Emmanuel Bello to FG: ‘Stop Neglecting Gashaka-Gumti Games Reserve’

The federal government has been admonished to stop neglecting the Gashaka – Gumpti games reserve located in Taraba state.

Making the call, Taraba state former commissioner of information, culture and tourism, Emmanuel Bello, said the games reserve remains the largest in West Africa. Bello also described it as a lost treasure.

He said, “after the capture of sambisa forest, one of the things the federal government must ask itself is how that forest became a breeding ground for the type of atrocity that reportedly went on there. Ordinarily, sambisa should have been a paradise on earth with its potential for tourism and scientific researches.

“Today, the name, sambisa, may forever be associated with negativity. I call on the federal government to be proactive about tourism. We may never know, but if that sambisa forest was put to good use, who knows may be we would have been spared all the horrors. Please, let this not become the fate of another potential paradise called Gashaka-Gumpti.”

Bello, who is currently the senior special assistant to governor Darius Ishaku on Public Affairs, said Gashaka Gumpti must not be allowed to waste. Noting that the Taraba state government has done its part, Bello enjoined the federal government to shift its focus to the tourism industry in the state.

He said, “the governor is working hard to ensure there is peace in Taraba. Peace is very strategic for tourism. Governor Ishaku has also opened up the air space so that people can easily enter the state.

By Tunde Oguntola

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

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.

Make Taraba Tourism Capital of Nigeria, Darius Tells FG

The Governor of Taraba State, Arc. Darius Ishaku, has, in the wake of the urgent need to diversify the country’s economy, challenged the federal government to invest heavily in the tourism sector with special attention to his state.

Ishaku, who made this call while speaking to journalists in Abuja on Sunday, said that there is no better place to embark on any serious tourism initiative than Taraba state.

He said the federal government can only demonstrate its readiness to invest in the sector if it makes the state its main pivot scheme.

He said: “One area I believe is very lucrative in terms of investment, is tourism because if you check you find that some countries like Greece, Cuba and even Kenya here make tourism the corner stone of their economy. Tourism gives them enough and it enhances the employment opportunities in these places.

“Unlike other areas, tourism is the sector where the customer doesn’t leave with the commodity. Take the Taj Mahal in India. The place sees millions of customers yearly yet it is still standing. You can only leave with the experience but the tourism attribute remains there for the benefit of the owners. You can imagine how much we as Nigerians spend yearly in travels and sight seeings even with the tough times.

Countries are making a fortune from tourism even in a relatively unsafe world.”

The former university don turn politician, stressed that tourism is a low hanging fruit not requiring too much funding

According to him, “nature has practically finished the work for investment”. “Take our own offer for example. The Mambilla Plateau is already 80 per cent completed by nature with all the wondrous  sight and sound you find there. God has provided natural golf courses, water falls, wildlife, undulating hills and poetic scenes.  The way the weather is constituted, you would think God installed air-conditioning gadgets all over the place all year round.

“It also looks as if God was painting and painted this picture perfect place. So, nature has done its work. What remains now is for us to add the 20 percent of infrastructure needed. This would mean
good roads, hotels, amusement parks and shopping malls,” he noted.

10 Health Benefits of Aya (Tiger Nuts)

Tiger nuts, popularly known as “aya” in Northern Nigeria. The Yorubas call it “Ofio”. Tiger nuts are one of nature’s super foods. They are high in fibre, nutritious, and are believed to contain ingredients that help prevent heart attacks and improve blood circulation in people.

It is has high energy content (starch, fats, sugars, and protein). These small round tubers (either fresh or dried) are rich in minerals such as phosphorous, potassium, and vitamin E and C.

Benefits of Tiger Nuts include the following:

1. High Fibre: Tiger nuts are very rich in dietary fibre. Over 30% of a tiger nut is made of fibre and that is more than oats, bran and most vegetables and fruits. We all need to keep our digestive system in good working order with fibre. It could also be an aid to weight loss by making you feel fuller for longer.

2. High amin0 acids: Another wonderful health benefit of tiger nut is that the nut is high in amino acids, especially one called arginine, which is beneficial to those suffering with high blood pressure. Arginine has been clinically proven to reduce blood pressure.

3. Magnesium: They are a good source of magnesium.  It is needed by the body to help the muscle and nerves function and for the proper function of the immune system. Magnesium also helps to regulate heart beat and maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

4. Rich in protein: Protein is a vital ingredient used in building of muscle, skin and bone, and tiger nuts are in fact one of the best, non-meat, source of protein that there is.

5. Regulates blood sugar: Another one great health benefit of tiger nuts is that they are helpful in regulating blood sugar levels. The insoluble fibre found in the tiger nut can be of great help to diabetics because, unlike other carbohydrates, it does not cause peaks and troughs in the blood sugar levels.

6. Tiger nut milk can be used as cow milk substitues: Tiger nut milk contains no lactose but plenty of calcium, so it makes a great alternative to cow’s milk, for people who are lactose intolerant.

7. Tiger nut is a good source of vitamin E: Tiger nuts are also a good source of the antioxidant, vitamin E, which helps to protect against the damage caused by free radicals in the body. Vitamin E can help prevent both cancer and coronary disease, as well as slow down the onset of the sign of ageing.

8. They contain healthy fats: Another health benefit of tiger nut is that it contains the healthy oils that are very similar to olive oil. The oil extracted from tiger nuts consist of around 80% unsaturated fats and only 18% of the cholesterol causing saturated fat.

9. Tiger nuts are a good source of vitamins: Recent studies revealed that tiger nuts are brimming with vitamins and minerals. They are a super source of vitamin C and E and minerals such as potassium and phosphorous. Some yoghurts now contain tiger nut milk to boost their nutritional content.

10. Tiger nuts help fight malnutrition: Tiger nuts are packed with nutritional goodness that they are being considered as an alternative staple food in some developing countries. A study in Egypt found that tiger nuts are more nutritious and less expensive than some other staple food.

Source : Taravoices

Wife of Gov. Ishaku Joins Her Benue Counterpart In Prayers to God

Wife of Taraba State Governor, Barr. Anna Darius Ishaku today joined her Benue counterpart, Dr. Mrs. Eunice Ortom to pray for State and National issues declaring that nothing is impossible with God, therefore nothing can be impossible to those who believe in God.

Fear as ‘mystery stone’ falls from the sky in Taraba

About 10:45 am on March 12, farmers and hunters in Tse-Agena area of Mbatyula in Takum local government area of Taraba State heard a loud sound from the sky and then an object, suspected to be meteorite stone, landed. The landing of the white object created panic.

Women and children were asked to vacate the farms immediately while men went to pick the object. Mr. Shausu Agena, a farmer and an eye witness, said the object landed on a big tree in an empty farm land. Agena, while speaking to Taraba Square team inside his hut in the village, said heavy sound accompanied the falling of the object from the sky. 

The clan head of Mbatyula, Zaki Bem Tom, also disclosed that the object landed with a sound that was heard in several communities. “It was in the morning. People were in their various farms when the object landed within our community. 

It was very shocking because some of us that witnessed it descending from the sky thought it was the end of the world,” Ben Tom said. “It took our brave men to go closer to the object so that we will know what it was. Initially when the object landed, it was pure white in color. Human faces were reflecting on the object like mirror. Then it turned pure black. “We have been living in fear because we don’t know what will follow”. 

The village head said the community reported the incident to the state government immediately and the Director of Minerals Resources was sent to Mbatyla. “Before the official came, we had already removed the stone for safe-keeping and the person who kept the stone was not around when the Director visited. Therefore, the Director could not see the stone. “We are calling on government to commission a study of our area following the incident because we may be affected one day by nature”.

When contacted, Taraba State Commissioner for the Environment, Mrs. Rebecca Manasseh, pleaded with the community to release the stone to the state government so that it could study it. Rebecca, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard on phone, confirmed that the state sent its Director of Mineral Resources to the area after the incident was report to ascertain the nature of the ‘mystery stone’. She promised that her ministry was ready to investigate the issue as soon as the stone was released to the state government.

By John Mkom

About 10:45 am on March 12, farmers and hunters in Tse-Agena area of Mbatyula in Takum local government area of Taraba State heard a loud sound from the sky and then an object, suspected to be meteorite stone, landed. The landing of the white object created panic.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/suspected-meteor-unease-mystery-stonefalls-sky-taraba/

About 10:45 am on March 12, farmers and hunters in Tse-Agena area of Mbatyula in Takum local government area of Taraba State heard a loud sound from the sky and then an object, suspected to be meteorite stone, landed. The landing of the white object created panic.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/suspected-meteor-unease-mystery-stonefalls-sky-taraba/

Top 8 travel destinations in Taraba State where you can spend your easter

Taraba State is located in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It was carved out of the old Gongola State on August 27, 1991, by the former military government of General Ibrahim Babangida. The state derived its name from the Taraba River which crosses the southern part of the state, and both the river and the state are rightly called “Nature’s Gift to the Nation.”

With 16 local governments which comprised of Ardo Kola, Bali, Donga, Gashaka, Gassol, Ibi, Jalingo, Karim Lamido, Kurmi, Lau, Kurmi, Sardauna, Takum, Ussa, Wukari, Yorro, and Zing; the state has a population of 2,300,736 (2006 population figures). It is bordered to the west by Benue and Plateau States and to the east by Cameroon. Jalingo is the capital city of Taraba State.

There are several tourism potentials within the state, and some of them are examined hereby: