Gov Ishaku At The Ongoing Flag-Off Ceremony Of The 'Keep Kaduna Green' In Kaduna

Governor Darius Ishaku, the executive governor of Taraba state was among the dignitaries invited by the Kaduna state government, led by Gov Nasir El-rufai to witness the flag-off ceremony of the 'keep Kaduna Green'.

The event which has kick started, has Gov El-rufai giving the keynote address.

Excerpt, is the key note address by Gov. El-rufai;

PROTOCOLS

Let me begin by welcoming all our distinguished guests to Kaduna. I thank you most warmly for identifying with our project to make our state green by planting at least one million trees every year.

Our government considers the Keep Kaduna Green Project an important intervention. In planting one million trees every year, we intend to achieve many goals. Across our state, we will thereby be checking desertification. We will be creating jobs for the people who will plant and nurture the trees. The trees will ultimately grow and improve the look of our cities and towns. The shade and reassuring feel that leafy neighbourhoods project should be accessible to all residents of our state in their own neighbourhoods.

Trees play such a crucial role in the human drama. They help provide shelter, fuel and food; assist soil stability, protect water sources, and generally improve the environment. Yet too many people treat trees with regrettable indifference, cutting them down without replacements, destroying whole forested areas for purposes ranging from farming to real estate. Like most things with which nature has blessed humanity, there is a need for the necessary awareness and determination to use them in a sustainable way; to realise that these natural endowments need time to regenerate and that human beings are the ultimate losers when we adopt an attitude of unrelenting exploitation.

Therefore, we will accompany our Keep Kaduna Green project with a determined effort of public education. The goal is to foster a keen appreciation for nature across the generations. The projection is to engage about 26,000 persons across the state in the massive tree-planting effort we have embarked on. We trust that they will do their best to nurture the trees. But there is no doubt that our effort to Keep Kaduna Green will succeed only because our communities collectively support the project. I believe that we can persuade our people to invest their effort in protecting our environment, in beautifying our cities and in creating jobs.

Thus our grassroots approach to realising the goals of the Keep Kaduna Green Project involves ensuring that 65,000 trees are planted in each Local Government Area every year. Our communities will be mobilised to take concrete action against desert encroachment so as to preserve valuable arable land and ensure food security. In village and city alike, the cooling effect, and the air-filtering quality of trees are deeply appreciated.

The government will also provide an incentive for protecting and nurturing the seedlings. We have deliberately chosen economic trees for this project so that those who nurture them will have a share when the trees begin fruiting. Trees are valuable in themselves, but we hope the bonus of fruits will help make them much more valuable to many more people.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as we flag-off the Keep Kaduna Green project today by planting trees, I wish to urge all residents of Kaduna State to embrace the idea. In addition to the trees the government is planting, citizens can complement the effort by planting trees and flowers in their homes. Indeed, we have directed KASUPDA that henceforth, no building plans are to be approved for the construction of any building in our state unless the planting of at least four trees for every 900 square meters of land under development. In our schools, health centers and public facilities, aggressive tree planting will also be mandated. There will be further events to take the project across the state, engage our communities and make ours a state that is getting greener as it is becoming great again.

I wish to thank IDC, our partners in this grand effort, for their initiative and technical assistance they are providing for our tree-planting project. Our thanks go to the Vice Chancellor of the Kaduna State University for hosting us today, and all the senior government officials, members of the State Executive Council, our royal fathers and our State House of Assembly for being here to support this flag-off.

I wish to thank my sisters, the ministers of environment, and of budget and planning for being consistently supportive of all our initiatives in Kaduna State. My gratitude goes to Senator Binta Masi Garba, a daughter of Kaduna State who had represented Kaduna South twice in the House of Representatives but now represents Adamawa State in the Senate.

I thank my colleagues, the governors of Kebbi, Taraba, Jigawa and Sokoto States for being here physically or in representative capacity to support our efforts. Finally, the gratitude of Government and people of Kaduna State goes to our leader and mentor President Muhammadu Buhari who has consistently encouraged, supported and guided us in the direction of making Kaduna, his chosen state of residence for decades, a great place to live.

Thank you for listening.

God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, OFR

Governor of Kaduna State

June 30, 2016

Court Of Appeal Dismiss Mr David Kente Case Against Taraba Gov. Ishaku

The Court of Appeal sitting in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, today struck out the appeal of a governorship candidate, Mr. David Kente, against the governor of Taraba State, Mr Darius Ishaku.

The petitioner had gone to the appeal court to challenge the eligibility of the Taraba Governor to contest the 2015 elections, on the grounds that he did not contest the primary election.

Mr. Kente, who was a PDP aspirant, contested the primary in December 2014 and lost but later defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), to contest the same governorship election in 2015.

In her ruling, Justice Jummai Sanchi of the Appeal Court, Yola, struck out the case, stating that Mr. Kente has no locus standi

DARIUS IS WORKING! Pledges To Boost Tea, Rice Production In Taraba

Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba has pledged to continue to support tea and rice farmers in the state in order to boost the production of the two crops.

Ishaku made the pledge on Tuesday evening in Jalingo when he hosted Muslim faithful in the state to a Ramadan breaking of the fast.

The governor told the people to embrace agriculture in order to change a situation where the state was completely dependent on the Federal Government for survival.

"I have already promised President Muhammadu Buhari that Taraba will meet 10 per cent of national tea demand by December 2016 and we are committed to achieving that.
"We have also committed resources to boost rice production and other crops in the state to improve the economy and feed the nation," he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Ishaku recently inaugurated modern tea processing machines at the Kakara Tea Factory in Sardauna Local Government Area of the state.

He also promised to repair the cassava processing plant which broke down recently in order to encourage massive production of the commodity in the state.

Ishaku told the Muslims faithful in the state to continue to preach peace and live in unity with their neighbours irrespective of their religious affiliations.

In his remarks, Alhaji Inua Mafindi, the state Chairman of Muslim Council, thanked the governor for the gesture, saying it would go a long way in promoting the spirit of oneness among religious groups in the state.

Also, Rev. Ben Ubeh, the state Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), urged the people of the state to eschew violence and embrace peace in their communities.

NAN reports that top government functionaries, traditional rulers, representatives of CAN, women groups, organised labour union leaders among others, attended the occasion.

400 Taraba PDP Delegates Reject Appeal Court Judgment On Primary Election

The Appeal Court sitting in Yola on Wednesday dismissed the appeal by delegates of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seeking the court to declare all candidates in the last election illegal and order a fresh primary election.

The decision was, however, rejected by over 400 delegates elected from 168 electoral wards in the state who said the ruling was highly tainted.

In a statement by the state chapter of the party and a delegate from Gassol local government area, Bala Ahmed, the aggrieved delegates said the judgment failed consider delegates’ rights to lawfully elects candidates that will represent its party in an election.

Ahmed said it’s disturbing that the appeal was not allowed based on its merit but was struck out based on technical ground, saying the delegates will seek justice at the country’s Apex Court.

According to Ahmed, the party’s members in the state were clearly and brazenly denied their right to elect candidates of their choice for the 2015 general election, adding that several elections have been nullified based on irregular conduct of primary election by the opposition party and other pre-election matters.

He said, “They were several allegations that the state governor moved several millions to Yola, we are now forced to believe that the judgment was bought over with money, money that should be used to pay workers salaries are now spent by Taraba Government to sustain their illegality against PDP delegates and members.”

Ahmed maintained that if primaries were held without the knowledge of relevant authorities and lawful delegates, such should appropriately be declared unconstitutional, null and void.

“The ruling of the Election Tribunal is very explicit and unambiguous; there was no PDP primaries in Taraba, simple, We were denied our voting rights to choose a candidate for our party, we strongly believed that the Supreme Court will restore these rights.”

He further disclosed that, “the delegates will seek redress at the Supreme Court because nothing can supersede the rights of party members through their elected delegates to elect their candidates for an election.”

Culled : Naija247news

DARIUS IS WORKING : He Has Improved Water Sector In Taraba - Barr. Gowon

Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku has been described as a visionary leader who is determined to bring positive changes to the state; especially in the provision of basic social amenities, with key emphasis on the provision of water to the state capital and beyond.

The Commissioner of Water Resources, Barr. Emmanuel Gowon said this recently while speaking to journalists on the successes recorded thus far by the present administration led by Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku tagged the ‘Rescue Mission,’ in the Ministry of water resources.

Barr. Gowon stated that, Governor Darius Ishaku is a gift to Taraba State and  he is a leader that is poised to bring positive changes to the state, most especially, in areas that will impart positively on the lives of the people and will at the same time fast track socio-economic development of the state, which he has demonstrated variously as the Chief Rescuer.

The Commissioner maintained that for any society to witness rapid development there must water and motorable roads and the present administration has taken it upon itself to provide water to all the nooks and crannies of the state beginning with Jalingo the state capital.

He stressed that work is progressing steadily at different locations with varying levels of completion.

Barr. Gowon further said because of the importance the governor attaches to water, shortly after his inauguration, Governor Darius Ishaku headed to the headquarters of African Development Bank in Abuja,  AFD, where he met with the Board of Directors and new avenues were explored to improve water supply to Jalingo and environs.

He posited that the visit is already yielding results with the expansion of more water transmission lines covering over 61 kilometers, erection of more over head tanks as well as the  construction of more reservoirs in certain locations within the metropolis in order to improved water supply to the state.

Barr. Emmanuel Gowon maintained that since Gov. Darius Ishaku took over the mantle of leadership, the state water supply has improved tremendously and effort has also been intensified to connect all the suburbs within the city center to steady water supply.

Accordingly, the Commissioner maintained that other areas that are also part of the MoU entered into by the state government and African Development Bank included the provision of VIP latrines and sanitation equipment.

He explained that, in the area of sanitation, two trucks that would be used in sanitation exercises have already been received and commissioned by the Governor as part of activities marking his one year in office and were handed over to the Special Adviser on Government Projects and Task Force on Environmental Sanitation with other equipment such as wheel barrows, hand gloves, rakes,sweepers among others.

Similarly, the Commissioner said about 40 urban and semi-urban areas within the state have benefited from the repairs and the reactivation of broken-down water supply schemes as well as the provision of motorised boreholes to boost water supply.

Barr. Gowon stated that within this period, the Taraba State Government fully explored its partnership with Japanese International Cooperation Association JICA, to provide water to all the nooks and crannies of the state, to that effect, about one hundred (100), boreholes have been sunk across sixteen (16) Local Government Areas of the state with some having six (6), while some have seven (7), and explained that Bali local government is the only council in the state that is yet to benefit from the state government partnership with JICA.

Speaking on the acute water shortages in Yorro and Zing, Barr. Gowon explained that because of the peculiarities of the two areas, Governor Ishaku directed the Ministry to look for a reputable contractor that specialises in feasibility study to survey the two areas with a view to finding a lasting solution to the water problems in the two local councils.

He also disclosed that the Chief Rescuer has already directed the Ministry to as a matter of urgency reactivate the two overhead tanks at Monkin and Yakoko and to ensure that water supply is restored to the two communities.

The Commissioner added that water plays a vital role in the transformation of every society and commended Governor Darius Ishaku for placing priority on the provision of water and stressed that, when there is sufficient water to go round all other amenities will also fall in place and reiterated his ministry’s determination to effectively support the initiative of Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku in the provision of portable drinking water to the people of the state and asserted that the entire staff of the Ministry are on the same page with the Governor in rescuing the state from all ramification.

PDP Urges Members To Desist From Creating Disaffection In Taraba

The leadership of the Taraba State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has admonished those trying to create disaffection among members of the party to as a matter of urgency desist or face the wrath of the law.

Reacting to a news item claiming that PDP in the state has been factionalized, the leadership of the party, beckoned on its teeming supporter to dispel the rumour as “ PDP in Taraba is intact and would continue to be one.”

In a press statement made available to reporters yesterday morning in Jalingo, the state capital, the party chairman, Victor Bala Kona, said: “In view of this, the PDP hereby warn all person or group of persons who are parading themselves as PDP group in whatever name with the sole purpose of discrediting the party to immediately desist.”

The statement which was signed by the state Publicity Secretary, Inuwa Bakari, said that the “ so called group seemingly lacks the ability to understand simple English as presented by the party chairman while recently receiving defected members of the All Progressives Congress to our great party.”

A group recently claimed that they are a faction of the PDP known as the Uticiya The group, which went ahead to disassociate themselves from a call made by the party chairman for all the aggrieved members of the party to as a matter of urgency return to the party, said they have resolved to form a different PDP in the state.

Stressing that the party is not aware of any group other than the Victor Bala Kona led PDP, the statement noted that ‘’the fact of the matter was that the state chairman, Kona while receiving the APC decampees at the state secretariat used the forum to call on all aggrieved members to come back to the party and further assured them of a better things ahead in the party and not as portrayed by the so called Uticiya group.”

Kona told the chairman of the group, Philip Hamza to as a matter of urgency desist from creating “ disaffection among members of our great party” adding that “ PDP in the state is always one and will always be one.”


This post was syndicated from The Guardian NigeriaThe Guardian Nigeria. Click here to read the full text on the original website

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Taraba APC Accuses Defectors For Accepting Money To Join PDP

The Taraba State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused its former scribe, Tony Suleiman, of accepting money to join the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state.

Mr. Suleiman and the Chairman of the APC in Sardauna Local Government Area of the State, Yusuf Tanimu, on Tuesday defected to the PDP citing lack of ideas on the part of the leadership of their former party and “petty politics of sidelining members” among others.

In his reaction, the Taraba APC Chairman, Hassan Ardo, on Sunday alleged that Suleiman collected a huge amount of money as price for his defection to the PDP.

“We all know they decided to defect because they are money politicians and APC has no money to give”, he said of Mr. Suleiman and his supporters. “They were promised cash money before signed to leave our party”.

Mr. Ardo, however, said the former scribe’s exit was of no political consequence to the APC in Taraba.

“Ask the former secretary, how many votes was he able to score in his own unit, in his own ward in Jaen, Karim Lamido Local Government? He had only one vote in that unit! One vote!

“We are not bordered about them because what we are doing in APC is not for money. We are not doing money politics. It’s PDP that is using government money for its activities. So if they feel that they are not being carried along because we are not having money to share to them, they are very correct. We cannot carry them along because we don’t have the money to share”, he stressed.

READ ALSO : Taraba APC Secretary, Others Dump Party For PDP

In his response to the claim that his defection was financially induced, Mr. Suleiman denied receiving “one single Kobo” to join the PDP.

However, he confirmed that he was offered huge sums of money in the past to join the PDP, which he turned down.

“It is a different thing this time around, PDP has not given me one single kobo”, he said.

“PDP gave me about N8 million during the presidential campaign, I refused to take. If I’m after money I would have compromised”.

Mr. Suleiman insisted that his decision to dump the APC was because of its poor management

“The state chairman (Mr. Ardo) is very greedy”, he said. “Whatever comes into the party, he always claims that the party is indebted by him; that he used his money to take care of the party, whereas it is a complete lie”.

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EFCC Fails To Win 7-year Case In Taraba Against Chairman Of Gassol LGA

For its inability to prove a case of criminal breach of trust against the former chairman of Gassol Local Government Council of Taraba state, Alhaji Illiyasu Goje, beyond reasonable doubt, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) has suffered a major setback in court.

Delivering judgment on the case, which has lingered for the past seven years, Justice Nuhu Adi of the Jalingo High Court, said he was left with no option than to “discharge and acquit the accused person.”

In the one hour judgment, Adi, lamented that all the witnesses presented by the plaintiff could not prove to the court that the defendant breached the trust reposed on him by the public while serving as the council chairman.

He stressed that the “accused person is not in any way linked with the exhibits” presented before the court, as the complainant failed to prove his case that the accused actually deserved to be punished following his alleged involvement in criminal breach of trust.

The EFCC action against the former Gassol boss, it was reliably gathered, followed petitions to the commission by some people, which compelled the commission to carry out an investigation.

DARIUS IS WORKING! Taraba Releases N600m Teachers’ Salary Arrears

The Taraba State government has released the sum of N600 million for the payment of salary arrears of primary school teachers in the state.

Chief Press Secretary to Governor Darius Ishaku, Mallam Hassan Mijinyawa, disclosed this to Daily Trust in an interview. He said the state government owed teachers three months’ salaries, leading to a strike action by teachers.

He said the strike ended after the money was released as agreed with the teachers.
Chairman of the State Primary Education Board, Mr. Yakubu Agwaizo, has confirmed release of the money and commended the government.

NCS Arrested A Job Scammer(419) Who Has Duped 7 Job Seekers From Taraba

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has arrested one of Nigeria’s most wanted notorious fraudsters involved in online advertising scams on non-existing vacancies in government agencies, PRNigeria is reporting.

The suspected kingpin, whose real name was given as Abubakar Rilwan, had been declared wanted by some security agencies in the country before his arrest.

A top customs officer stated: “Abubakar Rilwan, who is evidently disabled is one of the principal actors and suspect in a job/auction scam syndicate. Whatever he lacks in physical ability, he makes up for in his exceptional ability to manipulate and swindle his victims.

“He has duped desperate job and auction seekers to the tune of over 20 million naira, sometimes using the services of lawyers.

“In one of his escapades, he collected money from 7 (seven) job seekers in Taraba State, issued them fake appointment letters, and caused them to travel all the way to Bayelsa State for fake training. They got there before realizing they were duped.”

While Mr. Rilwan is currently in the custody of the Nigeria Customs Service undergoing further investigation, other security agencies that had declared him wanted for related offences are waiting to interrogate him.

The spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs Service, Wale Adeniyi confirmed the arrest.

Read What NSCDC Did To Transformer Thieves In Jalingo

Taraba state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps- NSCDC, has paraded suspected persons who vandalised a Transformer worth over five hundred thousand naira meant to distribute electricity to the Federal Government Girls College Area in Jalingo.

State commander of the NSCDC, Alhaji Kamilu Ado Isah while parading the suspects, challenged youths who are the active segment of the society to have trade tests to enable them fend for themselves instead of indulging in criminal activities.

Taravoices correspondent find out that, the over five hundred thousand naira Transformer supplied by the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, Jalingo Business Area to serve electricity consumers across the Federal Government Girls College Area in Jalingo, suffered vandalization for over fourteen times.

The development threw people of the area into total darkness for a long period and also crippled businesses that are dependent on electricity.

Another transformer installed area was last Sunday vandalized again but unfortunately the vandals were arrested by the officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps red handed.

Parading the suspects, Taraba state commander of the NSCDC, Kamilu Ado Isah said the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday where the community having noticed the development alerted his men on patrol who went and arrested the suspected vandals.

Kamilu who expressed worry over the incident, explained that the boys took advantage of the epileptic nature of electricity in the city to commit the crime, saying if there was electricity supply at the time of the incident, the vandals could not have had the opportunity to carry out the act.

He called on the General public to always report and assist security operatives with timely information to enable them discharge their duty and YEDC officials to get them informed whenever they will not supply electricity so that they can intensify their patrols.

Roadblock service centre manager of the YEDC Jalingo Business Unit, Joseph Zephania praised the gallantry of the NSCDC and community which enabled the arrest.

He noted that YEDC officials will take the matter seriously  by ensuring that suspects are taken to the court of law.

The three suspected vandals who are within the age brackets of twenty and twenty two, confessed to committing the crime, pointing out that there is a Jalingo based scavenger, popularly called Baban Bola who does the buying after a successful deal.

The suspects are Musa Ibrahim from Cross River state, Abubakar Sadiq from Gombe and Abdulazeez Tanko from Jalingo.

The NSCDC commandant says they will be prosecuted after investigations are completed.

BREAKING! Tension In Wukari As Tiv And Fulani Clashes

Reports reaching us yesterday revealed that there has been violent clashes between Tiv and Fulani men in kwatseh, Akwana ward, Wukari on Sunday 19th June 2016. 

The  Commissioner of Police and Officer Commanding Army in wukari had been informed. Commissioner of Police had drafted police to the area.

Officer Commanding Army in the area also ordered his men stationed in Kente village to move some men to the conflict Area. Though report revealed that 5 corpses had been counted so far, details of casualties and wounded will come later. Immediate cause of the clash is not yet known.

More details...

BREAKING NEWS! Taraba APC Secretary, Others Dump Party For PDP

The Secretary of All Progressives Congress, Tony Suleiman, and the party’s Chairman in Sardauna Local Government Area, all of Taraba State, Alhaji Yusuf Tanimu, on Tuesday defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Suleiman announced this at a reception organised for them and their supporters at the PDP state secretariat in Jalingo.

He accused the leadership of APC in the state of lacking ideas and had been sidelining them and their supporters from the party’s affairs.

Suleiman urged the people of the state to team up with Governor Darius Ishaku to enable him to deliver on his campaign promises.

“I call on the people of the state to support the rescue mission of Governor Ishaku to enable him succeed in the interest of the state,” he said.

Victor Bala, the Chairman of the party in the state, welcomed them and expressed delight that the good works of the PDP-led government in the state was yielding results

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the APC in the state, Alhaji Hassan Ardo, described the allegations as baseless.

Ardo said the party chieftains were money mongers and were offered money by the PDP to defect.

FC Taraba Player's Salary Not Paid Till Now, Is Gov. Darius Aware?

All matches involving FC Taraba in the Nigeria National League (NNL) have been placed on hold, the league secretariat said on Friday in Abuja.

A statement from the NNL Media Officer, Amar Ignis, said the development was based on the club’s inability to settle its debts to its players.

It said the club was having outstanding payments and arrears to be paid to players who featured for it last season.

“It is a sort of carry-over and because of the importance we attach to this league, we are compelled to do this.

“We always have to ensure clubs in the NNL are ready to run because they move to the Premier League from our league, and it is necessary for us to direct them well,’’ he said.

The NNL Secretary said the Football Associations in Taraba and the FCT, as well as FC Taraba and Supreme Court FC, have been duly informed.

TARABA SQUARE, reports that the 2015/2016 NNL is billed to kick off on Saturday, with 15 games in four groups billed to be played over the weekend. (NAN)

Teachers Embark On Indefinite Strike In Taraba State

The Taraba State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has decided to embark on an indefinite strike today, Wednesday following the non payment of salaries for the past three months by the state government.

Speaking on behalf of the union on Monday in Jalingo, the state capital, the chairman, Aliyu Jauro Mafindi, stated that the industrial action may last until when the state government shows “sincere commitments” to clearing the backlog of wages.

According to him, the decision to go on an indefinite strike was taken after the state exco of the union convened a meeting on Monday to deliberate on the way forward.

Mafindi, recalled that the union had recently embarked upon on a three-day warning strike which it later suspended as government called the union officials for talks.

“After the suspension of the strike, government side representatives were expected to see His Excellency, the governor, with the agreement for his consideration and possible approval, but since then there was no any serious action or committal statement from the side of the government,” Mr. Mafindi said.

“At the exco meeting, it was unanimously resolved that all teachers in public primary schools in Taraba State should immediately proceed on an indefinite strike action until further notice”.

Taraba State Government denies donating grazing land to Fulani Herdmen

Taraba state Government has denied donating any piece of land to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to be used as a grazing reserve.

This was disclosed to newsmen by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, Sylvanus Yakubu Giwa in his office while reacting to a publication of the DailyTrust Newspaper of 3 June 2016, page 4, captioned, 11 States donates 55,000 hectares of land each for the implementation of grazing reserves credited to the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Audu Ogbe.

The Senior Special Assistant maintained that there was no time that Taraba Government and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture had any discussion bothering on the provision of land that would be used as a grazing reserve and disassociated Taraba State from the list of states as contained in the DailyTrust Newspaper publication.

He reiterated the resolve of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku to partner with the Federal Government through constructive dialogue that is aimed at bringing succour to the people of the state and the country at large.

He also noted that Taraba State Government cannot go into any form of understanding without carrying the people of the state along as this may in the long-run result to grave consequences among farmers and grazers in the State.

Sylvanus Giwa categorically stated that the state government does not subscribe to the idea of the creation of grazing reserves but would prefer where animals are domesticated through ranching and called on the Federal government to come to a negotiating table with Taraba State Government for a more holistic and purposeful discussion that would be beneficial to both parties.

The States purported to have donated lands as published by the DailyTrust Newspaper includes; Adamawa, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Plateau, Niger, Sokoto and Taraba as well as the FCT.

Boko Haram terrorists fleeing to Taraba, says Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, on Wednesday, said the Army was on the trail of Boko Haram terrorists who fled Sambisa and were hiding in Taraba. Buratai said this when he paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba, in continuation of his tour of Army formations in the state. 

He said the Army had strong reasons to believe that some of the terrorists that fled Sambisa were taking refuge in parts of Taraba. He added that “Taraba has not been affected by this insurgency since it started except for the recent incidences that are related to Boko Haram especially as they are being pushed out of Borno. “We strongly suspect some of them are currently parading themselves around this state; we are working on our intelligence and information from some good citizens. 

“We are banking on support about their movement and we are equally tracking them so that we get them as soon as we can.” The Army boss then urged Nigerians to support the military “to finally clear the remaining hideouts of the insurgents.” He said timely sharing of information on the movement of suspicious persons would go a long way in containing the insurgents. He assured citizens of Taraba and the North East in general of the military’s determination to finally end the menace of insurgency in the region.

On the invasion of communities by suspected cattle herders, Buratai said troops were also on the trail of the suspects. He said that the Army, in conjunction with other security agencies, were working hard to contain the menace. According to him, troops are combing the bush and areas in search of the suspects all over the country. He expressed optimism that the situation would be arrested in the nearest future. On his part, the state governor commended the efforts of the military in addressing threats of security across the country.

Ishaku informed the army chief of the various threats to peace that had plagued the state for a while. He sought the assistance of the Nigerian Army in tackling the challenges, especially in the border communities of the state. Ishaku reaffirmed the commitment of the state government to support security agencies in the discharge of their duties. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chief of army staff is scheduled to visit army formations in Takum and Sarti areas of the state.