The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Haruna Manu

  • INEC presents certificates of return to Taraba governor, others

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Wednesday issued the Certificate of Return to Governor Darius Ishaku and his deputy, Haruna Manu.

    Speaker of the Taraba State 24-member House of Assembly, Peter Abel Diah, also received his Certificate of Return.

    All the winners of the House of Assembly polls, including Mark Useni, representing Takum II constituency, were given the Certificate of Return.

    The documents (Certificates) were given at the INEC Conference Hall, Jalingo -the Taraba state capital.

    The governor, who contested on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had polled 520,433 votes in 12 of the 16 local government areas to defeat Sani Abubakar Danladi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who trailed him with 362,735 votes.

    Speaker Diah, who also won in PDP, had polled 14,814 votes to slam his closest rival of the APC who got 7,842 votes.

    The INEC Resident Commissioner, represented by the administrative secretary, said the certificates were given in compliance with Section 75 of the Electoral Act 1999.

    He congratulated the poll winners and urged them to serve in the interest of the people who voted them into office.

    Read also: INEC presents certificates of return to 26 Ekiti lawmakers- elect

    Receiving the Certificate of Return, Ishaku asked for peace to enable him perform.

    He said: “When I make a promise I keep it. All the promises I made in 2019 electioneering campaign shall be kept.

    “I will ask for what I requested in 2015: Give me peace and I will give you development.

    “Peace is the antidote for development because there can never be any development where violence thrives.

    “Ask all the communities that gave me peace -they are enjoying developmental projects I provided.

    “In Taraba state, the potentials are huge. Thus, all hands must be on the desk for us all to tap it,” he said.

  • 264 persons died in Mambilla Plateau crisis – Ishaku

    Taraba state governor, Darius Ishaku, on Wednesday disclosed that 264 persons were confirmed to have been killed and property worth billions of naira destroyed during the 2017/2018 crisises on the Mambilla Plateau, Sadauna local government area of the State.

    Ishaku, who regretted the casualty figure, however, said: “The Assessment Committee which visited 53 communities in the area, discovered that 264 people were killed and not the over 1000 as reported by the media.”

    He added that “209 residents were displaced, 19,464 cattle, 6071 sheep killed while a tea processing plant, among other valuable properties were burnt.”

    The governor gave the sum of N310 million to the victims. He presented Cheques to beneficiaries Wednesday. Relief materials were also donated to alleviate their sufferings.

    The reliefs were given in Gembu -the headquarters of Sadauna, through the Crisis Victims Support Scheme phase one, which was introduced by the governor.

    “I am not here to compensate the victims of the crisis that occurred here on Mambila Plateau. Government does not have enough to compensate you on how much you lost, left alone the number of human beings that were killed.

    Read Also: Ishaku to military: no illegal security training in Taraba

    “I am here to support you so that you can start living relatively better; to also encourage you to co-exist in harmony.”

    The governor warned the people of Mambilla and Tarabans to “exercise restraint”, as he urged all to be law abiding and to always consult traditional rulers when there is confusion.

    He also stated that the creation of chiefdoms in the area was a deliberate policy aimed at reducing tension.

    Ishaku also called on people of the area to reciprocate the good gesture offered to them by people of Cameroon when they hosted them during their difficulties, by accommodating them now that they (Cameroon citizens) are seeking refuge in Nigeria.

    He also hailed Alike Dangote for donating N50 million relief funds for the victims and promised to use the funds to build a Health Centre in the crisis area.

    Taraba state deputy governor, Haruna Manu, who led a committee to Cameroon to look into the issue of refugees, commended his principal for his efforts at solving the crises in the area.

    He regretted the fact that while his committee was trying to reconcile the warring communities, another crisis erupted in March.

    Taraba State House of Assembly Speaker, Abel Peter Diah, who is also Chairman of Sardauna Stakeholders Forum, warned that “much as we will not stop those from Cameroon from entering Nigeria, they must have respect for the laws of Nigeria.

  • I will return party to people, if elected- Gbenga Daniel

    I will return party to people, if elected- Gbenga Daniel

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairmanship aspirant, Chief Gbenga Daniel, on Friday promised to bring back the party to the people, if elected at the Dec 9 convention.

    Daniel spoke with newsmen in Jalingo while on a campaign tour.

    He said that alienation of the people by taking away their power to make decisions was responsible for all the party’s woes.

    “Our coming here physically to speak with our people one on one is something unique and part of what we are going to do to return this great party back to the people.

    “The motto of the PDP is Power to the People, but over the years, it does appear that power has been taken off the grassroot, and that is the cause of our disaster in the last general election.

    “ We are going round, restoring hope, talking to our people, sensitising and giving them the real situation that, now, power has come back to them,” the aspirant said.

    Daniel expressed optimism that he would win the chairmanship election, having previously contested and won two governorship elections in Ogun State.

    “ Most of my friends and colleagues competing were appointed officers; they did not contest and win elections, and I am sure that will be looked at when the time comes.

    “But more than anything else, we have a good party with popularity nationwide, and we are ready to correct the mistakes of the past,” the aspirant said.

    Daniel had earlier met with the State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, and other government officials on his arrival.

    NAN

  • Taraba sets up committee to investigate violence in Ussa, Takum areas

    Taraba sets up committee to investigate violence in Ussa, Takum areas

    The Taraba Government says it has set up a committee to unravel the remote and immediate causes of the recent violence that hit parts of Ussa and Takum Local Government Areas.

    Alhaji Haruna Manu, the Deputy Governor, who announced this on Tuesday in Jalingo, said that government was determined to get to the root of the recurring crises so as to work out measures to end them.

    “Government wants to fish out the perpetrators of the incessant clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Taraba. The crises have affected our development and we cannot continue this way,” he said.

    Manu, who spoke with newsmen shortly after the weekly security meeting, said that anyone found to be linked to the clashes would face the full wrath of the law “no matter his or her status in the society”.

    He said that the security meeting, which he presided over, focused on finding a lasting solution to the perennial clashes which had claimed several lives, particularly in the central and southern parts of Taraba.

    According to him, the committee will be expected to establish the main causes of the crises and recommend ways of averting future occurrences.

    “The communities involved in the recent clashes – Kuteb, Jukun and Fulani – have coexisted peacefully over the years. We have met some of their leaders and they have agreed to expose the evil men that have infiltrated them,” he said.

    He said that security agencies had intensified patrols in all corners of Taraba, and expressed optimism that those alleged to have hired mercenaries to kill farmers would be brought to book.

    Meanwhile, the state government has rejected suggestions that the anti-open grazing bill currently before the House of Assembly, was targeted at herdsmen.

    According to Mr Emmanuel Bello, Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Gov Darius Ishaku, such insinuations are “mischievous, divisive and without substance”.

    “It is wrong to say that government is habouring anti-Fulani sentiments; the bill is aimed at finding a permanent solution to the herdsmen/farmers clashes. No group is targeted.”

    He urged members of the public to fully participate in the public hearing aimed at getting everyone’s input into the bill.

  • Taraba deputy governor’s mum abducted

    Taraba deputy governor’s mum abducted

    The Taraba Police Command has on Tuesday confirmed the abduction of Hajiya Hauwa-Belli Manu, the mother of the deputy governor of the state, Haruna Manu.

    Mr. Joseph kwaji (DSP), the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command said reports from the Mutum-Biyu headquarters of Gassol Local Goverment area of the state, indicated that the elderly woman was taken away by gunmen from the family home of the deputy governor at about 9 pm on Monday.

    Kwaji said the whereabouts of the woman was not yet known because the abductors were yet to communicate with anybody.

    He said the command had deployed additional detectives to the area to assist in tracking the culprits.

    Kwaji therefore called on members of the public with useful information to contact the nearest police station and present same.

    Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Tukura Bashir, also confirmed the incident and said there was no communication from the abductors as at the time of filing this report.

    He said one person was killed as the gunmen shot sporadically to pave way for their escape with the old woman.