Makir Zakpe

His Royal Majesty, Begha U Tiv, Orchivirigh, Makir Zakpe (also referred to as Dzakpe or Zape) was the first Tor Tiv, the paramount traditional ruler of the Tiv people of central Nigeria. He ruled from 19 September 1946 until his death on 11 October 1956. His installation as Tor Tiv resolved years of contentious debate among Tiv chiefs and elders over unified traditional leadership, following the British colonial administration's decision to allow the Tiv people to select their own king.

Makir Zakpe was born on 11 April 1896 at Mbayar, Nyumagbagh, in Mbaduku District, in what is now Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State. He belonged to the Kunav clan, of the Jechira group within the Ipusu lineage of the Tiv genealogy. His mother was from Mbagen, in present-day Buruku Local Government Area.

Makir Zakpe enlisted in the Royal West African Frontier Force (WAFF) at Calabar in 1918 and was posted to the Third Battalion of the Southern Nigeria Regiment. He served with Nigerian forces during the Second World War (1939-1946), and was promoted to the rank of Battalion Sergeant Major (BSM) before retiring from military service.

After leaving the army, he joined the Nigeria Police Force, first serving with the Jema'a Native Authority Police in Kafanchan before being transferred back to Benue State to serve as a police chief with the Tiv Native Authority (TNA) in Gboko.

On returning from the Second World War, Makir Zakpe and fellow Tiv veterans of the WAFF - including Lawrence Igyuse Doki - began campaigning for the installation of a single Tiv king. Having fought under and against monarchs during the war, the veterans felt strongly that British indirect rule had unjustly divided the Tiv people into three administrative factions, placed under the Jukun in the north-east, Cross River in the south, and Lafia division in the north-west - including the controversial appointment of Audu Dan Afoba as "Sarkin Makurdi" (King of Makurdi). The resulting unrest pressured the Governor of Nigeria, Sir Arthur Richards, to permit the Tiv people to select their own king in 1944.

Extensive politicking among Tiv chiefs narrowed the field to two contestants: Makir Zakpe, representing the Ipusu royal house, and Gondo Aluor, representing the Ichongo royal house. Within Kunavland, elder chief Ikyaagba Akpeye had initially backed his own grandson, Orya Chenge Ikyaagba, whose sudden death was blamed by some on mystical interference from rival contenders. Following reconciliation among Kunav chiefs - Achir Mede, Adamgbe Adasu, Uchir Zungwe and Agbo Kpire - a unanimous choice emerged: Makir Zakpe, a decorated World War II veteran from Kunav.

A vote was held before the Governor, and Makir Zakpe was declared the winner with 25 votes to Gondo Aluor's 11, with 18 chiefs abstaining. He was installed as the first Tor Tiv, with his reign formally beginning on 19 September 1946. He governed from his residence on Joe Akaahan Way, Gboko, for the remainder of his life.

His confirmation as the first Tor Tiv marked a climax in the political development of the Tiv people and helped resolve the succession crisis that followed the 1945 death of Audu Dan Afoda.

As Tor Tiv, Makir Zakpe worked to maintain peace and resolve conflicts across Tivland, applying the conflict-resolution experience gained during his military career. He approved the construction of the Tor Tiv office building in Gboko, and his administration suppressed the 1948 Garyo movement.

Makir Zakpe's installation as the first Tor Tiv unified the Tiv people under a single paramount ruler for the first time, ending decades of fragmented British indirect rule that had split the Tiv across three separate administrative zones. His coronation is regarded as a landmark moment in Tiv political history and a direct outcome of the advocacy of Tiv World War II veterans, who drew on their wartime experience to argue for unified traditional leadership.

Makir Zakpe established the Tor Tiv stool as the paramount traditional institution of the Tiv people, a role that has continued through successive Tor Tivs to the present day. His burial site at Abagu, Gboko, became the traditional burial ground for subsequent Tor Tivs.

• 11 April 1896 — Born at Mbayar, Mbaduku District, Vandeikya Local Government Area, Benue State
• 1918 — Enlisted in the Royal West African Frontier Force (WAFF) at Calabar
• 1939-1946 — Served with Nigerian forces in the Second World War; promoted to Battalion Sergeant Major
• 1946 — Retired from the army and joined the Nigeria Police Force
• 19 September 1946 — Reign as first Tor Tiv begins, following a vote before the Governor of Nigeria
• 1948 — Garyo movement suppressed during his reign
• 11 October 1956 — Died in Gboko after a brief illness
• 14 October 1956 — Buried at Abagu, Gboko, Benue State

• Wikipedia contributors. "Makir Zakpe." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makir_Zakpe
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