By David Torough, Abuja

The Swem Karagbe Club has marked its 30th anniversary alongside its 2025 Annual General Meeting in Abuja with strong calls for unity among Tiv elites, youth inclusion in leadership, and decisive federal intervention to end the protracted insecurity in Benue State.

Founded in August 1996 as the “Committee of Friends” by six associates, the socio-cultural body has grown into a structured organisation of 35 members.

Speaking at the anniversary celebration held on February 14, 2026, the Club’s President, Jacob Kajo, reflected on its evolution into Swem Karagbe Club – a name drawn from Tiv history symbolising truth and objectivity in traditional oath-taking.

From an initial membership of six, the group expanded to 11 within its first month and later reached the constitutional cap of 30 under its pioneer leadership led by Sir Michael Ucha.

Kajo credited the founding Executive Committee with drafting the Club’s maiden constitution, adopting the motto “A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed,” designing its logo and regalia, constituting a Board of Trustees, registering with the Corporate Affairs Commission, and securing a permanent site in the Federal Capital Territory.

Today, the Club operates through four standing committees — Cultural, Welfare, Investment, and Public Relations — and runs a Bam savings scheme and a Cooperative Society to support members’ financial needs.

It has also constructed a functional hall and temporary rental structures at its Abuja site, with plans underway to sink a borehole, build shops, and establish a modest guest house to generate sustainable revenue.

While celebrating the milestone, Kajo acknowledged the challenge of an ageing membership, noting that several pioneer members had passed on.

He urged members to bring in credible younger individuals to ensure leadership succession and continuity.

Chairman of the occasion, Godwin Tyoachimin, commended what he described as the Club’s visionary leadership over the past three decades and pledged his continued support.

He called on Tiv sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora to unite and form a formidable force capable of articulating and defending the interests of the Tiv nation in Nigeria’s political and economic space.

A major highlight of the event was a paper presentation titled “The Role of the Elite in Addressing Security Challenges in the Middle-Belt-Tiv Nation” delivered by Dr. Cletus Akwaya, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of DAILY ASSET Newspaper.

Akwaya described the 30-year survival of the Club as “epochal,” particularly against the backdrop of the frequent collapse of socio-cultural associations within Tiv society.

However, he noted that discussions about insecurity in Tivland evoke painful memories of lives lost and communities destroyed.

Tracing the roots of the crisis, he observed that although farmer-herder conflicts predate Nigeria’s civil war, the violence escalated significantly around 2011, becoming more coordinated and deadly. By 2019, attacks had spread to 14 of Benue’s 23 local government areas, including Guma, Makurdi, Gwer West, Kwande, Logo, Katsina-Ala, Agatu, and others.

He cited mass killings, destruction of homes and farms, and widespread displacement, noting that by 2022, internally displaced persons (IDPs) had risen to about 1.6 million, though recent efforts reportedly reduced the figure to approximately 600,000 as some families gradually returned home.

Dr. Akwaya criticised what he termed the politicisation of insecurity by some Tiv elites, accusing certain political actors of exploiting the crisis for electoral advantage rather than forging a united front to demand decisive federal action.

He, however, acknowledged interventions by groups such as the Mutual Union of Tiv in America (MUTA), Mutual Union of Tiv in the United Kingdom (MUTUK), the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), and Catholic bishops in affected dioceses, as well as traditional rulers who supported community vigilante initiatives.

The paper also reviewed state-level responses from successive administrations, including those of Gabriel Suswam, Samuel Ortom, and Hyacinth Alia.

It referenced the enactment of the Anti-Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranching Development Act in 2017 under Ortom and the establishment of security outfits such as the Livestock Guards and, more recently, the Benue Volunteer Civil Protection Guards (Anyam Nyor) under Governor Alia.

Despite these measures, Dr. Akwaya lamented that the crisis has persisted for nearly two decades, with devastating humanitarian and economic consequences, including the destruction of markets, schools, clinics, and churches.

To address the challenge, Dr. Akwaya proposed renewed coordination among Tiv elites through a depoliticised and unified strategy, suggesting that the umbrella body, Mdzough U Tiv (MUT), establish or strengthen the office of a Tiv National Security Secretary to coordinate responses.

He also recommended harmonising security strategies across successive state administrations, reviewing the Anti-Open Grazing Law for greater effectiveness, forming village-level vigilante groups, establishing state police, and creating military formations along boundary areas with neighbouring Nasarawa and Taraba states.

Other proposals included youth economic empowerment through cooperative societies, revival of Tiv cultural consciousness to strengthen solidarity, strategic deployment of media for advocacy, and support for emerging platforms such as Tiv TV established by the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse.

In his address, Kajo also touched on national economic developments, particularly the Tax Reform Acts of 2025, which took effect on January 1, 2026.

He noted that while the reforms aim to broaden the tax base, improve government revenue, and support small businesses, concerns remain over potential increases in tax burdens and rising consumer costs.

He urged the Federal Government to ensure effective implementation to stimulate economic recovery and improve living standards, stressing that economic stability would enhance members’ capacity to save and invest through the Club’s financial platforms.

As the Swem Karagbe Club enters its fourth decade, its leadership reaffirmed its commitment to cultural preservation, mutual support, economic empowerment, and sustained advocacy for peace and security in Benue State and the broader Tiv nation.

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

The leader and presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2023 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called for a decisive political change ahead of 2027 following Nigeria’s latest ranking on the global corruption index.

His reaction comes after Transparency International released the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), ranking Nigeria 142nd out of 182 countries and territories.

The country retained a score of 26 out of 100 but slipped two places from its 2024 ranking of 140th, extending what observers describe as a decade-long stagnation in anti-corruption performance.

In a tweet responding to the report, Adebayo lamented that Nigeria remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world, noting that the nation’s score has shown no improvement in more than ten years.

“Nigeria has ranked once more as one of the most corrupt countries in the world with no improvement on last year’s rankings per anti-corruption findings. In fact, as a nation our score has not improved in more than a decade,” he said.

The SDP leader argued that corruption lies at the root of the country’s socio-economic challenges, linking it directly to poverty and insecurity.

“The fact remains that if we eliminate corruption, we eliminate poverty and insecurity,” Adebayo stated, stressing that systemic graft has held the nation back for too long.

He urged Nigerians to rally behind the SDP ahead of the 2027 general election, saying the country needs a government that is genuinely committed to tackling corruption at all levels.

“In 2027 we need a government capable of actually committing to eliminating corruption at all levels which has held us back as a nation for too long. I urge everyone to join the SDP movement so that we can finally say #farewelltopoverty once and for all,” he added.

Under Transparency International’s methodology, CPI scores range from 0, indicating a highly corrupt public sector, to 100, representing very clean governance. Nigeria’s persistent score of 26 underscores continued concerns about transparency, accountability, and public sector integrity.
Adebayo’s remarks are expected to intensify political debate as parties begin early positioning ahead of the 2027 elections, with corruption and economic hardship likely to remain central campaign issues.

By Isaac Asabor

Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of talent. It suffers from a shortage of conscience in power. Across the nation’s political landscape, one finds individuals who once trained as lawyers, engineers, doctors, administrators, and soldiers; men and women whose education was funded directly or indirectly by the Nigerian people.

Yet too many of these individuals have treated public office not as a trust to be honored, but as a vault to be opened. The result is a widening gulf between the governed and those who govern, between national promise and national reality.

This is not a new observation, but it remains painfully relevant. The pattern is familiar: citizens invest in education, institutions invest in training, and the country invests hope in leadership.

Then, somewhere between qualification and public office, service gives way to self-interest. Nigeria becomes less a nation to be built and more a resource to be consumed. The political class rises; the public good falls.

The uncomfortable truth is that many who occupy positions of authority today have little record of professional contribution before entering politics. A number of those who studied law never built legal reputations in the courtroom. Some who trained in engineering never engineered anything of national value. Others who studied medicine abandoned healing long before they sought public office, not to talk of being a professor in the field. Still others moved into politics without ever demonstrating competence in public or private service. Yet they command enormous wealth. Citizens are left asking the obvious question: what exactly produced such prosperity?

The same concern extends into the military establishment. Nigeria has funded the education and training of officers in prestigious institutions across the world. Many rose from modest backgrounds, supported by national resources, entrusted with national security. But for some, the privilege of service became a pathway to personal accumulation rather than disciplined stewardship. When those trained at public expense return to preside over corruption, the betrayal is not merely institutional, it is moral.

This is where John F. Kennedy’s enduring challenge rings with uncomfortable clarity: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” That statement was not a poetic flourish; it was a definition of citizenship and leadership. Its relevance to Nigeria is stark. Too often, the question guiding political ambition has been reversed: what can I extract, not what can I contribute?

The consequences are visible everywhere. Infrastructure decays while budgets expand. Public institutions weaken while private fortunes grow. The wealth of a few becomes inversely proportional to the welfare of the many. This is not governance; it is extraction. It produces a parasitic relationship in which the state sustains its leaders rather than leaders sustaining the state.

To be clear, politics is not inherently corrupt. It is a noble enterprise when rooted in service. A functioning democracy requires people who are willing to sacrifice time, expertise, and comfort for collective progress. Nigeria’s tragedy is not that professionals enter politics, it is that too many enter without the intention of service. They abandon their fields without building credibility and enter public office without building accountability.

A political system dominated by personal gain inevitably breeds policy failure. When leadership is motivated by accumulation rather than transformation, development becomes incidental. Roads are built where contracts are profitable, not where mobility is essential. Projects are initiated for visibility, not sustainability. Institutions are weakened because strong institutions limit personal control. The long-term interest of the nation is consistently traded for short-term advantage.

This mindset has been sustained by a dangerous metaphor: Nigeria as a “national cake.” The phrase is revealing. A cake is meant to be cut and shared until nothing remains. A nation, by contrast, is meant to be cultivated, strengthened, and expanded for future generations. When leaders approach governance with the psychology of consumption rather than construction, national decline becomes inevitable.

Yet, the story need not remain this way. The shift required is not abstract; it is practical and measurable. It begins with a redefinition of public office as a responsibility, not a reward. Political power must be understood as borrowed authority, granted temporarily by citizens for the purpose of service. Wealth accumulated from public office should never exceed the value created for the public. That simple moral equation, if sincerely applied, would transform governance overnight.

Patriotism must also be reintroduced into leadership, not the ceremonial patriotism of speeches and slogans, but the operational patriotism of decisions and policies. Real patriotism is visible in transparent procurement, in infrastructure that endures beyond tenure, in education systems that equip future generations, and in economic policies that create opportunity rather than dependency. It is demonstrated when leaders leave office with less personal wealth but more national progress.

Politicians who have benefited immensely from Nigeria have a special obligation to give back. Many have gained status, security, and prosperity through public resources and public trust. Gratitude for such privilege should not be expressed in rhetoric but in governance. Service should be the repayment of opportunity.

Good governance is not mysterious. It is the consistent application of integrity, competence, and accountability. It requires prioritizing national interest over personal networks. It demands respect for institutions rather than manipulation of them. It insists that public funds be treated as sacred, not accessible. Above all, it requires humility to recognize that leadership is temporary but consequences are permanent.

There is also a matter of legacy. Political power fades quickly; national impact endures. History remembers builders more kindly than beneficiaries. A leader who constructs reliable infrastructure, strengthens education, and protects institutions leaves a footprint that outlives tenure. A leader who merely accumulates wealth leaves a vacuum, and often, a stain.

Nigeria’s citizens are not asking for perfection. They are asking for seriousness. They want leaders who understand that development is deliberate, not accidental. They want leadership that views the nation not as an inheritance to be divided but as a project to be completed. They want governance that reflects sacrifice rather than entitlement.

To those who have gained much from Nigeria, the message is simple and unavoidable: give back through performance. Give back through policy. Give back through integrity. Give back by leaving office with the nation stronger than you found it. Public office should not be the peak of personal achievement; it should be the platform for national advancement.

The transformation of Nigeria will not begin with abstract ideals. It will begin when those in power accept that service is not optional. It is the very justification for their authority. When leaders internalize that truth, governance becomes purposeful, institutions become resilient, and citizens regain trust.

Nigeria does not need more beneficiaries of the system. It needs custodians of the nation. The choice before the political class is therefore stark: continue extracting from the country and deepen its decline, or invest in the country and secure its future. History will record which path they choose. But the country deserves leaders who choose duty.