Terhemen Tarzoor

Terhemen Tarzoor, born on 26 January 1972 in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State, is an economist and real estate developer originally from North Central Nigeria.

He served as Speaker in the Benue State House of Assembly before gaining prominence when he unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Benue State in the 2015 elections, securing 313,878 votes against Samuel Ortom.

Despite being a favorite candidate on the PDP platform, Tarzoor lost and later filed a petition challenging the election result, which was dismissed by the court of appeal due to lack of merit.

He expressed intentions to contest again in the 2019 elections but faced near-fatal political violence in July 2017 when he narrowly escaped an attack in Yandev, Gboko, where his wife’s hometown is located; differing reports suggested involvement or unrelated incidents.

Tarzoor’s family background includes lineage from prominent traditional leaders like Chief Tarzoor Orbiam and Mama Chive Orbiam. His early education was at All Saints Anglican Primary School, Makurdi, before advancing through Community Secondary School and Mount Saint Gabriel’s Secondary School.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Benue State University (1999), completed his National Youth Service Corps at the Central Bank of Nigeria (2000–2001), and later obtained an MBA in Banking and Finance (2003) before pursuing advanced degrees in Monetary Economics (M.Sc., 2009).

He currently holds the position of Nigerian Ambassador to Namibia, having previously served as a politician and administrator in Benue State.