By Amos Aar
FORMER Chairman of Ukum LGC, Hon. David Sev-av, has been elected as the new Tor Sankera on Wednesday at the Akume Atongo Stadium in Katsina-Ala.
Hon. Sev-av emerged victorious in an election by defeating other contenders with 38 votes.
Dr. Tiza Suswam, his closest rival, came second with four votes, while Dr. Thomas Mlanga received one vote.
National Record gathered that the three final contestants were pruned down from an initial list of 42 following a rigorous screening exercise.
Sev-av will succeed the first Tor Sankera, the late Chief Abu King Shuluwa, who passed on in January 2024. Sankera, comprising Katsina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo LGAs, had been without a leader since his demise.
The election panel was chaired by Hon. Denen Aondoakaa, Special Adviser to the Governor of Benue State on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, alongside the Secretary of the Tiv Traditional Council, Mr. Tyozua Shinyi, while district heads and Imue-ter served as delegates.
A certificate of return was immediately presented to Hon. Sev-av after the election.
Born on October 1, 1968, in Tse Tor-Najime, Kendev Council Ward of Ukum LGA, Benue State, Hon. Sev-av is a politician, businessman, and philanthropist.
He began his education at LGEA Primary School, Bossua, earning his First School Leaving Certificate in 1982. He later attended Ngenev Community Secondary School, Sankera, where he obtained his WASSCE in 1989.
In 1993, he enrolled at Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, completing a certificate course before obtaining a National Diploma in 1997. His academic pursuit continued at the University of Calabar, where he graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Educational Management. He later earned a second degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship from the National Open University of Nigeria, Makurdi Study Centre, in 2014.
Hon. Sev-av started his career as a civil servant on October 1, 1994, with the Area Education Authority in Ukum LGA. He actively participated in staff unionism, serving as Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union, Ukum Branch, from 1998 to 2000, and later as Zone ‘A’ Chairman from 2001 to 2006. On October 1, 2007, he voluntarily resigned from civil service to pursue a career in politics.
Elected as the Chairman of Ukum LGC on January 3, 2008, he served until 2010 when his tenure ended. His outstanding performance led to his appointment as Caretaker Chairman by then Governor Gabriel Torwua Suswam on January 19, 2011, a position he held until November 2012.
His contributions to local government administration earned him unanimous election as Chairman of the Benue State Chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) from 2011 to 2012. After leaving office, he was appointed as a Board Member of the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, from 2013 to 2015.
Currently, he serves as the Board Chairman of First Fertility Hospital, Makurdi, and is the Managing Director of Twins Table Water, Zaki-Biam, as well as the CEO of Tyosev Global Farms Nigeria Ltd.
As the new Tor Sankera, expectations are high for him to restore peace in the region, which has long suffered from insecurity.
His predecessor, Chief Abu King Shuluwa, reportedly struggled to exert influence over his subjects and he resided in Makurdi instead of Sankera owing to opposition against him by many of his subjects.
Hon. Sev-av’s emergence is alleged to have been influenced by former Governor Gabriel Suswam, Chief of Staff to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Hon. Paul Biam, and the House of Representatives member for Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo federal constituency, Hon. Solomon Wombo.
His ability to gain the trust and cooperation of his subjects will be crucial in his mission to bring stability and unity to the troubled region if the choice made by the aforementioned few personalities represents that of the entire subjects.
