JOSEF ONOH Reacts To Controversy Surrounding Tinubu's Directive To Benue Governor

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President Bola Tinubu’s former campaign spokesman in the South East, Dr. Josef Onoh has reacted to the controversy surrounding what the President meant when he told Governor Hyacinth Ali of Benue State to reconcile parties involved in Benue killings.

President Bola Tinubu had issued a statement calling for Governor Alia to reconcile stakeholders in a bid to restore peace in Benue State, adding that Governor Alia should act as a statesman and

“immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring peace to Benue.”

President Tinubu’s directive to the Benue state Governor has however attracted attacks on the President with people such as a former House of Representatives member, Mark Gbillah, questioning whether Tinubu’s call for reconciliation implies he knows the identities of the killers.

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Gbillah suggested that if Tinubu wants reconciliation, he should reveal the killers’ identities.

But Onoh in clarification of Tinubu’s statement, said that the President’s directive was in order and in line with a more expanded viewpoints beyond the current insecurity crisis as the root causes of the terrorist activities in Benue state, stressing that the crisis goes beyond the surface perspective which some Nigerians are forming their opinion to criticize the president’s statement.

Onoh said that the president understands the complexities surrounding the insecurity issues in Benue State, which he noted also has deep-rooted ethnic dimension but often framed as ethnic and religious (Christian vs. Muslim) crisis, with some alleging ethnic cleansing by Fulani herders against the indigenous Tiv, Idoma and other communities.

“This perception has continuously fueled mistrust and retaliatory violence. From that perspective, the president’s statement is in order. Also, intra-ethnic and communal clashes which most politicians and indigenes of Benue State are fully aware of are beyond herder-farmer conflicts. Their intra-ethnic and communal disputes among Benue’s indigenous groups contributed to the current insecurity and from that perspective, the president’s statement is in order because these disputes often arise over land boundaries, Chieftaincy titles, and political representation.”

He gave the instance of attacks in communities such as Umogidi in Otukpo LGA (April 2023) which highlights internal communal violence.

“Therefore, the president’s statement is clear, and the people he’s talking to know he’s not speaking in tongues but knows the right thing to do. The ethnic problems in Benue, particularly the herder-farmer conflicts, intra-ethnic disputes, and banditry, are deeply intertwined with issues of resource competition, weak governance, and historical grievances,” Onoh insisted in his defense.

He stated that the dynamics have created a cycle of violence and displacement, with over two million people affected in recent years.

He said that it was based on the realities that prompted the president’s statement aimed at addressing the challenges beyond the current situation and requires a multifaceted approach that combines security reforms, economic development, and inclusive governance to foster peace and stability in Benue State.

“This was the major reason President Bola Ahmed Tinubu charged the Governor of Benue State, His Excellency Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, to convene reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties to end the incessant bloodshed in the state.”

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