Greetings.
TYO! TYO!
The Interim President of TYO.
All traditional rulers here present.
The Electoral Committee Chairman.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Good evening.
Before I proceed, permit me to pay homage to our revered and celebral mornach, the father of modern Tiv nation and paramount ruler of the entire Tiv ethnic group worldwide, the Tor Tiv, His Royal Majestic, Begha U Tiv, Prof. James Ortese Ayatse, and our most amazing and elegant Mother, Mama U Tiv, Prof. Mrs. Felicia Ayatse for their excellent and innovative leadership of the Tiv nation.
I most humbly thank all the Tiv Traditional Rulers in FCT Abuja for their relentless effort in uniting the entire Tiv residents in the capital city of Nigeria. They are doing a great job that is highly commendable.
I want to, also, as a mark of respect, thank the vibrant National President of Tiv Youth Organization, worldwide, Mr. Andy Aondongu Anzah and his able National Vice President, Comrade Benjamin Igber.
My great thanks also go to the electoral Committee members ably led by a very pragmatic young man, Mr. Gabriel Igbawua for conducting one of the most freest elections in the history of TYO.
To my brother and co-contestant, Hon. Yila Steve, who willingly stepped down for me to emerge as a consensus candidate, I thank you for your good spirit of sportsmanship.
My appreciation also goes to the outgoing members of the Executive, led by our very hardworking, strategic and humble leader par excellence, Mr. Tavershima Iorver Kennedy who has worked assiduously with his Exco to get us to this stage.
It is my singular honour and previlege to thank all the past presidents of TYO Abuja Chapter, namely Mr. Philip Wuhe, Peter Nyam and Thomas T. Ageh, just a few to mention for keeping this vision alive.
Like the Biblical saying, “Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar”, I want to, on this premise, extend my greetings to the Ona of Abaji and Chairman of the FCT Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty (HRM), Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa for his purposeful leadership in FCT Abuja.
Ladies and gentlemen, these greetings can go on and on but for want of time, let me most sincerely thank the entire members of the TYO Abuja Chapter for their votes and trust in me.
You choose me today as your President, not because I am the most intelligent, not because I am the richest and not because I am better than you, but because of your uncommon belief in my antecedents and track record of service to our community.
I accept this responsibility with my whole heart with the hope that, you will all lend me your shoulders to lean on. I am very optimistic that with your collective support and loyalty, we shall surely deliver on this mandate.
The task of uniting Tiv people in the FCT, especially Youths irrespective of where they live, their socal status, or their various religious and political affiliations in this beautiful city starts now, and it starts with me and you.
Together, we shall preserve, protect and project the positive image of the Tiv nation and its socio-cultural and economic advantage.
Together, we are going to uplift one another, we are going to stand with one another anytime, anywhere; both in good times and in hard times. We are going to empower the weak among us. We are going to train the unskilled and support the talented to utilize their talents.
Together, we shall source and, if possible, create jobs for our teaming unemployed graduates roaming the streets of Abuja. And we shall, as well, celebrate and honour great achievers of the Tiv nation, who identify with us here in Abuja.
TYO, under my watch, will be a beautiful tent and shade for all Tiv Youths in Abuja, irrespective of their social standing to gather under to brainstorm, to form alliances and partnerships, and to have fun and excel together. It will be a meeting point for both the rich and the poor to crossbreed ideas for the good of the Tiv nation.
It is on this note that I call on all our brothers and sisters who are ridding on high horses, sailing in the high seas and flying high in the sky on the wings of eagles far above our reach to come down and identify with us, their kinsmen.
We are assuring them of our utmost respect, hospitality and support at all times. They need us and we need them, especially those who are in government. A man without his kinsmen behind him is like a leader without followers, he is like a bald eagle that flies high in the sky alone without anyone to cheer it up.
The evening has come, all the birds are returning to their nest.
My Tiv brothers and sisters in the FCT, It is time for us to come down from our high horse and dine with our people, even the downtrodden; for there is nothing like family. Hence the maxim, “blood is thicker than water.”
Every king has a palace, and every leader has followers. This is the most honourable thing to do. If you are high above your people, and you have consistently refused to identify with them, you are an island.
But know that everybody needs somebody. A time will come when you need your people, but your people will not be there for you.
This is especially to our big men who want to do politics. It is a fact that politics is about people and people are politics. No one makes it in politics as an Island. So, identify with your people now, know them now, train the youths and empower those you can now, not when you need them.
As a matter of fact, we are going to de-market political thuggery and make it very unattractive to our youths so that bad politicians will stop exploiting them.
The time has come for each and every one of us who is blessed with enormous resources, and those occupying high positions in the society to come down and get to know our challenges, our pains, our agony and try to fix them in anyway possible.
Today is the beginning of a new dawn. Today marks the beginning of respect for leaders and elders in our community. Today marks the beginning of honour to those deserving of it. Today marks the beginning of peace and tranquility and unity of purpose in Tiv community Abuja.
As Nigeria is about to get a new president, just as TYO has elected its President today, I strongly believe that all things will work together to put smiles on the faces of our people.
There shall be no more marginalization of our people at the federal level, there shall be no more denial of jobs for our qualified youths, there shall be no more rejection of our people; no more humiliation of our young women and young men who are going about in search of menial jobs with University degrees just to sustain life.
Today marks the beginning of the end of all social vices associated with our youths in FCT. I want to assure you that together with my team, this vibrant exco comprising of lawyers, lecturers, accountants, Security personnel, medical personnel and media experts are going to work assiduously to achieve all that we have promised and many more, by the grace of God almighty.
And at the end of our three years in saddle of administration, everyone would be proud to say, “Yes I was part of those who elected these vibrant young men in 2023.”
We are going to surmount all challenges to make sure that our people are recognized, respected and accorded their rights and honour where necessary.
At this juncture, I would like to congratulate and call on the President-elect, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to put the interest of the Tiv nation, and her people at the bottom of his heart.
It is on record that our people voted massively for him, and now it is the time for him to reciprocate the kind gesture by accomodating us well in his government. We are not asking for too much, we are asking that the office of the Secretary to the Federal Government (SFG) be given to us as a compensation for our massive votes, and many years of neglect at the Federal Government level, considering the fact that we are the Fourth most populated ethnic group in Nigeria. We have well qualified technocrats and seasoned political leaders who will fit into this office.
It is on this note that I urge him to do everything possible within 100 days upon inauguration into office to return all our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers who are languishing in various IDPs across the country, including Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, among other states, back to their ancestral homes. It is possible, if government is willing to act without bias.
We, also, congratulate the Benue state Governor-elect, Rev. Father Hycent Iormem Alia. Our advice to him is that he should always heed wise counsel, and shun divisive tendencies in the discharge of his responsibility. We appeal to him not to be vindictive, as this may derail his focus from delivering dividends of democracy to the good people of Benue who voted him enmass to deliver them from the shackles of poverty.
He should, as a matter of fact, leave all issues relating to probe and investigation of previous administrations in the hands of security and other anti graft angencies if need be.
For the sake of those who may not know what TYO means, let me explain to them.
TYO is an apex socio-cultrural organisation of the Tiv Youths, incorporated with the corporate affairs Commission on the 9th June, 1988 with the mandate to coordinate the activities, way of life and the general wellbeing of the Tiv youths across the globe.
The national secretariat of this organization is located in Gboko, at No. 3, Kwaghbula Wachi Street, off J S Tarkaa way Gboko, the administrative Headquarters of the Tiv Nation in Benue State, Nigeria.
The Abuja Chapter has been in existence for decades under different leaderships in past.
The Tiv Youth Organisation, Abuja is currently headed by a very distinguished young leader, our beloved brother, Mr. Tavershima Iorver Kennedy, who’s purposeful leadership has led to the conduct of this successful election that we all gather here today to witness.
This election has produced Exco members drawn from all the six Local Government Areas in the FCT for the first time in the history of TYO Abuja Chapter.
The the newly elected Exco members are as follows:
1. Chief Joseph Saater Undu-President
2. Comrade Tersoo Iorlaha- Vice President
3. Barr. Daniel Awuapila -Secretary
4. Tyoor Terdoo Josephine- Torkwase
5. Stephen Sunday Bem-Treasurer
6. Jooli Emmanuel Terhemen-Organizing Secretary
7.Ajoh Terver-Parliamentarian
8.Atur Simon Nator- Publicity Secretary 1.
9. Terver Felix Abor – Auditor
10. Engr. James Henda – Student Coordinator.
Thank you all and God bless you.
Chief Joseph S. Undu
Author, Award Winning Journalist and Poet
Now President-Elect, TYO Abuja.
