Benue needs sobriety now or never again: Reflect, soul brothers!

By Dr. D.T Wayas & Kaanti Ernen

Dear reader, this is a non-partisan piece. It is about the need for nontoxic probity of mind and self interrogation which is sine qua non for good governance, peace, unity and progress of Benue State.

We would have rather written a short note, put it in an envelope and sent to the Honourable governor of Benue State concerning our headache as we ponder the condition of things in Benue because he is the first citizen in the state.

In that letter, we could have simply said, maybe in effort to speak for the entire population, Mr. Governor, we the people of Benue State are dying, we are starving on account of lack of jobs and land for farming, we are tired of running and our energy is eluding us and we may not run further than this.

However, our headache-inducing concerns cannot be merely directed to the governor alone but also his team of governance and by extension, every single son and daughter of the state hence the compelling need to throw the whole thing open in this art form for individual references.

The slogan, “food basket of the nation” should suggest a field of plenty, our pride and elation. Is it not worrisome that Benue State  is rather shrinking into a society saturated in overemphasized ethnic backgrounds, seeming faltering commitment to economic development, crises, (both internal and external), some of which are politically motivated while some from sociocultural factors even as the chances of the state to achieve its loftier heights are becoming slimmer by the day? We must be worried.

We decided to take our concerns to every Benue blood in this format and call for sober reflection with sincerity of purpose at this very moment that the State’s political, economic and social temperatures seem yet higher, gushing out series of intrigues.

We came up with this voice not to only condemn politics of acrimony and retrogression but also publicly advocate the need for us to become tough-minded enough to break loose from the shackles of prejudice, half-truth, half-honesty, envy and apparent apathy towards the Benue project which was flagged off by our fathers in their wisdom.

These ill practices can only paint us as patrons and matrons of political brigandage and economic sabotage and history will surely empower our children to judge us.

We may not go back to history in this article but rather challenge us to go back to history at our individual convenience and that we must do as quickly as possible owing to the urgency of the need for action.

For those of us that may bother going down the memory lane, let us remember the saying that those who cannot remember the past are bound to repeat it. Truth be told, a brief aggregate of the past events that surrounded the macrocosm called Benue State today will tell us that time is apt for sober reflection and attitudinal renaissance as later may be too late.

It feels safe to argue that the material and human endowments in the state which are humongous potentials for development are yielding less than demanded because there is a fatal lack of political and social will hence the desired developmental objectives as envisioned by our heroes past suffer a crashing halt only to be replaced by apathy, bigotry and political rivalries, opening the state to crises that are nearly consuming the state and the less patient pulled into a battle for survival.

We are not by any means supporting evil means for survival, no, not all. What we are trying to say is that for any human society to flourish, become peaceful and habitable, we must do more in addition to injecting billions of naira into the armed forces.

We must harnass the resources by way of industries which shall create jobs and boost the economy of both the employees and the producers of some of these resources in the state. And this we must become single minded to achieve as against individualism.

As a matter of reference, it was quite disturbing stumbling on a horrible story on 5th of March, 2024 as attributed to a senator from Benue State in one of the online dailies with the headline, “Benue: APC lost peace since Alia became governor.”

That story would not have meant much if the said senator in that article talked in a neutral tone but the senator’s filibuster highlighted a power struggle within the APC in the State, with Senator criticizing Governor Alia for allegedly causing turmoil within the party.

With realities such as this, one does not need a degree in political science to immediately realise the apparent lack of party unity which is sharply against focusing on uniting the party. One would see in the story an exacerbation of divisions by such public airing grievances against a governor. Things like this weakens party’s cohesion and effectiveness.

Crisess over recognising individuals as party leaders do not only reveal personal vendettas over party interest but suggest suggests that personal interests are prioritized over the collective interest of a state and its constituents. Blaming and labelling a Governor of a state as “new in politics” implies a bias against newcomers, undermining the potential for fresh perspectives and contributions to the state as collective project.

Let it echoe through the hills and valleys of Benue State that at any point we allow internal power struggle, there’s a risk of neglecting governance and the needs of the people of the state.

It is evident that political infighting in any society distracts the people from addressing pressing issues and fulfilling electoral promises and this is not we must always avoid in Benue if we must allow our nascent democracy to thrive.

Overall, we must not give room for disconcerting lack of unity and focus in our dear State, with political leaders prioritizing personal agendas over the well-being of the party and its constituents.

As a matter of facts, our individual pursuits against collective welfare will gradually complicate both our identity and destiny as a people. It will render us more vulnerable to demeaning stereotypes that are prone to battering our image both as individuals and as an entity.

Benue State was created in 1976 with the great hope that the human and material resources could engender a growing spate of civilization and industrialization which are key to economic emancipation of the people.

It has been expected that the state would have outgrown certain problems, the blessed state however remains dominated by old problems.

The state is fast devolving into the chaos probably due to weak leadership/followership laxity where demagogues take advantage, pushing the populace to internal conflicts in the very presence of much-resentment  and restlessnes inflicted by certain external aggressors.

We must not stand on the track of history for the train of history to ram us. As far back as in the 1940s, in a build up to the Nigerian independence, the Benue people mostly the Tivs perceived beguiling intense political atmosphere which they played through.

However, what started before independence landed the Tiv people in brutal clashes that erupted in 1960 and 1964, claiming many heads. With staggering atrocities and crimes like looting, burning of houses etc, the crisis was considered one of the worst conflicts in the history of Nigeria.

This is what is still with Benue. We are woken up by the same calamity and now most complicated. We must think and this the the time.

The past and present leaders in the state must acknowledge that in the sense of true democracy honesty and truth are the only sure weapons. For anti-democratic tendencies are obvious impediments to development of any nation.

At this point we feel a certain compulsion to call on respected political leaders in Benue State, this is the time to probe our minds and interrogate the future of Benue state. Benue is at the boiling point when there is urgent need to sanitize our minds and our surroundings so we can come clearer and present our arguments to Nigerians and the entire world when the need arises.

As a matter of emphasis, time is ripe to embrace the democratic notion of deliberative democracy, which should prioritize open dialogue among Benue citizens to reach informed decisions for the common good. By encouraging every Benue blood to engage in sober reflection and sincere introspection in this piece, we intend to promote a democratic ethos of inclusivity and active citizenship.

A PLEA TO DIGITAL YOUTHS IN BENUE

It feels nice to extend our kind plea to the digital youths in Benue on developing their media literacy. It is important for individuals to develop full capacity to adeptly navigate, scrutinize, appraise, and engender media manifestations across diverse platforms, encompassing the realms of print, digital, and the social media.

This proficiency entails a comprehension of the intricate mechanisms underpinning media narratives, the underlying motivations propelling them, and their reverberations on both the individual psyche and the societal fabric.

Our youths must appreciate the importance of cultivating these media orientation to empower their minds so as to judiciously interrogate media discourses delineating veritable insights from spurious fabrications, and orchestrating discerning choices regarding their media engagements and involvement.

In those days when there was limited media of ubiquitous communication like the radio, newspaper and the television, information exchange was not that easy for everyone unlike in the contemporary society where the internet has reduced the entire world to a sitting room breaking the communication boundaries.

Grace has given us the opportunity to witness the dramatic changes in the communication sector of humanity where several coast of interaction have been expanded; in this age, you receive all sorts of information in your bed room.

Unfortunately, consiquent upon this, some of our youths abuse this privilege of plying the smooth track of the digital world as they resort to publishing even unprintable contents that have rather caused anxiety, aggression and bred disintegration in the state. These we say are bad practices. It is a common reality that when you cast your seeds you do not expect each and every one to germinate.

However, for those who may listen, we advice that in as much as the information flow has exploded and become difficult to control, your reaction is what you still have a great control of.

Time is apt to develop two skills; listenership/readership and an analytical mind towards these contents. The watch word should be that, “create thou not inciting contents and thou shall not share such.”

For Benue is pregnant and what she carries is future; of the young ones and not of the old. The young must be sober in order for the protection of their delicate future lest they be like the lizard in the fable that ruined its mother’s burial with its own tail.

Though democracy entails the role of an informed and engaged citizenry holding power to account and safeguarding democratic values, aligning it with the democratic ideal of an educated and vigilant populace capable of discerning truth from misinformation shall do better.

But then, care not taken, the beguiling technological transformation will do more harm than good to the required youth collaboration for progressive politics. Let us never touch the orb, even though its mysterious glow seduces and beguiles.

About the authors

Dr. David Wayas is a Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Nigeria. He is the regional representative for Nigeria at the International Ecolinguistics Association . His research interests include the role of language in ecological issues, cognitive semantics of climate change terminologies in Nigerian indigenous languages, language and ICT, immigration, climate change and speech development, gender, race and environmental justice.

Kaanti Ernen studied Mass Communication at the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka. He also has a diploma in the same area. He is interested in political social analysis.

Ernen is the co-author of Benue Our Pride. He has also authored, “Sour Taste in the Neighborhood” a fiction (in press). He has several articles on various media platforms in his credit.