A rebuttal of Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher’s recent tirade
By Jeff Godwin Doki, Ph,D
Undoubtedly, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher is someone I have known for close to thirty years and, truly speaking, I have enormous respect for the man, for reasons that are perfectly clear. For one thing, Hagher is a fertile-minded University don and a shrewd theater entrepreneur. For another, Hagher is a reputable diplomat who has discharged heavy responsibilities on the international scene. But over and above all, Hagher is my teacher and an outspoken collaborator in the democratic struggle and he, is additionally, eminently qualified to join the race for the highest office in the land—- and there are symptoms that he once toyed with that idea—– though I would not personally wish him any such misstep into that torrid arena.
It could be perceived that, by all standards, Iyorwuese Hagher is a Senior citizen with almost impeccable credentials and he has continued to articulate his vision of the nation in unambiguous language especially through the medium of the Theater.
But the fruit of my tale is this: while I rifled through the Newspapers last week my eyes happened to light on an essay written by Iyorwuese Hagher and entitled ‘Brazen Arrogance and Dangerous Assault on Democracy in Benue State’. In the essay, Hagher laid his finger on certain weaknesses of Dr. Hyacinth Alia, the Benue Governor and the paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse. The huge irony is that the entire essay smacks of recrimination instead of instruction thereby transferring the ‘brazen arrogance’ Hagher has in mind, to the Presidential envoy and not to the Benue Governor, the Tor Tiv or the ordinary citizens of Benue state. The event was the Tiv Day which took place in Gboko, the traditional home of Tiv people, on December, 13, 2025. As it is usual in Nigeria, Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, led a delegation to represent his principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the event. Iyorwuese Hagher among other ‘illustrious’ Tiv sons, were part of that delegation. Now, hear Hagher’s complaint: ‘as soon as we landed at the Makurdi airport, the Benue State Government and the Tiv traditional Council’s welcome party and festivities for the Presidential envoy and delegation were absent. Instead, we faced a chilling and shocking display of arrogance, lawlessness and violent intolerance in our state….. What we received was not a welcome but a humiliation’. One would expect that the Professor of Theater should be familiar with the meaning of arrogance and the attitude of the gods towards arrogance.
Yes, the Professor is not a stranger to Classical drama especially with characters like Agamemnon, Oedipus and Creon who were tragically brought down as a result of arrogance/pride/hubris. Truth is that the Greek gods, the supreme God and all other gods including African gods, are usually jealous and vindictive especially where arrogance and pride is involved.
We all know that President Tinubu, Prof. Hagher and all his co-travelers, are simply human beings who were either elected by the Benue people or appointed by Mr. President. So, why is Hagher so preoccupied with the idea of a splendid welcome at the airport? Is the Professor suggesting that himself, the SGF and his co-travelers are mightier than the ordinary Benue people whose votes legitimise their powers? Or perhaps as a man of the theater, Hagher and his co-travelers just wanted sheer entertainment through dance, song and thunderous drumming? What exactly is the connection between welcome and arrogance here? The time has come for our leaders to cultivate the virtues of humility which in essence means not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. In other words, the people who voted you into the office first. That’s the true definition of leadership.
Again, the question would be asked: who were Hagher’s co-travelers? They are the same familiar Godfathers of Benue politics. They are the same political usurpers Benue people have been accustomed to. They are the same people that have produced monstrosities in the form of elected democratic Governors in the past.
Governors that sold our commonwealth to their cronies and immediate families. Governors that have retarded the growth of the state for more than three decades now. There’s nothing new in Benue state except the foundation laid by the late Gov. Aper Aku (1979-1983) which has been utterly neglected by successive governments. For more than three decades Benue has only witnessed the descent of communities and villages into a lingering state of insecurity with its attendant ills, not the least of which is economic retrogression. It is only recently that the Benue people are beginning to see a glimmer of hope with Gov. Hyacinth Alia as helmsman. One could see, for the very first time after three decades or more, the construction of township roads including underpass and flyovers in Makurdi, Gboko and Vandeikya; a new Brewery (Zeva) to replace the former BBL sold by unscrupulous and greedy Benue politicians; Bread and Water factories, but let’s reserve that for another time and place.
Prof. Hagher, should be pleased to notice that the godfathers in Benue politics are also puppet-masters. And I am happy Hagher has written copiously about the Tiv Kwaghiir and he is also one of the intellectual founding fathers of Puppet- Theater in Nigeria. The godfathers of Benue state have reduced the people to mere puppets manipulated on invisible strings by political tricksters, those who—-from all evidence—- remain obsessed with the puppet show that has the capacity to intimidate any Gubernatorial candidate aspiring to rule Benue state. It is enough of this dirty, irksome, out-worn tactic that has all the potential of taking Benue state to another dismal era.
The Professor referred to Senator George Akume as the highest- ranking Federal officer from Benue state and founding member of the ruling party, a two-term Governor, a three-term Senator and former Minister. Apparently, the SGF has a towering and, one may add, intimidatory credentials and his achievements may be difficult to count. But take note of this: the time has come for the SGF to respect himself and concentrate more at the center or retire humbly and most respectfully to his home and allow other younger Benue leaders the steerage of the Benue ship. Prof. Hagher should advise the SGF in the proverbial wisdom of our ancestors: the best masquerade departs the dancing arena when the ovation is highest. The Benue people want a radical shift. Perhaps, the SGF does not know that his rejection of a traditional title from the Tor Tiv has unpredictable repercussions for himself as the highest federal officer in Benue state, the Tiv Traditional Council, the Benue people and the state at large? Truth to tell, this was an abominable act!
That the Presidential envoy ‘shared seats, sat precariously on armrests’ is another direct assault and an abuse to the Benue people. It is necessary to remind ourselves that at this very occasion, the Presidential envoy had the luxury of sharing seats or perching on armrests while the teeming mass on the receiving end and thousands of ordinary Benue people—-who are the electorates—- were sweating it out in the scorching sun standing in the open field without canopies, without (even pure) water or a meal. Is this not an assault on the psyche of the Benue electorates?
Additionally, If the crowd turned violent or was hostile, it is an indication of the fact that the Presidential envoy is selfish, unpopular, parochial and uncaring. Perhaps, it seems clear that in the not-too-distant future, such a hostile audience may go beyond booing to pelting with stones. Their message is simple: never shall we allow the instigators of that ugly past of Benue state to clamber onto the political arena.
Again, the unfortunate scene in which someone was stabbed with a knife is very sad and it is a demonstration of mankind’s relapse into a more horrendous barbarism. But again, the act itself is a by-product of poor leadership in Benue state. Since our return to civil rule in 1999 all the state Governors in Benue state have thugs and marksmen on their payroll. Shooting and stabbing of political opponents, therefore, has become a favorite pastime in that state. Sad, so sad indeed!
Besides, it is very unfortunate that Prof. Hagher missed the Presidential jet and had to travel by road from Makurdi to Abuja. But as a diplomat, Hagher does need a prophet to tell him that even the British Prime Minister has had cause to travel by public transport when occasion demanded. Yet this is another form of brazen arrogance: what about the millions of ordinary Benue people who daily negotiate their lives on these bad roads with death daring them at every bend? More worrisome is the Professor’s claim that Governor Alia is ‘threatening to use witchcraft on people’. These are not just unprintable words they are also the grossest falsehood. Gov. Alia is a Roman Catholic Priest with incredible spiritual powers and the capacity to douse the fire of witchcraft in the state. The facts are there for all to read and the Governor’s spirituality is the major source of his strength.
Besides, for Prof. Hagher to call Hyacinth Alia a ‘one-term Governor’ is only a confirmation of the fact that the entire Presidential convoy was nothing but a group of conspirators and an unconscionable breed of politicians determined to drive Benue state to an unknown fate that has all the potential of a tragic ending.
I nearly forgot to pay deserving tribute to Governor Alia. His Excellency, Mr. Governor, I am sure you do not know me. I am one of those faceless Nigerians, a teacher for that matter, whose job is to seek, find and tell the truth at all times even at great hazard. When Senator George Akume, the SGF, in his speech quoted the Parable of the Sower as contained in the Gospels and referred to himself as the Sower he gave me a good laugh. The sum of my message is that: Benue people don’t need Sowers at this time. Benue people need farmers who can till the soil, who can plant the seeds, water the seeds to germinate, bloom and eventually flower. Governor Alia is a farmer and not a Sower. Benue people have broken out of their historical lethargy and they are willing to move forward. History itself will lay its heavy hand on all those who want to derail Benue from its chosen path of orderly progress into renewed anarchy, chaos and disorder. Let’s have a new Benue.
Finally, in writing these lines I know that Prof. Hagher is my teacher but he should remember that one repays a teacher very badly if one remains a pupil forever. I have grown from a pupil to an intellectual worker and as an intellectual, I am in a position to expose the lies of government, to analyse actions according to their causes, motives and hidden intentions. No harm is intended. Long Live Benue state. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
● Jeff Doki, Ph.D, is a Professor of Comparative Literature with the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Nigeria. Doki was repliying to Prof. Hagher article published five days ago in ThisDayLive. It is reproduced below.
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Brazen arrogance and dangerous assault on democracy in Benue State
By Iyorwuese Hagher
On 13th December 2025, the Tiv nation celebrated Tiv Day, a day of joy and festivities for all Tiv people worldwide. President Ahmed Bola Tinubu instructed his trusted friend and political ally of many decades, Senator George Akume, CON, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), to represent him at the celebration. The President’s message of solidarity with the Tiv people was clear, passionate, and deeply resonant.
I was a member of this presidential delegation alongside the Honourable serving cabinet minister, Professor Joseph Utsev, Minister of Water Resources, and a distinguished Tiv elder, my fellow Second Republic Senator Jack Tilley-Gyado; serving members of the National Assembly, Hon. Asema Achado and Hon. Terseer Ugbor; as well as Dr Pius Akuta and Dr Matthias Byuan, and Christopher Tarka, Tiv sons holding high offices in the administration. We departed Abuja on a presidential flight that landed in Makurdi. We were all dressed in various styles and shades, highlighting Tiv culture. We looked forward to a joyful celebration and warm welcome among our brothers and sisters, as well as to relishing the honours conferred by the Tiv Traditional Council through traditional titles with diverse appellations.
However, as soon as we landed at Makurdi airport, the Benue State Government and the Tiv Traditional Councils’ welcome party and festivities for the President’s envoy and delegation were absent. Instead, we faced a chilling and shocking display of arrogance, lawlessness, and violent intolerance in our state. What I saw on Saturday remains one of the most disturbing episodes in Nigeria’s recent political history.
Apart from representing the President, Senator George Akume is not only the highest-ranking federal officer from Benue and a founding member of the party, but also a two-term Governor of Benue State, a three-term Senator, and a former minister. His current position is the highest any Benue person has ever held in any Nigerian Government. Moreover, he is a longstanding political benefactor to the succeeding governors of the state and to many within its political structure, including being at the forefront of the platform that elected Governor Hyacinth Alia.
By every standard of civility, culture, and political hierarchy, the SGF deserved a respectful and dignified reception. All members of the delegation, both individually and collectively, are the very pinnacle of Tiv society and form part of the national and global elite. What we received was not a welcome but a humiliation.
From the moment of arrival, it was clear that the Governor of Benue State, Reverend Father Dr Chief Hyacinth Alia, either failed or refused to offer the basic courtesy expected of his office. Based on his past actions, it was apparent that the Governor orchestrated the humiliation of the presidential delegation through a bold display of unwarranted political arrogance.
Instead of a warm welcome, the Governor’s reception party was hostile, verbally abusive, and contemptuous. They sang derisive chants of “No Alia, No Benue,” a slogan weaponised to insult and diminish the SGF in full public view. It was an act of arrogance so brazen that it stunned members of the delegation. The SGF and his delegation, along with supporters, moved into their waiting vehicles to avoid escalation of chaos.
We were compelled to flee from the hostile mob and make our way to Gboko, the venue of the Tiv Day celebration, in the hope that the cultural setting would restore calm. However, the situation worsened. A much larger, more aggressive crowd surged towards the area where the SGF was seated. Meanwhile, his delegation, the Honourable Minister, and Members of the National Assembly either shared seats, sat precariously on armrests, or stood, gazing at the rapidly unfolding, volatile, and frightening atmosphere.
In the chaos, I saw a horrifying act. A member of the Governor’s mob, shouting “No Alia No Benue”, drew a knife and stabbed a youth who was begging for calm. The young man fell to the ground, wounded, as panic spread. The celebration ground turned into what could only be described as a battlefield — noisy, hostile, and completely out of control.
Even the reading of the Presidential address was not spared from this disgrace. As the SGF attempted to deliver the message of Mr President, the mob surged forward onto the stage, drowning his voice with aggressive drumming, hissing, and animalistic howling. It was a deliberate attempt to silence not only the SGF but also President Tinubu himself.
In this tense and perilous environment, members of the delegation were targeted individually. I was personally pursued by some miscreants chanting their maddening refrain, “No Alia No Benue.” Fearing for my life, I escaped into a parked bus as I watched the SGF and other members being evacuated from the arena to safety by the military. In the chaos, I missed the Presidential convoy, which managed to break free and return to the airport in Makurdi for an emergency departure back to Abuja.
Stranded and shaken, I had to spend the night in Makurdi under tense circumstances and could only return to Abuja by road the following day, 14th December.
This incident I witnessed is not merely an embarrassing moment for Benue State; it is a matter of national concern. It signifies a grave insult to the office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation and the Presidency. It reflects a troubling tolerance and a disturbing admiration by the Benue Government for political intimidation, mob violence, and abuse of power within Benue State.
Governor Alia alone should accept responsibility and acknowledge the hostile environment that allowed this disgrace. Leadership requires restraint, respect for institutions, and safeguarding guests, regardless of political differences. The incidents in Makurdi and Gboko were failures of leadership and tarnish Benue State’s reputation.
Benue State and Nigeria cannot afford to normalise such dangerous intolerance. I have decided to speak out because all lovers of democracy must condemn the treatment meted out to the SGF and the Presidential delegation in the strongest terms in the interest of democracy, unity, and national stability.
Finally, as one of Nigeria’s longest-serving and most senior politicians, intellectuals, and diplomats from 1977 to 2025, I have paid my dues and earned the right to state the following:
a. To His Excellency Rev. Fr. Dr. Chief Hyacinth Alia (whom I have never met in person), I have nonetheless observed your administration with deep concern: the firm grip on the State House of Assembly, the political contagion and manipulation of traditional institutions, and your involvement in conduct you should be ashamed of, such as failing to control your fiercely violent supporters and threatening to use witchcraft on people. However, nothing in your playbook of toxic leadership surpasses your ongoing, unwarranted cruelty towards the SGF, in an attempt to establish dominance. Everyone knows that the SGF’s unforgivable sin in your eyes was aiding your rise to become governor of Benue State when you were a complete outsider to the APC platform.
b. IF THIS DESPERATION, WHICH I HAVE SEEN YOU DISPLAY AGAINST THE BENUE STATE POLITICAL LEADERS AND PEOPLE, IS AIMED AT BECOMING A ONE-TERM GOVERNOR, THEN YOU HAVE JUST ACHIEVED YOUR GOAL AND EARNED THE PASS MARK.
c. To His Royal Highness the Tor Tiv, I would like to let you know that you hold a royal, revered and prestigious stool of our ancestor Takuruku Anyam Azenga. Please do not desecrate it with political partisanship. It is deeply troubling. Please redress, Your Majesty.
d. To the SGF, I implore you to listen to yourself in the Bible’s parable of the Sower you gave in your Tiv Day speech. You are the Sower who sowed on hard ground, the stony ground and the thorny ground. But the next seed you will sow will be in the good and fertile ground. Do not despair, the best is yet to come.
A word is enough for the wise.
● Prof. Hagher, OON, former Senator, Ambassador wrote from Abuja.
