark. A road without drainage, constructed as a Constituency project by the former Senate President, David Mark We finally checked into a hotel there with no running water. But they have electricity, 24/7. Or nearly almost.
There were fruit trees in every compound and foodstuffs were being sold everywhere on wheelbarrows. Very cheaply. Little wonder Benue State is called the food basket of the nation.
Soon afterwards, we hit the road before turning into dusty earth roads again. The David Mark Road is the only tarred road in Idoma land. There’s virtually no development project in Idoma land besides some mission schools built since colonial times.
We moved on, from one dusty earth road to another and our traveling car, a Sienna, was filled with brown dust. It was most disappointing. I was made to understand that the only good roads in the whole of Benue State are in Tivland.
The depression we were feeling continued as we drove into Igede land. It was like a lost tribe in the 18th century. No roads. Bush tracks without infrastructure. The public toilets there are stinking latrines because water is not easy to get there.
Incredibly, they are massive food producers.
Without roads and without vehicles, how would the abundant foods they produce get to markets in the cities where they are desperately needed?
How many tubers of yams or cassava can a motorbike haul on hilly earth roads to make a profit?
I asked people in Igede land if what the governor said was true. That the former governor, Samuel Ortom said that Fulani herdsmen militia had chased farmers to IDP Camps hence he could not get IGR to enable him pay salaries?
Without a doubt, the herdsmen militia were an existential threat. If they entered any farm of whatever acreage, it would mean hunger for a year.
But that yes, herdsmen did come and they not only did damage, they also slaughtered people. Revolted, the valiant people once fought back in shocking ways and showed a resolve that Cows and yams simply cannot coexist in the same community.
That seemed to solve a few problems and understanding was reached.
In conclusion, it is political wickedness to develop only one section of the State and neglect the other tribes. May the heart of Tiv political leaders be touched.
Greg Abolo in Idoma and Igede lands.
