CALAMITY: Flood Destroys 60 Houses, Farmlands In Taraba

No fewer than sixty houses and several farm lands were destroyed by flood  in seven villages of Lau LGAs of Taraba State on Saturday  following a  heavy downpour that lasted for several hours.

The communities destroyed by the flood incident includes: Yusa, Yusa Fulani, Yusa Yandang,  Garin Magaji, Jambutu , Jongore and Yusa (A).

The also flood destroyed several farm lands and produce which includes: Maize, Rice, Groundnut, Cassava, Guinea Corn, Banana Suga Caine Mango trees, beans among other crops.

Some of the victims who spoke to our correspondent explained that everything they have were destroyed by the flood disaster.

They called on the local government, the state government and the federal government to come to their rescue.

LEADERSHIP,  reports that those affected by the flood disaster were currently taking refuge in neighboring villages close to their  respective communities.

Gov Ishiaku Partners UNICEF To Re-position Primary Health Care In Taraba State

To overcome the various health challenges presently confronting Taraba state, the state government under the leadership of governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, has agreed to collaborate with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to reposition the Primary Health Care Under One Roof.

In doing this, the state government has been urged to make available to all the 171 wards situated in the entire local government councils of the state a twenty-four hours functional Primary Health Care services so as to halt people especially women from dying while giving birth.

Speaking yesterday at a stakeholders engagement meeting on the reposition of Primary Health Care Under One Roof (PHCUOR) and Adoption of Minimum Service Package (MSP), which took place in Mambilla Plateau of Sardauna council, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Abdullahi Kaikai, reiterated the readiness of the organization to continue to give the much needed support to the state government.

Overwhelmed by the establishment of a functional governing board for the Primary Heath Care Development Agency, by the state government, the government as suggested by him should endeavor to go extra legitimate miles in reducing deaths among pregnant women and the newborns.

Aligning his wight to that of the UNICEF, the Executive Secretary of the Agency, Aminu Jauro Hassan, who took time to enumerated the massive achievements of the Agency, wants the government to as a matter of urgency fashion out mechanisms ” that ensure accountability.”

Also drumming that the release of the Agency’s take off grant be “expedited”

the need to as well bridge the wide gap confronting the Hard-To-Reach (HRH), he said must as well be addressed, stating that “HRH gaps must be filled especially at the managerial and decision making level.

Earlier, the Governing Board chairman of the Agency, Victor Balance Kona, who expressed dismay at the state of the health facilities, said the board has resolved to turn around the ill stories of the health sector to positive ones.

According to him ” many health facilities suffer from inadequate/lack of supply of water and electricity, obsolete equipment in health facilities, inadequate drug supply, irregular and inadequate staff remuneration”

Other major barriers identified by him as major hindrances, which according to him have began to receive the attention of the state governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku, are ” low staff morale and attitude, administrative bottlenecks, poor access roads” to mention just a few.

The state, as opined by him ” cannot continue like this, else our children and those children unborn will have no future” adding that ” we will be a waste land of disabilities and liabilities.”

Lauding the efforts of the UNICEF which he said has ” given breathe and blood to the health system in Taraba state” the board members as well as the directors of PHC at the council levels including the leadership of the state, as made known by him, will reciprocate by carving out “an accountability framework that will make us more responsible, to give breathe to our health system and hope to our land.”

The three day workshop which was organized by the Agency for stakeholders in the entire sixteen local government councils of the state and funded by the UNICEF, as observed by Tarabasquare, heralded the presence of the who is who in the health sector to the Mambilla Plateau.

Taraba APC Ask Governor Ishaku To Resign

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Taraba state chapter, has advised Governor Darius Ishaku to resign if he can’t handle the problems in his state. 

Speaking with newsmen in Jalingo on Monday, September 26, Alhaji Hassan Ardo, the Taraba state chairman of the APC said the government of Governor Ishaku lacks focus, Leadership reports.

According to Ardo, over 12, 000 Taraba workers have been languishing in abject poverty since Ishaku assumed office. He said that all the policies and programme of the present administration has no direct bearing to the people of the state, adding that the decision of the state House of assembly to reduce the tenureship of local government chairmen from three years to two years was not what would solve the problems of the state rather would add to more problems.

Ardo said: “If want to solve the problem of the state, let him pay teachers, local government workers and as well address the problems of pensions.” 

The APC state chairman, who condemned the action of the lawmakers as counterproductive, said that two years was not sufficient for any elected local government to chairman to record any appreciable achievements.

Ardo noted that the decision of governor Ishaku to influence Taraba lawmakers to reduce the three years tenure of LGAs chairman was not only selfish, but against the tenant of genuine democracy in the state. The call for Governor Ishaku’s resignation comes barely two weeks after he said that his state has diversified into tomatoes, rice and tea production.

The governor speaking to State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa noted that Taraba state is known for agriculture, mining and tourism. According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari  has set the course by diversification and Taraba is working on diversification.

Source: naij.com

Taraba, Ebonyi Win Gold In Taekwondo

Chidinma Nwankwo of Ebonyi has won gold in the 49kg female category in Taekwondo event at the ongoing National Youth Games (NYG) in Ilorin.

Umar Abubakar of Taraba State also clinched the gold medal in the 48kg male category of the event.

Nwankwo’s last kick against favorite, Success Ugwu of Delta that gave her the coveted gold medal.

In the same manner, Abubakar of Team Taraba saw off newcomer Salihu Mohammed of Kano in a keenly fight.

Rebecca Audu of Yobe and Miracle Obinna of Anambra settled for the bronze medals in the 49kg female category.

Mohammed Musa of Niger and Ishmael Ahmed of Plateau both won bronze medals in the male category also.

In Taekwondo, Team Kano has won one gold and one silver, Ebonyi claimed a gold and a bronze, while Akwa Ibom and Taraba states have a gold each.

Delta won two silver and Ogun state secured one silver, while Imo won two bronze medals.

Plateau, Anambra, Yobe, Rivers and Niger states have all won a bronze medal each.


Source: vanguardngr

BREAKING: Minister Of Women Affairs Collapses At IDP Camp, See Why

– Hajiya Aisha Alhassan reportedly collapsed at an IDP camp in Adamawa state 
– The minister of women affairs is said to have been diagnosed of low sugar 

Emerging reports suggest that the minister of women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Alhassan, collapsed at an Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs) camp on Monday, September 19.

According to This Day, the minister collapsed at a camp situated in Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa state while addressing vulnerable IDP women inside a store in the camp.

Alhassan, who was in crutches when she arrived the camp, and after addressing the IDPs, entered the store to discuss with some of the said vulnerable women sequel to an allegation by some foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on violation of some girls and women at the IDPs’ camps in the Northeast.

While discussing with the women, she collapsed, but was quickly assisted to a chair and given a bottle of Coke to drink, which revived her. According to some of her aides, she had been diagnosed with low sugar, a problem that creates serious weakness of the body. But despite her state of health, she managed to explain to journalists at the camp that her fact-finding mission to Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states tend to confirm the foreign NGOs’ allegation.

The minister had earlier said that she was at the camp to give a message from President Muhammadu Buhari to the displaced persons, who wanted them to cheer up despite the hardship because everything was being done to ensure that they go back to their homes. She told the IDPs that the president was touched by their suffering and that was why he sent her to come and donate relief materials and felicitate with them.

Alhassan also paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Adamawa State, Alhaji Muhammadu Bindow, and told him that her visit to the IDPs was to investigate allegations of violation of girls and women and the compound issues of orphans and the vulnerable.

According to Sajoh, the governor and his cabinet, including some All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwarts ate and danced with the displaced persons. In his brief remarks, Bindow stressed the need for peaceful co-existence, adding: “Without peace, no one would readily do anything.” The Deputy Governor, Mr. Martins Babale, in a vote of thanks, observed that keeping the IDPs was still a problem because of the state of the economy.

According to him, the state was still expecting about 56,000 displaced persons from Cameroun. It would bee recalled that there have been similar reports regarding the poor state of health of some ministers of the present dispensation. 

Taraba Celebrates Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan (Maman Taraba) @ 57

The Minster of Women Afair and Social Development, Aisha Jummai Al-Hassan is a year older today. 

The enigmatic Minister, who is a lawyer by training became the first female to be appointed Taraba State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice.

She was also the first woman to be appointed as Secretary FCT, judicial council and later appointed the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on 17 December 2003.

Her foray into politics started  around 2011 and ever since then she has not looked back. She is loved as this can be attested by those who close to her.

We wish her excellency, Hajia Aisha, a happy birthday and she continue to bring about continued development within Taraba State in her own capacity.

Hon. Abel, Taraba Speaker Felicitates With Muslim, Seeks More Supports for Gov. Ishaku.

The speaker of the Taraba state House of Assembly, Rt.Hon. Peter Abel Diah,has beckoned at the people of the state to continue to extend the much needed helping hands to the state governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku, to carry out his dream of making the state a better place.

In carrying out this demand, the much needed growth and dividends of democracy, he believed would be extended to the nooks and crannies of the state as the much desired peace, according to him would no doubt prevail.

The speaker who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media Matters, Baba Jen, also congratulate Moslem faithful in the state and the country at large on the occasion of Eid-El-Kabir,

Certain that Taraba and Nigeria, would no doubt be great, he admonished all a sundries irrespective of religion and political party affiliations to hold tenaciously to peace by eschewing vices that are inimical to the development of the state and the country.

On the ongoing insurgency in the north-eastern parts of the country and the continuous bombing of oil installations in the Niger Delter by the Avengers, he called on the militants and the Boko Haram members to lay down their arms and accept the hands of friendship presently being extend to them by the federal government.

According to him ” Taraba and Nigeria as a whole will be great if peace and s given a chance. So I am using this medium to plead with the militants in the Niger Delta and the Boko Haram members in this part of our country to drop their weapons mad embrace the opportunity presently being offered them by the central government.”

The speaker who said he has seeng a ” greater Taraba” believed if all hands are on deck by giving the governor the maximum supports he need to herald the much needed growth to the state, Taraba, according to him ” would soon be competing with states like Lagos, Port-Harcourt etc.”

Citing Taraba as one of the leading states that offset civil servants month remuneration as at when due, the state under the leadership of the incumbent governor, is at the verge of becoming one the leading tea producing state in the world.

Taking steps further to enumerate the abundant human and natural potentials scattered in the entire axis of the state, should the people of the state continue to give the governor the much needed peace ” to work” such resources, he said would be tap into by the governor.

Using the opportunity to applaud the governor for lifting the ban on employment, the problem of unemployment which was necessitated by the by ban placed on employment by the past governors of the state, he said is ” almost coming to an end because our governor has lift the ban.”

He enjoined qualified youths who have being perambulating the streets seeking for employment to take advantage of the opportunity by applying for the positions of their choice.

Contrary to the ongoing rumour that said employment opportunities have been cornered by politicians, the speaker said the employment would be done on merits. He enjoyed the people of the state to have fate on the governor whom he said will continue to work tirelessly round the clock to dread smiles on the faces of the people.

The House of Assembly which he is presiding upon, he said would continue to work ” as one family” to catapult the state to the greatest height, adding that ” we will continue to avoid any act that will bring disaffection between the Executive and the Legislative arms of the government.”

Unlike other states legislators, who derives pleasure in dragging the number one citizens of their states into the mud, Taraba assembly, according to him, would continue to toy the paths of dialogue stressing that ” crisis will only bring down the state and make the masses to suffer.”

Jonathan, The Cause Of Suffering In Nigeria – Mama Taraba

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Alhassan, otherwise known as Mama Taraba has declared that no one should blame the current government as being responsible for the nation’s economic woes.

The minister, while speaking with newsmen in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State where she met with the APC women drawn from the 25 local government areas of the state, said the immediate past government of Goodluck Jonathan brought Nigeria into economic mess.

Alhassan, who was represented on the occasion by the Coordinator for Women Empowerment, Chief Akukalia Angela, assured the people that the present administration was passionate about developing women and reducing hunger in the country.

“The present process of economic recession is not caused by the APC-led government; rather, it was caused by the immediate past government, who looted the nation’s treasury and threw the people into hardship.

“The APC will do everything humanly possible to put Nigeria back on the right positive track,” she said.

The APC Woman Leader in the state, Dr. Janeth Oyubu, while pledging the support of the APC women in the state for the government, alleged that the PDP government had hijacked all the palliatives initiated by the Buhari government.

Oyubu added, “Don’t be carried away with peanuts from the ailing PDP. I can assure you that APC has all it takes to transform your well-being by empowering you so that you can be helpful to your family and the society.”

Darius Moves Taraba Television From Analogue To Digital, To Beat 2017 Digitlization Deadline

Digitalization of Taraba state Television (TTV) according to the state governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku, will be completed before June 2017 to beat the deadline for the switch-over from analogue to digital.

The governor who made this known through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Sylvanus Y. Giwa during an interactive session with Naija247 News in Jalingo the state capital,said the state government has signed the contract for the full digitization of the state television with Pinnacle Communication Limited in December 2015 to ensure that the deadline of June 2017 was met.

He added that because of the government’s commitment to the project, the governor immediately mobilized the contractor to site, adding that the project has attained 90 per cent completion.

The governor lauded the efforts of Pinnacle Communications Limited for delivering a quality job within a shortest period.

He explained that a digitalized television and radio for the state would go a long way in not only improving quality programming but also create employment for the teeming youths that went through many forms of computer training.

According to him, government would employ at least 100 new staff after the exercise to man the new facility, while a comprehensive staff quarters would be constructed at the permanent site to ease staff accommodation problem. A staff bus is also to be provided to address staff transportation issues.

While giving update on the projects, the Executive Director, Pinnacle Communications, Mr. Dipo Onifade who conducted Journalists round the project at the Taraba Television permanent site in Mallum said Pinnacle Communications, a leading communication firm in Nigeria, was committed to providing quality services to the state television.

He disclosed that already the virtual/digital studios have been completed to meet international standards while cameras have already been mounted, adding that all other accompanying equipment have been fully supplied and installed and now ready for the full take-off of the station.

According to the Executive Director, Pinnacle Communications was handling similar digitalization of broadcast media houses in several states across country.

Naija27 News, observed that residents of Jalingo and environs were already enjoying quality signals from Taraba Television ahead of the full take-off, while the office complex was wearing a new look.

The work on the digitalization of Taraba Television, according to a cross section of residents of Jalingo, the state capital, was one of the major achievements of Governor Ishaku’s administration.

Mr. Joel Shawulu, a media expert, commended the Governor for embarking on the digitalization exercise on time with a view of meeting the June, 2017 National Broadcasting Communication’s deadline for full switchover from analogue to digital of all broadcast media organizations in Nigeria.

He said he had no doubt that Pinnacle Communications would deliver a good job to the state government considering her track record in the communication industry in Nigeria.

Similarly, Alhaji Suleiman Yusuf, a political analyst described the timely completion of the digitization exercise of the state television by the company as a display of competence and commitment to hard work.

Pinnacle Communications Ltd, was recently endorsed as the sole signal distributors by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) after withdrawing its N1.2 trillion suit against the federal government for alleged breach of contractual agreement.

The Director General, NBC, Mr. Modibbo Kawu, it would be recall that immediately after a meeting with the Directors of Pinnacle Communications led by the chairman, Chief Lucky Omoluwa in Abuja last week announced that Pinnacle Communications Limited remains the sole signal distributors for the June 2017 switch-over project of Nigeria from analogue to digital viewing.

According to the NBC boss, “I am happy to report that we have reached substantial agreement in the interest of Nigeria’s DSO Pinnacle Communications Limited is fully back into the process.

Similarly, we have also taken a decision that Pinnacle Communications would serve as the signal distributors for the next phase for which we have tentatively chosen the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja” he said.

Meanwhile, Chief Lucky Omoluwa, chairman, Pinnacle Communications told journalists in Abuja last week that the company’s foreign partners, Jampro Antennas and Gates Air, manufactures of broadcast equipment were ready to commence operation.

According to him “We have held meeting with the NBC and we met the minister of Information with our foreign partners who are familiar with the terrain and we equally have infrastructures in the 36 states of the federation and will commence operations soon.”

WATCH VIDEO: Fulanis Offered Me N350m To Destabilize Taraba and Benue - Gana

Wanted Benue militant, Terwase Agwaza AKA Gana made shocking disclosures in an interview aired on Channels TV. 

Amongst other revelations, Gana who is presently in hiding after being declared wanted by security agents, claimed that he was supplied arms by the special adviser to the Benue State governor on security, Col. Edwin Jando (rtd) to carry out nefarious activities.

Gana also claimed that he was approached by some Fulani elders in a bid to destabilize Taraba State being part of a grand plan to cause instability in Plateau, Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa States.

Ghana claims he was offered 50m naira to invade Taraba, but he instead asked for 1bn naira. His offer was upped to 350m naira which he turned down saying 750m naira will be ideal since he had to settle security agents for a smooth operation.

Ghana is presently on the run with a bounty of 5m naira on his head.

Below are videos of the interview aired on Channels;

Culled from linknaija

Taraba To Become Highest Producer Of Fresh Tomatoes, Tea In 2017 - Gov. Ishaku

In view of the economic recession, Darius Ishaku, the Governor of Taraba state has said that his state will begin to produce tomatoes, rice and tea production come January, 2017.

This is in view of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration’s course to diversify the economy.

The Governor noted that Taraba state is known for agriculture, mining and tourism.

Ishaku said: “Our problem is finance but we are doing our best in spite of the financial crunch and very soon we will start to get one or two of the plants or industries that were otherwise closed down, vandalized and looted completely.

“Already, we have started the green house project which Israel is are building for us and we are going to be bringing in tomatoes here.

“By January, you will see fresh tomatoes made in Taraba. Taraba rice is working but we are working on a bigger one, We are working on other fields as the corn and we are working and making sure that we have a lot of plantation. Of course, the Highland tea.

“I have just come from India, Dazley, where they are planting tea. We should be able to work on the tea so that the whole Island will be filled with tea. Our tea is registered as the second best in the world after Sri Lanka,” he added.

Meanwhile, the governor said the 3050 WM Mambilla power project would soon come on stream. 40 Chinese engineers visited the site located at Gembu accompanied by officials from the Federal Ministry Power, Works. He said:

“By the grace of God it will soon start. We are working hard toward its commencement and that will add 3050 megawatts to the grid and help the country in power requirements. It is one of the things that we will have to work seriously to make sure that the power shortage is stopped in the country,” he added.

Culled from the whistleng

Gate Man Who Killed His Boss In Lagos, Arrested In Taraba

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one Tanko Abdulateef, a 22-year old House guard who allegedly killed his employer, Mabel Mba Okafor in Ajah area of the State on August 17, 2016, Vanguard reports.

According to the Lagos Police Command Spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmos, the suspect was tracked down and arrested from his hiding in Bali, Taraba state

Badmos said that the suspect would be charged to court after conclusion of investigation.

“On August 17, 2016, there was a murder of one Mabel Mba Okafor aged 50 of No J68B, Close 9, Victoria Garden City (VGC), Ajah. She was killed and the policemen went there and discovered that the house had been ransacked and a lot of properties carted away.

The woman had a House guard but the guard was nowhere to be found. The body of the victim was examined and it was noticed that she was stabbed in the stomach and her stomach ripped open. “She was moved over to the mortuary and the policemen from the division did necessary scene of crime investigations they were supposed to do, while the matter was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The Commissioner of Police also called on the Decoy Team of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in charge of Tracking and tasked them to deal with the matter as well, while the Team swung into operation and after about one week of serious work on the matter, they were able to identify the suspect to be the House guard of the victim and they tracked him to Bali in Taraba State.

After about three days in Bali, they were able to recover some of the phones stolen from the victim before eventually arresting the suspect where he was hiding.

There is no escape route for criminals in Lagos State. Any crime committed in Lagos will be unraveled. If you commit a crime in Lagos and run to anywhere in Nigeria, the Police in Lagos will come after you,” she said..

Badmos said that three phones, trinket, and a lot of the victim’s clothes were recovered from the suspect.

Why Taraba Executive Council Lifted Ban On Employment

The Taraba State Executive Council under Gov Darius Ishaku finally lifted the embargo placed on employment many years ago by the first Executive Governor of the state, Rev. Jolly Nyame.

The decision to lift the ban last week was based on the draft of the white paper on a committee report on the verification of transfers and employment into the state civil service from November 2012, to May 2015.

At the council meeting, the entire members accepted the white paper committee recommendations, and collectively agreed that in the process of engaging staff into the service, due process should be followed through advertisement of vacancies.

Stressing the need to take into consideration geographical spread, they also agreed that all employment into the state civil service should be made on the strength of presentation of genius education and professional certificates against the statements of results or testimonials.

In the light of the above, the need for all the state owned institutions of higher learning to always endeavour to make available to graduates their certificates within one year of graduation, the council believed has become vital.

The Chief of Staff, Rebo Usman, made this known while briefing journalists on the outcome of the council meeting, which took place in the Executive chamber of the Government House.

He said the entire council unanimously agreed that critical area of needs should always be taking into consideration in employment as well as transfer so as to sustain the system.

He informed journalists that the council also resolved that employees currently in the state government payroll without certificates should, as a matter of urgency, be advised to present their genuine education or professional certificates or be thrown into the unemployed market.

Biometric data capturing and analysis of the staff will be carried out to determine the strength of the state workforce and personnel bill, and quickly noted that “this exercise is already ongoing in both the state and local government services.”

The office of the Head of Service, in conjunction with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Usman said, have been directed to set in motion machinery to carry out the decision of the council on the aforementioned subject.

For the past 10 years, graduates from the state have roamed the streets with their certificates due to government’s refusal to fill in the numerous vacant positions in the state civil services.

Mambilla 3,050-MW Hydro Project In Taraba Threatened By Landslide

A landslide has damaged the road leading to the 3,050-MW Mambilla hydro project site and may hinder progress on the facility, news agencies are reporting.

Other access roads are reported to be accessible only using bicycles, and it is reported that the rivers have no functional bridges.

Investigations into this project, in Kashimbila, Taraba State, began in 1982. A $3.2 billion contract was awarded in May 2007 to China Gezhouba Group Company Limited and Sinohydro.

Reports indicate 70% of the total project cost – now estimated at $6 billion – will be paid by Chinese firms and 30% by the government of Nigeria.

Mambilla is one of four projects the country’s Minister of Power, Works and Housing said the country will work to expedite because “hydroelectricity would help replace the country’s diesel generating fleet, which has proven vulnerable as fuel supply lines have fallen victim to theft.” The other three projects were 700-MW Zungeru, 250-MW Gurara and 35-MW Dadin Kowa.

The Mambilla Plateau is the highest plateau in Nigeria, at an average elevation of 5,249 feet above sea level. More than 50,000 people live on this plateau.

25 Years On, Darius Shifts Taraba Into Next Gear

No matter what the harshest critics of Governor Darius Ishaku say, one thing I noticed is, no one casts a shadow of doubt on his good intentions, and his patriotism for Taraba State. He has been slammed for his seemingly over bloated appointments and other inconsequential, mundane issues. But both praise singers and wailers alike agree with the verdict that this seasoned architect means well for the state.

His intense zest, innovative spirit and dedication is hardly questioned. No one appears to lose sight of this. And as the citizens reflect on 25 years of statehood (the year of Jubilee), one point that stands out like a volcanic eruption is the issue of performance of our governors across the years. Citizens are bound to think back to all the administrations that have come and gone in the state. How have they fared? Did they reign with the fear of God and clarity of purpose? Have they been able to translate the wishes of the masses to concrete achievements? Have they assist us to reclaim and run with the visions of our founding fathers?

The founders themselves had a simple idea of what the Taraba Dream is. They wanted a state carved out of the old Gongola State where numerous tribes and tendencies would live as one in peace and prosperity. They hoped that the state would harness its abundant human and natural resources to become one of most vibrant states on the map.

Was their labour in vain? Are they shaking their heads now in regret? Should they have bothered with the agitation for a new state? Indeed should Taraba have been created at all? To start with the last poser, yes there was the need to have Taraba. Coming from a history that consigned most of what is the state today to bondage and underdevelopment, the citizens from these parts earnestly yearned for freedom. Ravaged by domination of all kinds of higher forces in the defunct North East and Benue Plateau through to old Gongola, this swathe of arable land, abundant mineral deposits and some of the finest brains was praying  to be free from shackles. Defunct Gongola State was perhaps the most tortuous of the subjugations. Who can forget the tribulations of having to travel the long road to Yola for anything, everything?

What about the fact that civil servants were unofficially mandated to understand Fulfulde as the ultimate language of government business at the headquarters? What about skewed employment and promotion opportunities? What about the fear that Gongola was too big for equitable distribution of development? Yes, everyone wanted a ‘Taraxit’ of some sort at the time. And freedom came on the 27th day of August, 25 years ago when the then military leader, General Ibrahim Babangida created Taraba State. Since then successive regimes have worked to establish it as a viable entity within a very competitive polity. While the state isn’t competing with Lagos and Kano states for instance, it is daily pitted against states that were created at the same time. That’s reasonable as far as peer review mechanism go. Has the state been able to match its peers’ records? Or have we remained stagnant? While some feel we have advanced well, others feel we could have done better. It is a discourse that should dominate the airwaves this week. But history has been kind to Taraba.

Apart from the military aberrations at various times, three civilian governors’ names stand out in the annals of the state:  Rev. Jolly Nyame, Pharmacist Danbaba Danfulani Suntai and Arch. Darius Dickson Ishaku. Nyame, unarguably had the longest reign of the trio. And while he has his stern critics, Nyame actually did his best for the fledging state. He inherited a Taraba that saw the activities of military adventurers who really couldn’t have cared a hoot about their new posts. They ruled as conquerors and not as patriotic citizens. It was Nyame’s job therefore to institutionalise democracy in the young state. He himself needed some training in that regard but there he was, trying to chart the foundation and the fate of a people.

There is a sense in which the Nyame template (in all its good and bad effect) is still very much in use. Some of the team he assembled in those shaky years are still active players in the state’s fortune or misfortune. To Nyame’s credit goes the airport, stadium, hospitals, schools and state-owned hotels among his modest effort at early development. Nyame’s successor, Danbaba Suntai, had to battle with the long shadow of his former boss. Suntai also had to pick up bills for some of the projects Nyame ambitiously began without paying for. Suntai’s major contribution to Taraba’s chequered history is in redefining the rules of engagement. Under him, the old Nyame template got revised, effectively moving the state from a traditional one to a modern sphere. Suntai dealt a blow on mediocrity, divisive tendencies and archaic way of thinking. He built roads to connect people with opportunities. He emphasised handwork and decency as a major component of statecraft. May be Suntai would have done more were it not his near fatal crash that threw the state into turmoil.

It is however the current governor, Darius Ishaku, who appears to be well suited to transform the state in radical ways. If Nyame was an accidental governor and if Suntai was a short lived one, Darius came prepared for the job. He has been minister in three ministries. Nyame didn’t do much schooling  and Suntai was a pharmacist but Darius is a well known academic in architecture. He therefore comes to the job with sterling credentials. Besides, he comes at a challenging time when both the global and national economy are experiencing an economic melt down. Again, while both Nyame and Suntai were governors in the era of boom, Darius is the bust era governor with all its possibilities and limitations. What that means therefore is he must prioritise, cut cost, reduce unnecessary over heads and focus on areas that would get him a place in the hall of fame.

He is already doing that. With the catch phrase of rescue mission, Darius is practically breaking with the past in more profound ways. He seems to have shifted the state into a new gear of greater peace amidst turmoil and more fundamental changes in uncertain times. With paucity of funds, he has narrowed expenses, targeting the higher levers of the economy: agriculture, solid minerals, tourism. The road networks have continued. The airport which started as paper work and unfinished projects in the last regimes is now a reality. With three flights weekly, more people find the state conducive for investment. The digitisation of the media outfits in Taraba means that Darius is rolling away two decades of obsolete equipment and engrafting the state into modern times. As far as history is concerned, Taraba State couldn’t have wished for a better governor at a time like this.

And as citizens reflect in this year of jubilee, it is pertinent to note that growth is not really the work of one single individual. It is the product of collective effort. The Taraba of our founding fathers dream is still possible. It is a dream of over two million souls living on one of  the most blessed patch on the surface of earth. It is the dream of our ancestors in great ancient kingdoms bounded by even greater mountains, lakes, rivers, forests, streams and wildlife. This is greater than all of us put together living or dead. The Taraba dream is still alive and getting reborn everyday. At 25 years of age, Governor Darius Ishaku is saddled with this epochal duty to steer the ship to a shore of prosperity, peace and more progress. It is a job that must be done and can be done by all of us.

Emmanuel Bello 
a former commissioner of information, contributed this piece from Abuja.

Ishaku Attracts German Firms, Turning Taraba Into An Investment Hub

The economic downturn in Nigeria today, due to fallen oil price and restiveness in the country’s Niger Delta region, has forced many states in the country into debts, thus hindering even certain basic features of livelihood such as timely payment of salaries to workers.

The present government in Taraba State, under the able leadership of the governor, His Excellency, Arch. Darius Ishiaku, however has a lofty idea for his people. Recently, the governor embarked on a business tour of Germany aimed at meeting top level business executives, project financiers and grant donors.

For the purposes of garnering support for the education and health sectors of the State; and also wooing potential partners in agriculture, waste recycling and skill developers to enhance the development of the State and create employment opportunities for teaming youths in the State.

During the tour the governor made a presentation in the city of Postdam, before a group of German investors, where he showcased products from the newly established tea production factory, set up within one year of governor his administration.

Going by this feat in tea production, Taraba State is now the first state to ‘export’ packaged tea from Nigeria.

The investors could not hide their excitement at the end of the presentation, such that a group of five investors out of the investors present, declared their readiness to partner with the government, in revamping the comatose tomato factory in the state.

As proof of their commitment, they also expressed their willingness to build 1000 housing units and 25 containerized cottage hospitals, to improve housing and healthcare delivery in the state.

Additionally, an International Educational Consulting firm, SJJ education Support, in collaboration with Nigerian-German educational support foundation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the governor to offer Taraba State students a tuition free opportunity to study in Germany.

By virtue of the agreement, Interested Taraba State indigenes can now study in German Universities, for either Bachelor, Master or PhD at no cost.

In an interview with AfricanQuarters, Nigerian Born investment/project facilitator to Government of Taraba State, Mr. Saturday Jackson, who facilitated the visit, he commended the governor for his foresight and zeal to leave a mark in the sands of the history of Taraba, and Nigeria at large.

He cited the waste recycling factory, which was an outcome of the tour, as having the capacity of generating thousands of jobs for unemployed youths in the state, and even beyond.

By Oruruo Samuel

6 Facts About Taraba State That You Must Know

Endowed with diverse and rich topography, featuring rising plains and hills, flowing rivers including Rivers Benue, Donga, Taraba and Ibi, and famous plateaus, Taraba tate is largely deserving of the tag “Nature’s gift to the Nation”.

Here, we give you the six fact about the wonderful state

1.Rivers Benue, Donga, Taraba and Ibi are the major rivers in the state

2.  Taraba State has 62 secondary schools, 3 teachers college, 9 vocational training centres, a state polytechnic, a college of education, college of Agriculture, a college of Health and school of nursing.

3. Taraba state has more languages than 30 African countries.

4. The Chappal Waddi mountain found in Mambilla plateau, is the highest point in Nigeria with a height of 2,419 metres

5. Taraba has the largest quantities of the following mineral deposits in Nigeria; Graphite, calcite, Barites, Quarzite, Bauxite, Kaolin, Zirco, topaz and various Gemstones.

6. Alhaji Musa Daggash, is said to be the first to have introduce the Eucalyptus tree to the Mambilla district.