The Tiv youths noted that Abba Moro, a former minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, oversaw the alleged lopsided recruitments, which favoured the Idoma youths more than Tiv candidates from Benue State into the military and paramilitary aagencies.
A Middle Belt group, the Tiv Youth Organisation Worldwide, has raised concerns over the lopsided admission procedures at the Nigerian Defence Academy, while urging the Commandant, Maj Gen O.J Ochai to take necessary actions in order to rectify the disparities and ensure a fair representation.
The Tiv youths noted that Abba Moro, a former minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, oversaw the alleged lopsided recruitments, which favoured the Idoma youths more than Tiv candidates from Benue State into the military and paramilitary aagencies.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja, the organisation's President-General, Andy Anzah, said, “In the 2021 admission into the 73 Regular Combatant Course of the NDA, out of 12 slots for Benue, the Tivs who have 14 LGs got two slots, with one in reserve, while the Idomas with nine LGs got 10 slots.
“While we do not demand the dismissal of Maj Gen J.O Ochai, we do ask him to address the unfairness in the admission of Tiv youths to that school in order to represent the genuine spirit of federal character.
"The recent one is the admission into the 75 Regular Combatant Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy, 2023 where the Idoma generals and their political collaborators have made it a duty to deprive Tiv youths of admission into that prestigious military school. Out of 13 slots for Benue State, Tiv who are the overwhelming majority in the state with two senatorial districts has three slots, and the Idoma has 10.
"Again, when Abba Moro was the Minister of Interior under former President Goodluck Jonathan, he superintended over massive recruitment of Idoma youths in the paramilitary with impunity to the detriment of the Tiv job applicants. Yet no one said anything.
"At the moment, Dr. Mrs. Mary Ada Ogbe, an Idoma woman is the federal Permanent Secretary enjoying the Benue slot. This is the position that no Tiv man has held for many years. Another case is Architect Sunday Echono, the former permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education who is now the Executive Secretary of TETFUND.
“The impunity is so loud that, when Echono was due for retirement, he allegedly orchestrated the appointment of one Mrs Ogbe to succeed him while he moved to TETFUND. He manipulated the Buhari administration to have his way at the detriment of the Nigerian people.
“This same man, Echono allegedly cornered a Federal College of Education meant for Tivs to his village and called it his "Retirement Benefit" which he is now using TETFUND money to build. We call on President Tinubu to suspend Echono from office to pave the way for a thorough investigation into his activities at the Federal Ministry of Education.”