The devil's alternative BY HON. OTSE OTOKPA
This is the devil's alternative. 'Which ever option you choose, men must fall.' Words of Frederick Forsythe. That's the dilemma of middle beltan in Nigerian geopolitical structure. We are neither here nor there. When it suits the North to exploit, we are northerners. When the chips are down, we are branded as 'Namuri Area.' I studied in Lagos and did NYSC in Ogun State where I was called "Mallam" because I was from Benue state, therefore, to them, an Hausa man. When the civil war broke out in 1966, my village, Agila, was the first to be attacked and eventually overrun by the Biafran army because it was a Northern territory. The threat continues till date in the form of Agila/Ngbo, Benue/Ebonyi or Northern/Eastern Nigerian border conflict. The middle belt in Nigeria is the bat in animal kingdom. It flies but hangs on the tree with the head down awards. In Nigeria today all citizens are equal but the life of a Fulani cow is more equal than that of 80 Benue people. I believe in peace, but peace cannot be based on illusion. When I saw the convoy of corpses today, I came to the conclusion that tears alone is not enough. During the war middle beltans were the operational personnel, majority of those with big names today were at rear command posts. Take the distribution of infrastructure today, road for instance. Compare the middle belt with other areas and you will see my point. The region must build an independent entity by developing its abundant resources, devoid of interference from any region. Where is Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders Forum or Northern Council of Chiefs in the Benue massacre, by the herdsmen? There is always a way
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