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 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.

NOTICE: Gov Ishaku to send 100 youths to Israel for training in Agriculture

Taraba state Governor, Arch. Darius Dickson has revealed that his administration will soon send one hundred youths for training in Israel in the field of Agriculture. Governor Darius Ishaku said this today during the flagged off the state win a trip to Israel, WATTI, at the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN secretariat Jalingo, explaining that those that will be trained are expected to key into the ongoing green house project as well as become productive members of the society.

He praised the ingenuity of the executive secretary of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission NCPC, Reverend Kennedy Opara for the wonderful job he is doing in the Commission, pointing out that despite the economic melt down, he has kept on dreaming dreams and is the reason why the Commission is standing tall and bubbling with ideas.

Darius Ishaku stated that the win a trip to Israel is a wonderful innovation and assured the Executive secretary of Taraba State Government support at all times so that the commission will be able to send many Christians to the holy land.

In his speech, the Executive Secretary of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission NCPC, said the WATTI project is aimed at reducing over dependence on government for sponsorship to the Holy land.
Kennedy Opara disclosed that a ticket cost five hundred Naira, stressing that with just five hundred Naira, a person who is successful in the lottery, a trip to Israel is assured at no extra cost.

He encouraged all Christians to support and participate in the programme, saying that the project is primarily designed to have more Christians visit the holy land and added that everything “ we do in life must cost us something”.

The Executive Secretary assured the gathering that the process will be very transparent and also used the opportunity to call on Tarabans to support Arch. Darius Dickson Ishaku to succeed in the state, averring that God brought him on board to make a difference.
Delivering his sermon during the event, Rev. Innocent Solomon praised the charismatic leadership of NCPC Executive Secretary and stated that the vision to give more Christians an opportunity to visit the holy land is a vision that is inspired by God.

The clergy disclosed that lottery or casting lots is found in the bible, explaining that it was an acceptable way of making choice and supported his argument from the book of Isaiah 2:2 and Joshua 8:10 and challenged Christians to support the vision so that it will stand the test of time.
In appreciating the programme, the state Chairman of Taraba state Christian pilgrims Welfare Board, Rev. Isaiah Magaji Jirapye said the WATTI programme is the beginning of good things that will begin to come out from the NCPC and beckoned on Christians to support and sustain the initiative.

High point of the event was the lottery proper that was started by the state Governor, Arch. Darius Dickson Ishaku who picked the name of Mrs. Safira Ben as the first successful candidate while His wife Barrister Anna Ishaku picked the second successful candidate, Mrs. Wabuji Ezekiel.
Prayers for the state, the state Governor and his family and for the success of the Win a Trip to Israel WATTI, was offered by Rev. Dr. Ben Ube, Taraba state CAN Chairman.       

Our correspondent reports that Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku also purchased 1000 raffle tickets for each of the 16 Local Government Areas of the State to participate in the WATTI lottery.

Here are The 10 best business opportunities you can do in Taraba

Taraba state is one of the 36 states in Nigeria, it is located in the Middle Belt region (Politically classified as a North East state) and the state was created on the 27th of August, 1991. The capital of Taraba state is Jalingo and the nick name of the state is ‘Nature’s Gift to the Nation’. The languages that are generally spoken in the state are English, Hausa, Jukun and Kuteb

Taraba state shares border with Benue state, Adamawa State, Plateau state and an international border with the Republic of Cameron. The major ethnic groups in Taraba state are Jukun, Tiv, Hausa, Fulani, Jenjo, Kuteb Chamba, Ichen, Ndoro, Kaka and Mumuyes people. A larger percentage of those in Taraba state are Christians, and the rest are Muslims and Traditional worshippers.

Farming, Fishing, carving, cloth weaving, cloth dyeing, mat making, cattle rearing, goat rearing, sheep rearing, pig farming, poultry farming, and rabbit breeding are the mainstay of the people in Taraba state. Cash crops cultivated in Taraba state are coffee, tea, cotton and groundnuts. The state is also notable for the cultivation of cassava, maize, millet, rice, yam and sorghum. The government is the largest employer of labor in the state and they are also working hard to make Taraba state a choice tourist destination in Nigeria.

With interesting tourist sites like Gumpti Park and Games Reserve in Gashaka, Mambilla Tourist Centre and the annual Nwunyu Fishing Festival in Taraba state, it is just a matter of time for tourists to start trooping to the state all through the year.

Now let us quickly consider the top ten business opportunities available in Taraba state;

1. Commercial Fishing Business

Commercial fishing is one of the viable businesses an entrepreneur can start in Taraba state simply because of the many rivers in and around the state. People of the Jukun tribe in Taraba state are predominantly fishermen. As a matter of fact, the government of Taraba state is making serious effort to give loan and incentives to fish farmers.

All you need to do to make it big in the fishing business in Taraba state is to plan beyond just fishing and selling it to local market women; you can dry the fish, package it properly and then transport it to other parts of the country and even neighboring West African countries.

2. Travels and Tours Business

If you are looking towards positioning a business for the future in Taraba state, then you should look towards setting up your own Travels and Tours Company in the state. Doing so will align you with the State Government’s long term goal of making the state a top tourist destination in Nigeria. Just ensure that you keep tab with Taraba state government program on tourism so that you will know how to effectively play your part.

3. Mat Making Cottage Company

Mat making Cottage Company is one of the businesses an entrepreneur can launch in Taraba state. Once you are successfully in launching this type of business in the state, you must ensure that you market your products to the Muslim community in the state and outside the state; they are the major users of mats in Nigeria.

4. Cattle, Sheep and Goat Rearing Business

Another thriving business an entrepreneur can successfully start in Taraba state is cattle, sheep and goat rearing business. It is cheaper to run this type of business in the state and the profit potential from cattle, sheep and goat rearing business is much especially if you know how to create new markets outside the state.

5. Poultry Farm

Poultry farming is yet another viable and highly profitable business an entrepreneur can launch in Taraba state. All you need to do to become successfully in this kind of business is to

ensure that you put measure in place that will prevent the easy spread of bird diseases in your poultry farm. Of course the weather in Taraba state is ideal for poultry farming.

6. Coffee and Tea Farming Business

Coffee and tea farming is yet another profitable venture an entrepreneur can easily set up in Taraba state. The climatic condition and the soil composition are highly suitable for the cultivation of coffee and tea. So if you are interested in agriculture, you can consider starting your own coffee and tea plantation in Taraba state. The truth is that, the markets for Tea and coffee is not just restricted to Nigeria; if you have a good marking strategy in place, you can attract clients from Europe and other African countries.

7. Rice Production

Another crop that can easily grow in Taraba state is rice. So if you are looking towards owning an investment portfolio in the agric sector in Nigeria, then you should look towards going into rice production in Taraba state. Rice is a stable food that is consumed in all household in Nigeria and in most parts of the world.

8. Bakery Business

Bakery business is one of the businesses that an entrepreneur can setup in Taraba state and make good returns on their investment. All you need to do to make it big in this type of business is to ensure that you choose a location that is closer to a busy road in Taraba state to setup your bakery; Jalingo is ideal for this type of business. You can as well market your products to supermarkets in the state.

9. Carpentry/Furniture Workshop

Carpentry is another business an entrepreneur can successfully launch in Taraba state. Although there are several carpentry shops in Taraba state, but if you want to carve a niche for yourself in the state, all you need to do is to open a standard carpentry workshop where people can learn the trade. Such schools aren’t found in Taraba state.

10. Business Centre

Another easy to setup business that an entrepreneur can setup in Taraba state is a business centre; a place where people can type and print documents, make photocopies, laminate their documents, send and receive fax, make phone calls and scan their documents. Jalingo the state capital is the most ideal place to setup this type of business.

Taraba PDP Congress: State Chairman Returns Unopposed

The  Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State has reflected Mr Victor Bala Kona, unopposed  to continue as the chairman of the party for a second term tenure.

The Taraba State chapter of PDP at its state congress held yesterday at the Jolly Nyame Stadium, Jalingo, also elected 29 members of the state party exco which consists the14 members of working committee and 15 non- working committee members.

All the exco were elected unopposed by delegates from the 16 local government areas and Yangu development area of the state, through secret balloting.

Announcing the results of the election, Mr Emmanuel Ekpirikpo, the chairman electoral committee, said Victor Bala Kona, was the only candidate who contested for the chairmanship seat and polled 675 votes to emmerge as winner.

At the congress, Mr Kuriya Taparki, was  also elected as the new  secretary of the party.
In his  acceptance speech,  Kona vowed to uphold and defend the constitution of the party.

We will bring DSK and other aggrieved members back to PDP - Hon. Bala Kona

Taraba state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been working hard to bring back aggrieved members of the party preparatory to the state Congress which is scheduled to hold in Jalingo the state capital.

 This was revealed to newsmen by the Chairman of the peoples Democratic Party, Hon Victor Bala Kona recently as part of the state party plans to get back all members on board for a more purposeful and successful outing in 2019.

FG opens talks with Gov Ishaku on 3050mw Mambilla project

 

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the federal government has commenced discussions with the Taraba State Governor, Mr Dickson Ishaku on the construction of 3050megawatts (mw) Mambilla Hydropower Plant in the state.
 

The project has been on the drawing board for over 30 years with little progress achieved on it.

The minister, who spoke at a public lecture in Lagos yesterday, said: “We have opened discussions with the Governor of Taraba State, Governor Dickson Ishaku, who incidentally was once a minister of state for power.