‘Tiv Community In Chanchanji Angry With Reps Member Hon Mark Useni’

Members of the Tiv community in Chanchanji Ward of Takum Local Government Area have expressed disappointment over what they described as total neglect by the member representing Takum, Donga and Ussa Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Chief Mark Useni.

Residents who spoke with our reporter said they felt betrayed by their representative, particularly following recent attacks that reportedly claimed many lives and displaced hundreds of people in the area.

One of the residents said the lawmaker failed to visit the community or raise the issue on the floor of the House of Representatives after the attacks.

"Our representative has not even visited the area after the recent attacks. We expected Hon. Mark Useni to speak on the floor of the House about the killings in Chanchanji. Over 200 of his constituents were killed, and we wanted him to draw national and international attention to what is happening here, but he failed us," the resident said.

 

They noted that lawmakers from other parts of the state had publicly raised security concerns affecting their constituencies, while the incident in Chanchanji, described as one of the largest wards in the constituency, was met with silence.

Another resident recalled that although the lawmaker once visited the area, the intervention made during the visit was insignificant.

"What he gave then was nothing to write home about. Our people don't want money; they want peace. We want the world and Mr President to know about the killings, destruction of property and livelihoods happening in Chanchanji," the resident added.

The community further lamented the poor condition of internally displaced persons (IDPs), noting that many are taking refuge in overcrowded primary and secondary schools, as well as market squares.

Community members said tens of thousands of people have been displaced from remote settlements following attacks by armed groups, forcing them to take refuge in IDP camps in Peva, the headquarters of Chanchanji Ward.

They lamented that the camps lack access to potable water, noting that Peva has only a few boreholes which are now overstretched by the influx of displaced persons. As a result, many residents and displaced farmers are reportedly forced to fetch dirty water from nearby streams by digging potholes along riverbanks. The community appealed to their lawmakers and relevant authorities to urgently come to the aid of the people of Chanchanji.

" The condition of people in the IDP camps is critical. Some are living in schools, others in market squares, and the congestion is terrible," another resident said.

The Tiv community also accused the lawmaker of neglecting over 90 per cent of the population who are currently displaced and living in IDP camps without adequate food, shelter or access to clean water.

Speaking in an interview, the Chairman of the Tiv Cultural Association, Taraba State, Takum Chapter, Mr Solomon Idah, said the Tiv community in the constituency has continued to face hardship without meaningful support.

According to him, there has been no empowerment programme or skills acquisition initiative for Tiv youths, nor adequate assistance for those displaced by violence.

"There is no programme, no skills acquisition for Tiv youths—nothing," Idah said.

He further alleged that there were no visible infrastructural projects executed by Chief Useni in Tiv communities since he assumed office, apart from the repainting of a primary school in Shinku, Chanchanji Ward.

"Aside from repainting one primary school at Shinku, there is nothing he has done in Chanchanji Ward," he said.

Idah also revealed that several community schools in the area have shut down due to insecurity and lack of infrastructure, leaving many children out of school.

He listed affected schools to include Government Day Secondary School Agu, Government Day Secondary School Shinku, Government Day Dumavah, and Government Day Secondary School New Gboko.

"All these schools have shut down. The communities have been scattered, and there has been no response from the member of the House of Representatives or even the state lawmaker," he added.

He lamented that elected representatives often abandon their constituents after elections.

"When we elect people into office, we expect them to stand with us in times like this. But as of now, there is nothing. We are very disappointed," Idah said.

Also speaking, the Youth Leader of the Tiv Youths Progressive Forum in Chanchanji Ward, Mr Joseph Ywange Emmanuel, said the only notable engagement with youths by Chief Useni was the appointment of one youth as a constituency aide.

He alleged that no constituency project has been executed by the lawmaker since he assumed office and that the security challenges facing the Tiv community have never been mentioned at the National Assembly.

"He has not mentioned it anywhere. No member representing this place has ever raised it," Emmanuel said.

According to him, the lawmaker only reaches out to the community during election periods, adding that the youths would no longer accept such approaches.

Chanchanji Ward, largely inhabited by Tiv indigenes , has in recent times experienced repeated attacks by suspected herdsmen and other armed militias, resulting in loss of lives, displacement of residents and widespread destruction of property.