By Moses Uzer
It was a day before yesterday evening, 29th December, 2023 that I met with Senator Susemo Chia, the author of a Tiv classic novel, Adan Wade Kohol Ga, translated in English as The Story of Adan Wade by Prof. Tyoughdzua Akosu of Benue State University, Makurdi in the department of English Language. Prof Akosu was my lecturer during both my undergraduate and post graduate studies.
I met with Sen Chia opposite Tito Yo​gurt, at railway bypass palm wine joint in Makurdi where a colleague of mine in the media profession and News Editor, Radio Benue, Makurdi, Mr Thaddeus Apav called me to meet him where he was relaxing.
The last time I saw Sen Chia was in early 2015, about 8 years ago at a meeting of Sankera Development Association (SADA) in Katsina-Ala when he was called to speak for the people of Katsina-Ala. This was the time the people of Sankera were preparing to get the Tor Sankera. This was also the time the people of Sankera were clamouring for the position of the 5th Tor Tiv stool which they believed it ought to have been zoned to them.
I interacted freely with him and requested to take a selfie with him and to my greatest surprise, he obliged immediately even without hesitation. Elder Chia said he did avail himself to the younger generation like me who are keen in researching on the Tiv people and its culture which I belong.
According to the novelist, The Story of Adan Wade mainly focuses on the evils of colonialism and how colonisation made things to fall apart in Tiv society. He said the process of taking over our lands, governments and administration or governance was facilitated by the Tiv themselves through infighting and envy as tools or mechanisms. The Tiv strong, hardworking and energetic youths who were either orphans, or of low income parentage were used to have been forced into mining at Jos mountains to excavate precious stones. The mining process was called “Kuza” a combination of two Tiv words “ku” and “za” i.e ‘death’ and ‘go’ in English. It was so named because many people who went mining were not used to coming back alive, hence “kuza” , “zaku” or “za kpe!”.
When Adan Wade had a horrible dream or most appropriately a nightmare, he secretary comes home only to discover his very beautiful pregnant woman dead. This is where the title of the novel is derived.
The novelist told us that the death of Adan’s wife, Shido, (pronounced shidoo) the daughter of Agena signifies the beginning of the collapse of the Tiv Nation. Like Chinua Achebe’s Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart, Adan Wade, the protagonist of the novel represents the Tiv youths who made efforts to resist colonial influence in order to not only reform the Tiv culture but also sustain it to no avail. This equally brings the theme of the futility of life as seen in Ernest Hermingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.
Though, the protagonist does not die physically, he dies socially, psychologically, culturally and economically. His pregnant wife represents women who suffer and die innocently as a result of jealousness in Tiv land and the negative effect of colonial intrusion in Africa and Nigeria in particular. The author does not make mistake when he takes time and uses several paragraphs to describe the beauty of Shido who symbolises the Tiv Mother Nation. He describes the adorable nature of the Tiv Nation which suddenly becomes ugly because Adan Wade comes back but does not meet the beauty anymore. Even the inborn child which implies the future of the Tiv Nation dies along side the mother in the fotus which means that, tomorrow of the Tiv nation is also aborted even right before the Tiv classic novel was scribed.
When asked the way forward or whether there are possibilities that the Tiv culture could be revived, revaped or restored, the custodian of Tiv culture said, it would be very difficult because the head of the snake has passed (Iyô kar ityough). Sen Chia, however, said until the Tiv people detached from the root of envy (iyuhwe), otherwise their Adan Wades will continue to die together with their wives and the unborn children.
He illustrated many Tiv proverbial phrases which are making the Tiv people to trek away from progress such as “Asôhô ka agba hen ihungwa akande” (when toads fall into a pit, they starve of hunger and slim), “Avange ka una yer ken ichaha ita chaha awen (When a lizard uses Chaha tree as refuge, the chaha tree suffers the lizard’s action by stoning), “Ka a kpelan ikpa i ande” (when two brothers or groups struggle over a bag, it tears) among others.
He maintained that unless, the Tiv people realise the power of the Tiv proverbs and focus on the positve aspects of same that the people would develop and tackle its divers problems. He appreciated the contributions of some Tiv proverbs to the development of Takuruku to include “Iyuhwe ka mtuhwem” (jealousy is ashes), “Angbian ka una lu sha ipungwa u ya i elegh/engem (when one’s brother/sister occupies a high position, their relatives get benefits).
We took a very good palm wine for an hour or so when he finally got into his small fine car and his driver zoomed into the nights of Makurdi town. There was no need asking him why he prefers palm wine to beer or other chemicals called wine.
The literary icon said the car was donated to him by the immediate past governor of Benue state, Chief Dr Samuel Ortom. When asked whether Ortom is the only Benue illustrious son that offered him a car, Sen Suemo Chia said “No, another former governor of Benue, Sen. Gabriel Suswam gave me a Jeep but the jeep was too bogus and ostentatious for me”. I did not ask to know whether he sold it or not because one doesn’t ask one’s Elder such a question.
I went there with my brother-in-law, Engr Isaiah Angyer, a senior staff with Federal Road Maintenance Agency. I am in Makurdi for a medical vacation.
