For more than half a century, one of Nigeria’s most critical regions has been quietly misnamed, misunderstood, and politically diluted. The Middle Belt—an area rich in history, culture, agriculture, and leadership—has been bureaucratically reduced to the label “North Central.” What once appeared as an administrative convenience has evolved into a dangerous erasure of identity with far-reaching consequences for security, governance, and national cohesion.
This misnaming is no longer harmless. It is deeply damaging.
The Middle Belt is not merely a compass direction or a geopolitical number. It is a historically distinct and socio-culturally rich region that predates colonial cartography and post-independence political restructuring. Stretching across Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, parts of Niger and Kwara States, Southern Kaduna, and Taraba, the Middle Belt represents the cultural bridge between Nigeria’s major blocs. Yet, paradoxically, it remains one of the most politically marginalized and violently impacted regions in the country.
This article makes a clear case: Nigeria must reclaim and officially recognize the Middle Belt—not as sentiment, but as a matter of justice, security, dignity, and national survival.
The Middle Belt: A Region with History, Not a Bureaucratic Accident
Long before Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914, the peoples of the Middle Belt existed as independent kingdoms, chiefdoms, and ethnic nationalities with distinct languages, belief systems, and governance structures. Tiv, Idoma, Igala, Berom, Jukun, Eggon, Nupe, Gbagyi, Goemai, Bachama, Kataf, and dozens of other groups form a mosaic that cannot be flattened into a generic “North.”
The term Middle Belt itself emerged during the colonial era and gained political prominence in the 1950s and 1960s as minority ethnic groups sought protection from domination by larger regional powers. Leaders like Joseph Tarka championed the Middle Belt cause not to divide Nigeria, but to prevent internal colonialism and ensure equitable federalism.
The later replacement of this identity with “North Central” did not erase the realities on ground. It only masked them.
Land, Scale, and Strategic Importance: The Numbers Do Not Lie
Geographically, the Middle Belt is immense. Spanning over 290,000 square kilometres, it constitutes the largest landmass of any geopolitical zone in Nigeria. This is not a trivial statistic. Land equals food, minerals, water resources, and strategic depth.
Often described as Nigeria’s food basket, the Middle Belt produces a significant share of the nation’s yam, cassava, maize, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and livestock. Benue State alone is routinely cited as one of the highest food-producing states in the country. Plateau’s temperate climate supports vegetables that feed millions. Taraba and Niger provide grains and livestock routes crucial to national supply chains.
Yet, despite this economic importance, the region remains under-protected, under-invested, and under-represented.
A Region Under Siege: Insecurity Without Recognition
Perhaps nowhere is the cost of identity erasure more visible than in the region’s persistent insecurity.
Data from credible conflict-tracking organizations such as ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) and SBM Intelligence consistently show that Middle Belt states account for a disproportionate share of:
Farmer–herder violence
Rural banditry
Communal land conflicts
Internal displacement
Since the 1990s, thousands of civilians in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, and parts of Nasarawa and Taraba have been killed. Entire villages have been razed. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, many living for years in IDP camps within their own ancestral lands.
Yet, the narrative often fails them.
By lumping the Middle Belt into a vague “North,” the region is frequently associated—unfairly—with violent extremism and terrorism. This framing ignores a critical truth: Middle Belt communities are among the primary victims of these conflicts, not the drivers.
They are farmers defending ancestral land. They are rural minorities caught between weak land governance, climate pressure, and armed criminal networks. They are citizens whose suffering is often misdiagnosed because their identity is misunderstood.
Identity and Security Are Intertwined
Security strategies that fail to recognize the Middle Belt as a distinct conflict zone will always fail.
The region’s crisis is not identical to insurgency in the Northeast or banditry in the Northwest. It is rooted in:
Land tenure disputes
Grazing routes versus settled agriculture
Weak rural policing
Proliferation of arms
Political neglect of minority regions
Treating these issues as part of a generic “Northern problem” leads to blunt, ineffective responses. Recognition of the Middle Belt as a unique socio-political space is not symbolism—it is a prerequisite for intelligent security policy.
Leadership Legacy: Proof That Identity Does Not Limit Excellence
Despite marginalization, the Middle Belt has consistently produced leaders of national and international stature—leaders whose records contradict stereotypes that leadership quality is determined by religion or dominant regional blocs.
Notable figures include:
General Yakubu Gowon – Former Head of State who led Nigeria through the civil war and pursued post-war reconciliation with the policy of “No Victor, No Vanquished.”
Joseph Tarka – Nationalist, senator, and leading advocate for minority rights and federal balance.
Chief Solomon Lar – Former Governor of Plateau State and founding National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Senator David Mark – Former Senate President, one of the longest-serving presiding officers in Nigeria’s legislative history.
Senator George Akume – Former Governor of Benue State and key figure in national governance.
These leaders exemplify commitment to unity, federalism, and stability—values Nigeria desperately needs.
Their emergence was not accidental. It was the product of a region that values consensus, coexistence, and bridge-building.
Why Reclaiming the Name “Middle Belt” Matters Now
Reclaiming the Middle Belt is not nostalgia. It is strategic.
1. Justice and Dignity
A people have the right to name themselves and be recognized as they are. Identity denial is a form of marginalization.
2. Visibility in Policy
You cannot solve a problem you refuse to name. Recognition ensures tailored policies in security, agriculture, and development.
3. Political Inclusion
Minority groups within the Middle Belt have historically been excluded from national power calculations. Recognition strengthens advocacy and representation.
4. Accurate History-Telling
No nation survives by erasing the identities of its people. Honest history builds trust; distortion breeds resentment.
What Must Be Done: A Roadmap Forward
First, Nigeria must officially acknowledge the Middle Belt as a legitimate socio-political and cultural identity, not merely an administrative zone.
Second, security architecture must be redesigned to reflect the region’s realities—focusing on rural protection, land governance reform, and early-warning conflict systems.
Third, political inclusion must move beyond tokenism. Middle Belt voices must be present where decisions are made, not only where violence occurs.
Finally, there must be intentional, honest national dialogue about history, identity, and federal balance. Unity imposed by silence is fragile; unity built on recognition is durable.
Reclaiming the Middle Belt Is Not Division—It Is Survival
This is not a call to fragment Nigeria. It is a call to strengthen it.
Reclaiming the Middle Belt is about justice, dignity, visibility, and survival. It is about ensuring that a region that feeds the nation is not left to bleed in silence. It is about correcting a historical wrong before it becomes an irreversible fracture.
Nigeria does not lose by recognizing the Middle Belt. Nigeria gains stability, truth, and balance.
And in a nation as diverse as ours, that may be the most patriotic act of all.
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