In a landmark session of the Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC), known as Ijir Tamen, held today, November 8, 2025, at the palace and presided by His Royal Majesty Prof. James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, the Tor Tiv and paramount ruler of the Tiv Nation, has abolished and amended other traditional practices.
These reforms aim to modernize Tiv customs, curb extravagance, promote gender equity, and foster community welfare across the global Tiv diaspora. The decisions underscore the enduring authority of the Tiv Kingdom, one of Nigeria's most influential ethnic polities.
Key Reforms on Burials and Inheritance in TIV Land, Benue State
Prof. Ayatse, a distinguished academic and the 4th Tor Tiv since the title's revival in 1947, emphasized fiscal prudence and familial intimacy in death rites.
Hence burials must now occur within three days and remain strictly family affairs, devoid of ostentatious displays. Families are prohibited from imposing levies on married women for ceremonies—contributions must be voluntary. Annual burial remembrances, viewed as financial drains, are outright banned.
In a progressive stride toward gender parity, women are now entitled to equal inheritance rights, enforceable in court. This amendment challenges longstanding patrilineal norms, signaling the Tiv Kingdom's commitment to equity amid evolving societal dynamics.
Transformations in Traditional Marriages in TIV Land Benue State
To rein in escalating wedding costs that strain households, traditional marriage expenditures are capped at N100,000 for bride-price items. Borrowed Western customs, such as cake-cutting ceremonies, have been abolished.
Celebrations welcoming the new bride must no longer take place at the groom's family home, promoting privacy and reducing pressure on in-laws. Physical abuse of spouses—by men against wives or vice versa is strictly forbidden, with violators facing traditional sanctions.
Reaffirming core tenets, no woman may be crowned a king (Ter) in Tiv land, and petitions to alter this are dismissed to safeguard established hierarchies.
Broader Bans and Global Reach in TIV Land Benue State
A pivotal public health measure prohibits the consumption and production of ogogoro, the locally distilled alcoholic beverage notorious for its potency and health risks, across the entire Tiv Kingdom. These edicts apply universally to all Tiv people worldwide, from diaspora communities in Europe and North America to settlements in neighboring African nations, leveraging the Tor Tiv's symbolic and advisory authority.
New Initiatives for Empowerment and Media in Benue State
In tandem with reforms, the Tiv Nation unveiled Tiv Television, a digital platform launching optionally on Facebook and slated for full broadcast television rollout. This venture aims to amplify Tiv voices, preserve oral histories, and disseminate cultural education globally.
Women's economic upliftment takes center stage with the establishment of the BAM (Weekly Financial Contribution) initiative, a cooperative fund providing low-interest loans to female entrepreneurs and households, fostering financial independence.
Security Imperatives
Discussions on security matters, critical amid Benue's herder-farmer tensions, yielded strategic but undisclosed directives. The Tor Tiv urged unity and restraint, echoing his March 2025 admonition against youth vigilantism. These measures, per council insiders, prioritize community defense without compromising peace.
Prof. Ayatse's Ijir Tamen, convened biennially as the Tiv's supreme deliberative body, exemplifies the kingdom's resilience and forward vision. As one elder noted, "The Tor Tiv doesn't just rule; he evolves us." With these changes, the Tiv long the Benue Valley's cultural powerhouse reaffirm their role as a beacon of progressive tradition in Nigeria
The Tiv people, numbering over 5 million and comprising about 2.4% of Nigeria's population, dominate the Benue Valley as its most homogeneous and predominant ethnic group. Concentrated primarily in Benue State with extensions into Nasarawa, Taraba, and Plateau they have shaped the region's socio-political landscape for centuries through a decentralized yet formidable governance system rooted in gerontocracy and communal consensus.
Historically, the Tiv built one of the most powerful military machines in the Benue Region from the 1500s to 1915, resisting external conquests and establishing a "stateless" society characterized by egalitarian structures, absence of centralized coercion, and strong resistance to hierarchical impositions.
Today, under the Tor Tiv—the most revered and powerful traditional monarch in Tiv lore, often described as wielding unparalleled influence over millions the kingdom continues to exert dominance in Benue politics, culture, and resource allocation, with the ruler serving as president of the TATC and chairman of the Benue State Council of Chiefs.
This session, building on the TATC's October 25 approval for the 2025 Tiv Cultural Day and Summit (December 10-13), reflects the kingdom's adaptive leadership in addressing contemporary challenges while preserving its storied heritage.