An Appraisal of Truth in Tiv Ethics as a Panacea for National Integration in Nigeria

Truth as a moral virtue is a concept cherished by almost all cultures of the world. In the Western world, the search for truth made philosophers down the ages to propound theories on the concept of truth. One of such philosophers is Thales, who set the pace to find out the primary stuff of which all things are made and which explains the continuity in change and the underlying unity in the plurality of things. His views were however challenged by the Greek Sophists. Different philosophers at different stages developed theories such as correspondence, coherent, and pragmatic theories of truth. In Tiv society, it is observed that truth (mimi), permeates everything in the people’s life, it is gbaaondo (God’s creation). This moral virtue guide and shapes one’s identity in a given society. This paper is an appraisal of truth in Tiv religious ethics as a panacea for national integration in Nigeria. The paper adopts the descriptive and narrative approaches. The data collected were presented using expository method. The findings of the study reveal that Tiv people cherished truth since it forms one’s character and brings development in a given society. They therefore make use of swem, kor and chia to establish truth. They also give names to indicate the relevance of truth while their proverbs are very instructive, educative and as well developed the reasoning faculty of a person. The study observed with dismay the contemporary negation of truth to falsehood; which has created room for banditry, terrorism, corruption etc. and therefore calls on the necessary agencies to intervene so as to preserve Tiv cultural values and identity in the face of globalization.