Ushongo Local Government Area
Ushongo local government was created in May 1989 by the Babangida administration.

The local government derives its name from Ushongo Hills located at Ushongo town in Mbayegh District.

HEADQUARTERS:
Lessel

LOCATION:
Ushongo local government is located between latitude 70

USHONGO HILL

BOUNDARIES:
North: Gboko Local Government Area and Buruku Local Governments Area,
South: Vandeikya Local Government Area,
East: Kwande Local Government Area, and
West: Konshisha Local Government Area
POPULATION:
About 123,166 (26th November 1991 census)
About 191,935 (21st March 2006 census)

commercial quantities in Mbagir and Mbakuta wards/districts.
Already, such stones are being mined in small quantities for commercial purposes.
High quality marble exists in large commercial quantities at the Ushongo Hills in Mbayegh district.
It is now confirmed that large quantities of clay exists at Anwo Gbor in Mbaaka District capable of supporting and sustaining a ceramic industry. Consequent upon the absence of any such industry, such clay has since time immemorial been the source for clay that supports and sustains local pottery works by women in that part of Ushongo.
INFRASTRUCTURE:
Although Ushongo is a new local government with a rural background, there exists moderate modern infrastructural facilities in the area. The area, for instance is effectively linked with other local government areas in the state by both federal and state roads. There are also many intra local government roads that are useful for the evacuation of agricultural products from the interior to urban or commercial centres.

The local government headquarters is soon to be hooked to the national grid. With these infrastructural facilities, the local government can conveniently support the setting up of the following industries:

Fruit juice,
Rice mill,
Cassava Processing Industry,
Flour mills,
Ceramic industry,
Stone crushing,
Mining industry, and
Glass industry

James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, Tor Tiv V (born 12 May 1956) from Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State in central Nigeria is a Nigerian academic who is the Paramount Ruler/King of Tiv Nation and president, Tiv Area Traditional Council and chairman, Benue State council of Chiefs. He previously served as the vice chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi and the pioneer vice chancellor of the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma respectively before succeeding Alfred Akawe Torkula, Tor Tiv IV, who ruled from 1991 until his death on 22 November 2015.

Ayatse was elected on Tuesday, 20 December 2016, and crowned on 4 March 2017, by the Kingmakers after a meeting of the Tiv Supreme Council known as Ijir Tamen, held at the chambers of the Tiv Traditional Council at Gboko – a town recognized as the Traditional Headquarters of the Tiv people who are believed to be the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Prior to becoming Tor Tiv V, Ayatse, an academic became a professor of biochemistry in his late thirties and would later serve as the vice chancellor in two separate Federal universities between 2001 and 2006 and 2011 – 2016 respectively, making him only the first Tiv man to do so. As Tor Tiv V, Ayatse is also the first Tiv man to ever rule his subjects as a professor. In contrast with his predecessor who took Oath of Office for the Tor Tiv Throne swearing by the ancestral “Swem”, Ayatse swore by the Christian Bible, becoming the second Tor Tiv, after Tor Tiv III Akperan Orshi, to take Oath of Office using the Bible. President Mohammadu Buhari congratulated the Monarch, stating that Ayatse’s emergence as the paramount ruler of the Tiv people, is an affirmation of his strength of character, integrity, and moral authority, garnered over the years as a lecturer, erudite scholar and administrator.

EARLY LIFE

James Ayatse was born to Iorzua Ayatse and Adeior Iorzua (née Achaa, Mbarumun, Nanev) in Mbakaan, Shangev-Ya, Kwande Local Government Area in the North-East province of Benue State. He received elementary schooling at LGEA School, Orbiam, Ikov, Ushongo Local Government Area and later, LGEA School, Mbagbegba, Shangev-Ya and St Anne’s Primary School Adikpo where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate. He attended and passed out with a West African School Certificate (WASC) – a division one certificate at Government Secondary School, Gboko that qualified him for university education. Ayatse then proceeded to the University of Ibadan, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry. He went on to obtain his Master of Science at the University of Calabar before moving to the University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom as a Commonwealth student for further studies that culminated in a doctorate in biochemistry. The Tor Tiv then returned to one of his alma maters – the University of Calabar for his MBA and rose to become a professor of biochemistry, making him the first Tiv man to achieve this.

CAREER

Ayatse started his career in 1980, as a graduate assistant in the University of Calabar and progressed steadily to the rank of a professor of Biochemistry in 1993, at the age of 37. His career spans teaching to education management. He taught at the University of Calabar, University of Uyo, Benue State University, Makurdi, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, University of Abuja and the Federal university, Dutisn-Ma. He taught biochemistry, Business Management and Public Administration to different groups of students and has bred several B.Sc., M.Sc., MBA, MPA and PhD holders in his over 35 years teaching career. Ayatse has served as External Assessor for Professional appointments/Promotions and External Examiner to a large number of universities; he chaired the National Universities Committees on performance indicators and minimum benchmark for science programmes in Nigerian Universities. He also chaired several panels for the accreditation of science programmes in Nigerian Universities. He served in the capacity of Chairman or member of several communities or governing boards at international, national and state levels. He was involved on three separate occasions in formulation of the vision and blueprint for the development of his own state of Benue.In 2001, Ayatse was appointed the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi succeeding Erastus Gyang. Reflecting on this in an interview preceding his emergence as Tor Tiv V, Ayatse stated that he inherited a student population of about 2000 and fluctuating cases of violent students’ demonstrations as well as staff union strikes, all of which he helped resolved amicably as the Vice Chancellor of the School. This earned him the reputation as the most peace loving Vice Chancellor of the Institution as there was no student demonstrations arising from internal problems throughout his tenure. He expanded the university by establishing several new departments and colleges that yielded students’ population of about 7000 before the end of his five-year tenure as the Vice Chancellor.In 2011, Ayatse was appointed as the Pioneer Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma – one of the nine Federal Universities established by President Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration. Ayatse went on to become the 1st Vice Chancellor out of the nine Federal Universities established at the time to graduate students and Mobilize them for Mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). He also conducted the maiden convocation of the university before completing his 5-year tenure. He laid the foundation for an ICT-driven University with computerized and online services, prompting Webometrics to rate the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma as the 14th Best University in January 2015 and 2016 ahead of many older universities in Nigeria.

EMERGENCE AND CORONATION AS TOR TIV (V)

After being vice chancellor of the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Ayatse was elected on Tuesday, 20 December 2016, in a keen contest with three other contenders. He polled 39 votes out of the possible 46 to defeat fellow contestants –Daniel Saror, a former vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University; Zaria who scored three votes; Benedict Shinku, who also got three votes; and Andrew Wombo, a lawyer who scored one vote. Ayatse was crowned as Tor Tiv V on 4 March 2017. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State presented him with Staff of Office.

Source: Wikipedia

Guma Local Government Area was created out of the old Makurdi Local Government Area in 1987 by the then regime of Col. Fidelis A. Makka. The Local Government is name after ‘River Guma’ in Benue State.

HEADQUARTERS:
Guma Local Government Area has it’s headquarters in Gbajimba
(The name Gbajimba derived from Hausa word ‘Banjiba’ which means: ‘I don’t understand’. As years go by, the name began to lose it original pronounciation. Hence the name ‘Gbajimba’).

DISTANCE FROM MAKURDI:
37km (An hour journey)

BOUNDARIES:
Guma has Logo Local Government Area to the east, Makurdi and Tarka Local Government Areas to the south and Doma Local Government Area of Nassarawa State to the West
MAJOR TOWNS:
The major town in Guma Local Government Area areGbajimb

Daudu,

Torkula,

Kase-yough,

Abinsi:
Mbabegha Village:
Agasha

POPULATION:
By 2006 Census, the local government had a total population of 191,599 people.

PEOPLE:
Though Guma local government is predominantly occupied by the Tiv people, other tribes too live in Guma, they are Jukun, Hausa, and Kabuwa.

COUNCIL WARDS OR DISTRICTS AND POLLING UNITS:
Kaambe
Abinsi
Uvir
Saghev
Nzorov
Nyiev
Mbabai
Mbayer or Yandev
Mbawa, and
Mbadwen
Guma local government has One Hundred and Sixty polling units.

POLITICALLY:
Guma shares a Federal House of Representative seat with Makurdi local government and has one seat House of Assembly seat. Guma people have a culture just like their Tiv brothers and sisters.

MAJOR DANCE:
Tsuwe-Tsele,
Ajo, Ihanga and
So many folk singers.

MARKETS:
Gbajimba market,
Daudu market,
Agasha market,
Abinsi market

CRAFTSMANSHIP:
Crafts and blacksmith are known handiwork in the area. The people of Guma local government are known for the production of:

Bows
Arrows
Cutlasses
Axes and
Knives
For domestic and commercial purposes.

TRANSPORTATION:
Guma is served with roads linking most parts with the state capital, Makurdi and Nassarawa state.

Guma also makes use of water transport as river Gbajimba is linked with river Benue.