Chief David Kente Pays Courtesy Call To Aisha Alhassan In Abuja

Chief David Sabo Kente, popularly known as DSK, who is the President/Founder of DSK Foundation and also the Executive Chairman DSK Group International, was in Abuja at the Women Development Center to see Sen. Aisha Alhassan, Hon. Minister of Women Affairs and Child Development, who just returned from a medical trip abroad.


During the courtesy call, DSK, who during the 2015 governorship election in Taraba pitched his tent with Aisha, used the medium to call on all Tarabans to demonstrate the utmost tolerance towards peace by respecting and cooperating with one another regardless of tribe, political affiliations or religious background.

He continued that which such co-existence among them, the state will bounce back and kick start a monumental turn around that will position it among the top states in the future.

Finally, he prayed for God's permanent healing on the Hon. Minister.

Obasanjo On A 5 Day Working Visit In Taraba, Inspects Key Projects

The former president, Gen Olusegun Obasanjo is currently in Jalingo, Taraba state capital, since Tuesday, August 23. He paid a courtesy visit to Governor Darius Ishaku on arrival.

Obasanjo who is on a five-day working visit to inspect some of the key projects he initiated while in office particularly the Mambilla Hydro power project, said he spent most of his life trying to better the lot of humanity generally and Nigeria specifically.

Speaking on the on-going projects in the state, Obasanjo said: “Taraba state is a blessing to Nigeria. The potentials in the state can turn the fortunes of the country for good. The Mambila Hydro Power project alone has the capacity to generate more than half of our present power capacity in the country. “The livestock potential in the state spans all known livestock in the country including cattle rearing and poultry all in commercial quantities. 

The tea factory is a symbol of national greatness, while the tourism potentials can attract global tourists and earn the nation good foreign exchange “Since I have spent most of my life doing good for humanity and Nigeria, I am motivated to do even more now that I am approaching my evening. I will therefore do everything to ensure that the potentials in Taraba generally and the Mambila Plateau specifically are optimally explored to make the nation great.”

Taraba Begins Airlift Of 1,324 Pilgrims To S/ Arabia

The Taraba State Muslim Welfare Board has said that a  total of 1, 323 pilgrims are lifted from the state  to perform this year 2016 lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia.

The executive secretary of the board, Alhaji Umar Adamu  stated yesterday in Jalingo while addressing intending pilgrims from the state.

He stressed that out of the total number of 1323 intending pilgrims, the state government sponsored 167 persons.

He informed that Taraba State Muslim pilgrims welfare board has remitted the sum of N1,114,862,859.56 to the national hajj commission as part of  its pilgrims hajj fares.

He explained that N31, 649, 005 were also paid to Ja’iz Bank as “HADAYA” of pilgrims which is a policy by the NAHCON to join other countries of the world.

He warned the intending pilgrims to avoid carrying any contraband goods or substance into the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“As we all know, the Saudi authority  have banned kola-nut, amulets, champs, political posters and banners as well as drugs and sharp objects” he said.

He called on the intending pilgrims to exhibit a sense of maturity during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

Danbaba Suntai's Lovely Daugther Weds In Style

One of the daughters of Danbaba Suntai, the former Taraba State governor recently got married in a private ceremony.

The couple had their honeymoon in Maldives.

Taraba Queens Begin Strike Over Unpaid Salaries

The players of Taraba Queens Football Club of Jalingo have gone on an indefinite strike due to non-payment of their salaries.

The girls are said to have been owed a total of 18 months salaries which had accumulated from the 2014/15 Nigeria Women Premier League (NWPL) season to the current campaign.

Training hasn’t taken place for the past four days and the ladies won’t resume until they are paid their entitlements.

According to the players, the management of the club haven’t been straight forward in their dealings with them.

“The government hasn’t responded to our SOS call, but all our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” one of the players, who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation said.

“We are owed 18 months salaries. Ten from last season and eight from this campaign,” she explained.

PDP: Youth Groups in Taraba Endorse Bello for Publicity Secretary

The amalgamation of youth groups in Taraba state under the auspices of PDP 100% Loyalists, have thrown their weight behind Mr. Emmanuel Bello for the position of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The group in statement signed yesterday by Hon. Dennis Shima, noted that the former commissioner of information in the state possess the needed qualities for the position.

Shima said as an accomplished journalist, Bello comes to the contest with sterling qualities of a news man who has also worked in government circles where he was first a special adviser on Media and twice a commissioner of information.

He stated: “We are delighted to endorse the candidature of Emmanuel Bello for the position of the National Publicity Secretary of our great party.
“We note with deep humility that Emmanuel Bello, while he held similar roles in Taraba state performed creditably well, displaying high level loyalty to the party and his principal.

“He has also been prepared by his principled stand at the most trying period of the state’s history where he became famous for stubbornly standing by ailing former Governor Danbaba Suntai. This was at the time it was easier to compromise loyalty.”

The Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP has zoned the National Publicity position to the North Central but has also said viable candidates can still contest positions irrespective of the zoning formula.
Bello, a former editor with THISDAY and Leadership among other newspapers has not officially declared for the position yet.

A source close to the development told newsmen that the 45 year old former commissioner is currently consulting with stakeholders in the state.

Relief Materials Sent By FG to IDPs In Taraba Declared Missing

A full truck of relief materials sent to Taraba state for distribution to the Internal Displaced Persons IDPs by President Muhamadu Buhari have been declared missing by the permanent secretary Taraba state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA)

The permanent secretary Mr Nuvalga Dan-Habu disclosed this while conducting journalists round the venue where the  relief materials were stored for self keeping in Jalingo Taraba state capital. The Presidential relief materials sent to Taraba state for IDPs have recently generated controversy and war of wards between the minister for women and social development Sen. Aisha Arhasan and Taraba state government when the permanent secretary refused to release the materials to the minister for distribution.

Aisha was in the state to flag off the distribution of the materials to IDPs while on her five days official visit in the state, the state government refused to release materials to her, she also accused the state government of inflicting unnecessary hardship on the IDPs by holding on the materials. Nuvalga stated that few weeks ago he received a phone call from the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA North East zonal office Gombe, he was informed that twenty (20) trucks of relieve materials (Maize) were been sent by President Muhamadu Buhari for IDPs in Taraba state and the materials were on the way from Abuja to Taraba state.

He said the NEMA zonal office directed that the Taraba state Emergency Agency should take the stock of the materials for self keeping for letter distribution to the IDPs. Nuvalga further disclosed that a truck of the relieve materials loaded six hundred (600) bags of Maize in each. He stated that instead of the twenty trucks as directed and informed by the Gombe zonal office of NEMA, only nineteen (19) trucks of the materials arrived Jalingo.

He said when the nineteen trucks arrived Jalingo he called the zonal office and informed them of the details of the stuck the Agency received in Jalingo.

While stating up till the time of briefing journalist the remaining truck was yet to arrived. “Instead of receiving 12,000 bags of Maize as we were informed by NEMA, only 11,400 reached us, a truck loaded 600 bags and it was only 19 trucks that reached to us although I informed NEMA promptly on the development” 

When asked why the State refused to release the materials to the minister for distribution, the permanent secretary said Sen. Aisha did not follow the Normal procedures on how to get the materials been released to her for distribution to the IDPs. “When I was contacted that materials were on the way, I briefed my boss who is the governor of Taraba state, who am answerable to, when the minister came into the state she called me, directing me to release the materials to her for onward distribution to IDPs then I told her that NEMA did not direct me to handover the materials to her and she should contact my boss to smoothen the process but she refused”   


Credit: vanguardngr

Darius Warns Against Encroachment Into Mambilla Hydro Power Project Land

Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State on Friday warned the people of Sardauna Local Government Council of the state against encroachment into the land earmarked for Mambilla Hydro Power Project.

This is contained in a press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa in Jalingo.

The statement quoted Ishaku as saying that government had revoked all the previous sales and acquisition of land in the area, stressing that the project was so dear to government and people of the state and could not be toyed with.

He said that some individuals, community leaders and elites on the Mambilla plateau had started selling the land to land speculators trooping in from other parts of the country.

According to him, Government will not fold its arms and watch land speculators hold the Manbilla Hydro Power project to ransom.

“The state government is prepared to create an enabling environment and give necessary support to the Federal Government to ensure the success of the project”, he said.

The governor directed the chairman of Sarduana Local Government, Alhaji Mohammed Tepsi and the Chief of Mambilla, Alhaji Shehu Baju to ensure compliance with the directives. (NAN)

Gov Ishaku Blames Women Affairs Minister’s Visit To Taraba

Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State has berated the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Alhassan, for not informing the state government of her five days visit and intention to distribute relief materials to Internal Displaced Persons, IDPs.

The governor, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Sylvanus Giwa, claimed that the minister, on her arrival, deliberately refused to notify the Ishaku-led administration on her five-day official visit in the state because the government was allegedly victimising those who sympathised with her during the just-concluded governorship election in the state.

Giwa, in a statement, also alleged that the minister broke protocol as a minister from the state by coming to the state without notifying the government on her planned distribution of relief materials to IDPs in the state, who were under the watch of the state government.

According to the statement, “the minister said she refused to intimate the state governor on her official visit deliberately, but the presidential relieve materials were conveyed by NEMA and handed over to Taraba State Emergency Management Agency. “The Permanent Secretary from Taraba State is under the governor that is working at the agency. Tell me how the state government is not involved in this exercise?”