ABINSI: A BRIDE OF THREE BIASED CONTENDING SUITORS FOR MARRIAGE BY HRH DR. SABO AJIDOKU EMMANUEL

 ABINSI: A BRIDE OF THREE BIASED CONTENDING SUITORS FOR MARRIAGE

BY

HRH DR. SABO AJIDOKU EMMANUEL 

Ferdinand Oyono, the Cameroonian novelist, presented in his book, titled: “Trois Pretendants un Mari”, a vivid description of a bride who is in a confusion of who to marry, as a husband, out of the three suitors asking for her hand in marriage. Wealth, education, good character and position etc form part of the intrigues. This, in a stylish pattern, leads us to almost similar situation in which Abinsi, a bride is entangled in a choice of who to be the husband, amidst three biased contending suitors for marriage.

Strategically, located on a trunk ‘A’ road along Makurdi-Gboko transit route is the town Abinsi, a bride of three biased contending suitors salivating and out doing one another in order to woo her for marriage. Abinsi, in a shape comparison, is just like the Queen of Sheba whose prowess, wealth and beauty endear her to those who ask for her hand in marriage. Here is the portrait of Abinsi, those constant and permanent qualities or features that make her a ‘must have’ wife. She is ebony skin, flashing goggle-eyed, pointed nose, well shaped mouth, a chick with dimples on the chin, with immaculate diastema (gap-teeth), well-fitted ears, luxuriant hair-do, succulent breasts like the shell of an egg, tall, having a well balanced and accentuated pelvic girdle, with love handles, wonderful hips, with tolotolo (turkey), matching (yanga) foot-steps of well shaped legs to match. Well-mannered, not reactionary, gently-quiet, very enterprising and religious.

Indeed, this is a passport for courtship anytime any day. And that is why she is the bride of all times through out history. Both the rich and the poor are desirous of her. She is not enticed by whose wanga bait, as the hook-link remains motionless, not minding the waves and the whispering water current that float away.

These three suitors are of the MINDA family. The Masev, Ihyarev and Nongov, who are always fighting and clashing to win her heart. Of the three, one has since been knocked off technically. Distance is a barrier to him. Masev therefore is out of this context. The remaining two seasoned and never ready to give up the fight are: Ihyarev and Nongov. 

Since the days of Ichongo reunion or fraternity, Abinsi used to be their rendez-vous. The days of IJIR TAMEN, the Tiv National Convention used to take place in Abinsi till 1957 when it was transferred to Gboko. This family get-together was even echoed and extended to where the MINDA people sojourned. I do remember in Jos, in the 1970s, the territorial clannish meetings of MINDA used to hold in Yamchi Hotel, in Jos. It used to be a big gathering. This rendez-vous had a name tagged: ABINSI HOUSE. That was the hatchery of most decisions that have impeded progress and development of Abinsi, till these days. The name Abinsi was used for the unification of the group. But the proceeds or what is now called dividends were never given or shared and her own portion delivered to her. We have seen the practicability of these denials in so many facets of life. 

Just follow me, you that myopic character who have seen nothing wrong in the excruciating agonies, your kin and kith, are passing through, just because you have espoused the MINDA family agenda. Maybe you need to be reminded that one of our admirers of blessed memories, whose blood runs in your veins suffered marginalization and frustration in Benue State, while working in the public civil service. That is just a tip of the iceberg. Many examples abound. Yet, you do not value your consanguinity; you have been able to raise children for them. Let me ask you, what is your marriage name? Are you Dooshima or Hembadoon? If you do not have one, you need to be Tivilized properly. This is because all non Tiv ladies must change names after marriage. So stop using Jukun names, okay?  Still on that, are you not the symbolic Abinsi that is utterly disgraced and abandoned. Just wipe your tears and trail behind me. Abinsi, figuratively is the plight of all Jukun  people of Benue State.

Now, let us go into stock takings, since the days of colonies to the present. First and foremost, the only Primary School built, which initially was named Masev-Ihyarev-Nongov Primary School, Abinsi, in 1947, is still the same Cinderella, ignored, impoverished, hunger stricken, with dilapidated structures, starring at you as you pass to the so called Agasha junction. The Primary School is in dear need of a face-lift. The town has grown, and it needs more schools. No Government Secondary School, fully operational on ground. The Court is as good as dead. The Police Out-Post is epileptically helpless in convulsion. The daily market which is the largest in the whole of Guma Local Government Area, is structurally weak. Recently, in the Enumeration Area Demarcation exercise, the town has been baptized with a new name-Ichongo-Ipusu and some sections of the towns, given new names in Tiv language. Today, they dictate to us politically and traditionally who should lead or represent us. Imagine, somebody from a different Council Ward of Agasha, Kwenev, Tse-Alashi been appointed a Councilor in Abinshi Council Ward. Where did it ever happened?. Even amidst protests? Que sera sera. What shall be, shall be. Abinsi has since accepted the government verdict by saying, can you fight Government?. In Jukun language, this saying runs ‘oyi nghange wa gomneti kaa?’ This is cowardice. A defeat of conscience and responsibility. The disciples of these campaign slogans should stop it. We don’t fight government with bows and arrows, with spears and machetes, with bazooka  and artillery weapons. But we fight government through genuine and presentable facts and figures by voicing out where it pains us in a subtle, peaceful, mannerism by drawing the attention of government to our plight. That is what we are doing.

No more, no less.

To those of you who by inverted or converted comma, are dining and wining with the antagonists, remember the day of reckoning. This struggle of emancipation never started with us and shall never end with us. All freed peoples of nations all over the world went through this process of struggle for freedom and self actualization. Here, in this part of the country for instance, the late legendry Senator Joseph Sarwuan Tarka a Tiv Elder Statesman, suffered persecutions from the Northern Nigeria Government. Tarka was even betrayed by his kingsmen. To demonstrate their dislike over the inhuman treatment of the government of the day, some Tiv artists composed so many songs that exposed the atrocities done to the Tiv people. They swore vehemently never and ever be in the same party politics with the ‘Baja people’ i.e Hausa people. Songs like: ‘Ior mba man koko man yan kuese, ior mba oon tsua, ior mba gberen ichugh inya. Similarly, Wanteregh Paul Iorpuu Unongo agitated for the break of the former giant Tiv Division into three Divisions namely: Makurdi, Gboko and Katsina-Ala. But he was attacked by his kingsmen. Today, those who accused the duo of causing anarchy and division are benefiting from their sincere and honest proposals. To some extent, the Tiv people are relatively free, independently okay with a government to run. That is the reward of a genuine struggle and self actualization of a people who have a dream. So nobody should gag this Jukun struggle for freedom.

Today, not only three Divisions that the Tiv have, but fourteen local government areas, and the constant occupants of the seat of government in the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi. I therefore encourage patriotic Jukun sons and daughters to cheer up and not to give up, till Jesus come back. 

To buttress this maltreatment on the Jukun people, non of their towns and villages have been given any government recognition or attention. A glaring example is the peculiar case of towns like Agasha, Gbajimba, Daudu, the trio of the towns in the local government, which came much, much later after Abinsi in terms of establishment. Check it out, developments have reached them, while Abinsi has remained backward and retarded. No wonder, there is a coinage or adage in Tiv language associated with somebody who is not making progress, somebody with taunted growth, and it goes like this ‘ungu tse-tse er Abetse nahan’, meaning you are as old as Abinsi, yet you are retarded, no progress, no development. Can you seen or hear this kind of debased assertion? It is an insult, a mockery of mindless people who are wicked to the core. Religion has not played any significant impact on the people despite the presence of churches scattered everywhere in their vicinity.

Between the Ihyarev and the Nongov clans, as I write today, there is a strong rivalry about who should be in-charge of Abinsi. And dramatically, this brouhaha heightens for claim anytime one group, governmentally, is at the helm of affairs. Some years back, the Ihyarev people were at the top echelon of leadership, at the Apex seat, the urge to take over Abinsi then was on top gear. Then, all the graded Traditional Rulers were of the Ihyarev clan. And like a game of relay-race in a competition, the baton has gone to the Nongov clan now, a very miniature group whose voice was permanently dwarfed by the giant Ihyarev group before, and by the twist of fate, have resurrected. The Ihyarev people have surrendered or are temporarily waiting for another opportunity, anytime, that may come their way. So, this sharing formula of ‘Ya na angbian’ amongst them no longer holds as the winner takes all the juicy appointments, just as one can see in the appointments of graded Traditional Leaders and other appointments of government today. So, the Nongov people by the virtue of their own at the top, are jubilating, celebrating and feeding fat like the cows of Bashan, while, the Ihyarev people are woe be gone.

In the light of the above chronological events that have unfolded since time immemorial, these three suitors of the MINDA group, in battalion mojos collaborated, corroborated and cheated on Abinsi and the entire Jukun people of Benue State origin. The Masev, Ihyarev, Nongov and their Ichongo expanded group, their Ipusu group that are scattered within and around Abinsi vicinity, who primarily in later years arrived here in search of farm lands, who are also a target of MINDA group, from time to time suffer frustration, extermination too, are not helping matters either. All of them are biased to the bride. Abinsi who is the bride is waiting patiently, monitoring and assessing the caricature of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by these off-springs of Tiv.

Remember, no empire lasts forever. Abinsi, the Jukun in Benue State, shall come to prominence one day and be reckoned with. You can not kill or crush a Beetle, because it conserves energy. In case you do not know, Abinsi has a handsome, befitting, energetic, reliable, a very promising husband, who is ready to speak for her, and defend her. The husband is no other person than Jukun tribe of the ever-living Kwararafa dynasty.  We shall survive this struggle. Aluta continua, Shalom and Asalama Alaikum