TorTiv V, Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse will be sworn in on Saturday, 5 the March 2017. His Royal Majesty , Orchivirigh Professor James Ortese Ayatse, Tor Tiv V-elect (born 12 May 1956) from Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State in central Nigeria is a Nigerian Academic and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi and the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma respectively who is the newly elected paramount ruler of Tiv Nation and will serve as Tor Tiv V when sworn in, succeeding his predecessor, His Royal Highness, Orchivirigh Late Dr. Alfred Akawe Torkula, Tor Tiv IV who ruled between 1991 and 2015 until his demise on 22 November 2015.
Ayatse was elected on Tuesday, 20 December 2016 by the Kingmakers of his subjects after a meeting of the Tiv Supreme Council known as “Ijirtamen” 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, a famed 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 – 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 predecessors who took Oath of Office for the Tor Tiv Throne swearing by the ancestral “Swem”, Ayatse said in an interview preceding his election that he would swear by the Christian Bible if elected, affirming that he was a Christian. With this, he will go on to become the first Tor Tiv to take Oath of Office using the Bible.

President Mohammadu Buhari congratulated the newly elected Paramount Ruler, stating that Prof. 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

His Royal Highness, James Ayatse was born to Late Iorzua Ayatse and Mrs Adeior Iorzua (Nee 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. HRH James Ayatse then proceeded to the University of Ibadan where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry, distinguishing himself academically as the best graduating student of his department. He went on to obtain his Masters of Science at the University of Calabar, repeating the same feat of graduating as the best student of the department 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 and only Tiv man to achieve this feat, a record that is yet to be matched.

HRH James Ayatse started his career in 1980 as a graduate assistant in the University of Calabar and progressed rapidly and steadily to attain the rank of a Professor of Biochemistry in 1993, aged only 37. His career spans teaching to education management. He has 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 has 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 an over 35 year working career. Because of his multidisciplinary teaching career, the Paramount Ruler was dubbed a “controversial Professor” in reference to his versatility, especially during his time at the Benue State University and the University of Agriculture, Makurdi where he worked concurrently. Additionally, 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. The Paramount Ruler also was involved on three separate occasions in formulation of the vision and blueprint for the development of his own state of Benue.[2]