As Zege Mule U Tiv, I stand shoulder to shoulder with His Royal Majesty, the Tor Tiv, Professor James Iorzua Ayatse, the Tiv Area Traditional Council, and the entire Tiv Nation in celebrating a people whose heritage is anchored in courage, dignity, industry, and an unyielding commitment to justice, unity, and communal harmony.
The Tiv people occupy an eminent and enduring place in Nigeria’s cultural and historical consciousness. Your agricultural ingenuity feeds the nation; your intellectual depth enriches our discourse; and your leadership continues to shape national development. Nigeria is stronger because the Tiv Nation stands tall.
Tiv Day is therefore far more than a cultural festival. It is a powerful reaffirmation of identity, a declaration of pride, and a renewal of the timeless values that have guided generations of Tiv sons and daughters through adversity and triumph alike.
The conferment of chieftaincy titles today once again affirms the Tiv philosophy that leadership is a sacred trust that is earned through integrity, selfless service, and unwavering devotion to the common good.
Yet, even in celebration, we must not avert our gaze from painful realities. The senseless and unprovoked attacks on Tiv communities in recent years resulting in the loss of innocent lives and mass displacement are indefensible and must never be normalised. I stand firmly
