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Get ready for a tale of tradition, triumph, and a political twist that’s rocking Benue State! On September 28, 2025, the Jemgbagh people of Tiv land threw an unforgettable New Yam Festival that started as a heartfelt cultural homecoming—and swiftly morphed into a thunderous endorsement of their hometown hero, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, the Executive Governor of Benue State. This wasn’t just a celebration; it was a historic moment that fused heritage, leadership, and destiny into a vibrant spectacle!
Picture this: the air filled with the aroma of freshly pounded yam (*ruam u iyou ki kumen*) and delicacies, the festive buzz of a slaughtered pig or compound fowl, and an open invitation echoing through the community. Chief Daniel Ayua Abomtse, JP, Chairman of Gwer-West Local Government Traditional Council, set the stage, declaring the New Yam Festival a symbol of resilience, abundance, and unbroken continuity. Even those with poor harvests joined the feast, proving that this celebration unites hearts and hands across the land.
For the Jemgbagh people, Governor Alia’s stellar achievements—think booming agriculture, cutting-edge infrastructure, top-tier education, industrial leaps, security breakthroughs, and governance reforms—shine as proof of divine ordination. His past as a Catholic Priest, blessed by the Mother Church, is seen as a sacred nod to keep his transformative journey rolling toward its fullest potential. The crowd’s energy was electric, their cheers a call for Alia’s vision to soar even higher!
This wasn’t just a party—it was a powerful convergence of ancestry, spirituality, and politics, deeply rooted in the Tiv belief that leadership is a divine calling. For Benue State, it’s a wake-up call: good governance isn’t just about policies or projects—it’s about identity, belonging, and the blessings of the people. As the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue, Alia’s return to his roots felt like a homecoming and a bold mandate to steer the state toward 2031 with unstoppable momentum.
Observers are buzzing, predicting this endorsement could ignite a wildfire of Tiv support ahead of 2027. Alia’s dream? To stretch this vibrant festival beyond Jemgbagh, weaving Tiv culture into statehood through icons like the Mzough U Tiv and Tor Tiv, while solidifying his political stronghold. The crowd roared in approval!
The festival’s soul lay in Alia’s maternal ties to Jemgbagh, a lineage that pulses with emotional and spiritual weight in Tiv tradition—often balancing paternal authority with its nurturing force. The Jemgbagh people didn’t just welcome their son; they reaffirmed their sacred role in shaping Tiv and Benue politics. Symbolically, their blessing was a joyous reunion of son and parents, painting a picture of society as one family under God. In a land often divided by rivalries, this unity struck a chord, casting Alia as more than a governor—a beloved family member carrying the dreams of his lineage.
Governor Alia stole hearts with a heartfelt message: “My maternal home invited me to share a meal with them. It’s the first new yams of the season, and as we kick off this year, I want to make it an annual celebration for all of Tiv land!” The crowd erupted! This bold vision not only roots him in Tiv culture but elevates the festival into a potential State-Wide Celebration (SWC), a beacon of agrarian pride and identity.
In Tiv cosmology, Jemgbagh isn’t just a dot on the map—it’s an ancestral powerhouse with a deep spiritual and political legacy. Historically tied to ordained leadership in the Mbakor area, the Jemgbagh bloodline’s blessing of Alia invokes ancient authority, blending culture and politics into a leadership legacy that’s impossible to ignore.
The Jemgbagh endorsement is a political earthquake, transcending cultural sentiment to wield strategic might in Benue’s dynamic landscape. It catapults Alia onto the state and national radar, cementing his legitimacy as a dynamic governor and a son embraced by his people at their core. In a state where politics dances around ancestral claims, communal loyalty, and cultural blessings, this gesture is a rock-solid anchor, fueled by Alia’s dazzling achievements.
As the festival swapped seedlings and filled granaries with yams by December/January, it proved food is the heartbeat of Tiv society. With Alia’s maternal home opening its doors to share the harvest, the event celebrated his monumental wins and planted seeds for a legacy that could ripple across Tiv land.
Photo Credits: Lanshima Ephraim
