From last week continues the narrative by a Tiv group which argued that they are not Northerners, saying that the Tiv arrived Karagbe, an area bordering Nigeria and Cameroun, around 6,000 BC, settling on both sides of the Benue and Niger rivers.
This territory stretched from Garoua in present-day Northern Cameroon to Lokoja in present-day Kogi State, Nigeria. Between 6,000 BC and 1500 AD, the Tiv people firmly established their territory, living in peace and forging friendships with other small tribes that later migrated into the region.
The years 1500–1800 were turbulent due to the transatlantic slave trade. Vulnerable tribes fled from different parts of the country and found refuge in the Middle Belt. The Tiv people, together with their neighbours, stood united against slavery, making the region a safe haven for the oppressed.
The people of the Middle Belt also fought together against the Fulani Jihadists, who had conquered the Hausa states in the far North. The advance of the Jihad came to an end in the Middle Belt, where the resistance proved too strong for the invaders.
After Lagos, the Northern Caliphate, and the Benin Kingdom fell into British hands, the colonialists amalgamated Nigeria in 1914—but they had never conquered the Middle Belt, the largest region geographically.
From 1900 to 1960, the tribes of the Middle Belt resisted colonial rule fiercely, just as they had resisted slavery and Jihad. Because of this defiance, the British excluded them from major political structures.
Northerners and Southerners were used as interpreters, messengers and administrators, while the Middle Belt endured punishment under the brutal force of machine guns.
With Nigeria’s independence in 1960, the struggle to capture the Middle Belt intensified. The British feared that if recognised as an independent region—like the East or Niger Delta—the Middle Belt would rise to disrupt Nigeria’s balance of power.
Through Islamic leadership and political manipulation, the Northern elites laid claim to the Middle Belt. The British also fuelled divisions among the minority tribes, creating mistrust and disunity where once there had been strong solidarity.
Despite all attempts, the people of the Middle Belt continue to reject the false identity of being called Northerners.
We demand recognition of our region by its rightful name: The Midlle Belt (Central Nigeria ).
The Importance of the Middle Belt- Food Basket: The Middle Belt produces about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s food supply.
Population: With over 50 million people, it is the second most populated region in Nigeria. Economy: It has the second-highest purchasing power in the country. Geography: It is the largest region by landmass, covering Plateau, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Niger, Benue, Kwara, FCT, Southern Bauchi, and Southern Kaduna.
In 1967, just seven years after Independence, the Middle Belt was divided into Gongola State (later Adamawa and Taraba in 1976) was merged into the North-East. Benue-Plateau State (created in 1967) was later split into Benue and Plateau, and subsequently broken into more states.
This division was intentional, designed to weaken the unity and political strength of the Middle Belt.
The Middle Belt was never part of the Northern Caliphate. It was never conquered by the Jihadists who established the Sokoto Caliphate. It should never be called ‘North Central.’
We are the People of the Middle Belt. We are Central Nigeria”.
To me, the sentiments expressed by the Tor Tiv and the Tivzualumun may not lead to the solution in resolving the perennial past and present clashes in Benue and Plateau states. More dialogue will be required.
*Eric Teniola, a former director at the Presidency, wrote from Lagos.
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