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?”

Taraba Speaker Donates Life Jackets Worth Millions of Naira to Riverian Communities

Determined to halt further re occurrence of boat mishaps, life jackets worth millions of Naira were today doled out to Riverbank  communities of Sardauna Local Government Council of Taraba state by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Tt. Hon. Peter Abel Diah.

The gesture, as observed by our state correspondent, would go along way to protect lives from being washed away by waters which are often necessitated by persistence rainfall.

The communities which share common international boundaries with the francophone country of the Republic of Cameroon, have no doubt been neglected by the Federal Government, following the absence of motor able roads, bridges across the numerous rivers to mention but few.

Most of the road linking the communities to Cameroon, which our reporter noticed are trunk A roads, are presently cap in hand soliciting for federal government attention as they are projects that cannot be shouldered by the state government and the local council.

Our reporter who recently visited the area, noticed that parts of the roads which are to some extend now motor able, were solely renovated by the speaker, whom according to him ” I am left with no any other option since the federal government has failed in its responsibility than not make life better for my people.”

Federal government failure to attend to the plights of communities domiciling in Sardauna council, has no doubt compelled a lot of them to the graveyards due to regular occurrence of boat accidents.

The latest of such accidents which occurred recently led to the death of no fewer than four persons. The situation which has continue to hindered the flow of business between both countries.

Some persons who spoke to our state correspondent, said had not been for the speaker who have continue to use his merger amount to work on the roads, provide life jackets, as well as boats, the situation of the communities, they said would have been worse than that of Internally Displaced Persons in the north-east states..

While beckoning on well to do individuals especially those from the areas to tread the paths of the speaker, the need for the federal government to as a matter of urgency wake up to his responsibilities by ceasing from relegating the communities which they said have contributed immensely to the economic and growth of the country, has become relevant.

Bearing his mind to our report, the speaker reiterates his readiness and determinations to continue to herald the much needed dividends of democracy to the door steps of the people of the council and the central zone at large.

Beckoning at the people to continue to make peace their watch word, the state government under the leadership of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, he said is harassing legitimate avenue to spread smiles on their faces.

Had the government at the center put the right peg in the right hole, the present plights confronting the people of Sardauna Council, would have long been a thing of the past.

The lukewarm attitudes of the federal government towards them which has no doubt negates the 1961 plebiscite, if not urgently address, would end up compelling some of the people to pay obeisance to the government of Cameroon instead of Nigeria.

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.