Former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Taraba, Ambassador Emmanuel Njiwah, in this interview, warns the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of ceding the governorship ticket to Acting Governor Garba Umar, as that will make the ruling party lose to the opposition in Taraba. He also speaks on why he and other commissioners were sacked by Umar. Senior Correspondent FANEN IHYONGO was there. Excerpt:
The Acting Governor of Taraba State, Garba Umar, in a recent interview with Thisday, accused you and other former commissioners of “tampering” with N400 million flood mitigating grant, which is why he booted you out of office. May we hear from you why you were sacked?
You have asked me as a person but I will speak on behalf of the team that was sacked by the deputy governor. First and foremost, Garba Umar became the deputy governor by appointment; he did not contest the election with Governor Danbaba Suntai. He only came onboard when our former Deputy Governor, Sani Abubakar Danladi was impeached by the State House of Assembly. Umar had spent barely three weeks when Suntai had a plane crash with his security aides. The deputy governor had not known anything about governance. All along he had been in the private sector, but he had to take over the mantle of leadership as acting governor, following the governor’s mishap. But before the crash, Suntai had set up committees in charge of disbursing the flood funds for the purchase of relief materials for those who were affected by the flood disaster in the state in 2012. The main committee was chaired by the deputy governor, with some of us as members, including the Chief of Staff, the then Head of Service and commissioners of Justice, Environment, Finance, Health and Information. Most of the job was done before the governor had the crash. There were two main committees in charge of purchases. The materials bought were determined by the main committee, through the logistics committee which was to do market survey and identify the quantity, quality and price of each of the items to be purchased. No member of the main committee was involved in purchases, except the wife of the Chief of Staff –now SSG, who got the contract to purchase the items. So, I don’t know the money Umar keeps saying we tampered with. The reports of the two committees are there. There is no missing fund in the report. There is nobody who said he was not giving some money meant to purchase an item. I don’t know how I, as the SSG who was in the main committee tampered with the funds. Even the commissioners who were involved in the purchases returned the sum of more than nine million naira as discount gotten from the purchases. When the report was submitted, it was supposed to be scrutinised by the executive. But meanwhile, the deputy governor who was now in acting capacity was finding a way to do away with some of us. He was trying without success to lobby through some of us to take over as substantive governor. He wanted me, particularly, to prepare a memo stating that Suntai was incapacitated so his deputy should assume his office. He promised to make me the deputy governor, with the sum of N100 million, lobbied through a permanent secretary and two other commissioners, which I will only mention their names if he (Umar) denies this. This was what happened. So, he decided to attach the commissioners who were very loyal to Suntai and I who refused to write the memo, to the flood funds so as to remove us from office. No one tampered with the flood funds. It was what he planned and executed. The report is there and was even published in one of the newspapers in the state for the public to see. So, I don’t know how he got us indicted. The truth is that nobody tampered with the flood disaster money. Few minutes before he sacked us, Umar asked his Muslim brother –the former commissioner of health to resign his appointment. The former commissioner of Information was not sacked, but he voluntarily left government when Umar became disloyal to the governor. The truth is that Governor Suntai had warned that nobody should take even transport fare from the funds which we all complied. So, the deputy governor should explain his source, how we tampered with the flood funds.
What did you do when you were sacked?
We went to court within the first three days, because we knew we were wrongly sacked. We went to court since July last year. The judgment was to be passed on May 11 this year but the court is yet to rule on the case. I wish to say somebody somewhere is tampering with justice in the state, but I don’t want to talk about the matter since it is already in the court of law. The deputy governor said he booted us from office because, according to him, we are corrupt. We said we are innocent. We went to court, but the deputy governor is preempting judgment by still saying we are corrupt. I don’t know where he got his own judgment or whether he has taken over the duties of the court.
How much did the committees spend in total?
N100 million was set aside to rehabilitate the infrastructure that was affected by the flood. This included infrastructure from schools, dispensaries, mosques, churches and culverts. So, apart from some bank charges, about two hundred and something million naira was disbursed.
What happened to the N100 million, at the time you were sacked?
It was intact in the state’s treasury. All the funds disbursed were from the treasury and the commissioner of Finance submitted a letter informing us that the N100 million was still intact.
Umar has always said his relationship with his boss is still very cordial. That he is taking care of the governor and his family. Do you have a different view?
There is no better word to describe the kind of relationship he presently has with the governor. They are not cordial in any way. Immediately the governor had the plane crash, Umar started plotting on how he could take over. Anybody who is cordial with his boss would not do that. He also moved to remove all the appointees of the governor in order to clear the way for him to become the substantive governor. Is that cordiality? He said he is taking care of the governor. It is not true. Suntai is the executive governor of the state and he is entitled to be taken care of by the government and not by Garba Umar. Umar does not have the resources to take care of Suntai. Before his appointment as deputy governor, Umar had not up to N20 thousand in all his accounts. All we knew about him was that he was a trader, selling nuvan (mosquito insecticides) in Gombe state. So, Umar does not have the capacity to take care of Suntai in any regard. It is the government that is supposed to take care of the governor but the government being run by Umar is not doing that.
In the same interview, Umar claimed Taraba people are having the best governance now. Don’t you think he has done beyond criticising him, primarily in the area of infrastructural development?
If there is any time in the life of Taraba state that there was the worst administration, Umar’s time is worse than that worst. Somehow, I have been in the government of Taraba state in different phases, since its creation. I was a director in the ministry, commissioner, board chairman and SSG. So, I know that no government –both military and civilian, has been as bad as the one steered by Umar. He has not developed anything in the state. All the projects started by Suntai have stopped. The state university which Suntai established for the education of our children is not being funded. When I was there, I had to persuade him to fund the university but he would not. The other time the university wanted to embark on strike action, but for the intervention of a third fund and other federal government agencies in the tertiary institutions, the state university would have been closed down. It is terribly not being funded by the deputy governor who has declared himself as acting governor. Taraba state is in its worst period. Under Suntai, even when all the north-eastern states had some crises, Taraba never experienced any. The governor was proactive and knew how timely to arrest such crisis and to crackdown on suspected insurgents. But this man is rather aiding the insurgents by purchasing arms for them. And I am not the one saying it, but the people who know it are reliably saying it and are ready to testify. This is because, as governor in acting capacity, he is the chief security officer of the state. And as chief security officer, he should be able to know where the roof is leaking so as to mend it but he is not doing that. He seems to be taking side. And the reason is simply because he is hell-bent to take over Taraba so he cannot hesitate to do anything that can pave the way for him to succeed.
He said he has done well, so if the people ask him to contest the governorship –as a clarion call, he will.
I don’t know that kind of clarion call. Honestly, the greatest mistake Suntai has made in his life was picking Umar as his deputy. There can be no mistake worse than this. Suntai had relied solely on elders to pick someone for him from the northern zone. The governor did not know this man. If he had known how bad he is, he wouldn’t have picked him. I don’t want to speak on his intelligence, otherwise, I worked with him and I know he doesn’t have the moral and intellectual capacity to be governor of the state. For example, the College of Agriculture Governing Board had paid him a courtesy call. The members advanced some demands, which I was there –as the SSG. He told them yes I would do these things; no I would not do those ones. At the end, I summed up the things he said he was going to do and those he turned down. I prepared a memo in that regard for his consideration and approval. But upon giving him the memo, he asked me what is this SSG? I told him these are the things you approved for the college. He said no I didn’t mean what I said; it was only a political talk. I asked what do you mean your Excellency? I told him he is acting governor, so whatever he promises the people or public institutions he has to fulfill it –that’s how the government works. Then I asked him why he gave them fake promise. So, I know, though not very sure, that was one of the reasons he got angry with me. And I doubt if he has granted those requests.
Was there any agreement between Umar and Suntai that Umar would not run for office? If there is, was the agreement written or oral?
On several occasions, Governor Suntai emphasised to him (Umar) that I have brought you to complete my tenure with me. Under no account should you nurse any form of ambition to contest, because the northern and central zones have produced governor. So, in 2015, we shall relinquish power to the southern zone, and the reason why I have appointed you my deputy is because of your age –so that you would not have any ambition to take over, so please abide by this and if at the end of our tenure you don’t see me advancing you, don’t be annoyed because we must give the governorship slot to where it belongs, for justice and equity. Umar said no no no, I am very ok sir; I am not going to contest. But now he has forgotten that the governor picked him from an inconsequential corner.
Do you think he is bond by that agreement, considering the fact that it is not constitutional?
Constitutionally, he is not bond by it. Morally, he is. That is why I said he lacks the moral right to contest. Umar has no moral competence. Recall his promise with the College of Agriculture which he reneged on.
Do you mean, apart from Umar who is kicking against power shift, stakeholders from the north and central zones are in support of power shift to southern zone?
You know, before now, when former Governor Jolly Nyame was leaving office, people from all the zones contested to succeed him including those from the northern zone where he comes from. This was because nothing had come up clearly on how power should shift in the state. But after Suntai succeeded Nyame from the central zone, morally, those of us who have been resident in the state, who grew up in Taraba and served in the state, feel the fairest thing to do is to support the southern zone to produce the next governor. Unfortunately, Umar does not share this opinion, because he is a Taraba indigene by extension. He was not born in Taraba; he didn’t grow up in the state; he didn’t school in Taraba and he didn’t reside in the state for a week. He wasn’t known in Taraba state so he does not know the politics of Taraba. In Taraba, we always ensure we have a united front –the north, central and south. Once we get a candidate, we do it together. And so, since the north and central have had it, power has to shift to the south in 2015. What moral right does Umar have that he wants to contest from the northern zone? After 18 years of rule by the north and central zones, he still doesn’t want the southern zone to have it, why? Democratic governance, both at the level of presidency down to governorship and other positions, has to be rotational.
He (Umar) said if the people ask him to run, he will, irrespective of the zoning arrangement which his people have argued that it is not constitutional.
Who are the people that will ask him to run? A street beggar has other street beggars that can ask him to do something. We had a man (now late) in my area who was mentally derailed. He said he was contesting the presidency of this country, and anywhere he went the people addressed him as president. Was he the president? Is it such kind of people that will ask him to run? Umar does not have the moral and intellectual capacity to be governor. So, who will ask him to run? Suntai had put to end the system of thuggery in the state but Umar has reintroduced it. Recently he was in Takum to attend the birthday anniversary of the state Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku, and he went with thugs. So, is it his thugs that are asking him to contest?
Is there religious division in Taraba?
The deputy governor has brought a terrible polarisation in the religious front, not only between Christians and Muslims, but even within the Muslim community. He has deeply divided them. He is telling people to support his ambition because he is a Muslim. This is wrong; being a Christian or Muslim is not the yardstick for becoming the president or governor, but what you have to do for the people and country. For Umar, he is simply not qualified, whether he is a Muslim or Christian.
How would you assess the state’s economic status now, because the acting governor says he has saved some money and is paying monthly salaries before receiving the federal allocation?
Never in the history of Taraba state that the treasury has been looted by government officials as it is the case today. You will be surprised to note that it is under Umar that salaries of a previous month are paid in the week of the following month. The reason is that he has taken so much bank overdrafts that any money that comes in from the federation account will try to reduce what he has taken, then he would have another overdraft to pay the salaries of the previous month. Is that saving money? Is that paying salaries without the federal subvention? He does not pay salaries as at when due, until the following month. Pensioners used to collect their pension around 25th of every month. Today, we don’t get our pension until a new month comes. The treasury is terribly battered and he is trying to restructure it so that he can siphon more money. If you are in Jalingo, just interview anybody on the street, or the lowest profile civil servant, or a cleaner and they will tell you that this is the first time they are experiencing this kind of situation –where salaries of a previous month are paid in the following month.
Do you know what he does with the money?
Since he is not developing Taraba state with the money, since all the roads in the state are not being developed, since the university and other institutions of learning are not being funded, since he is only making political talks, and since the money is not there, we know where the money is going: he has an unsearchable ambition. He is so desperate to forcefully take over as substantive governor of Taraba state and to contest the governorship election. The money is now residing in the corridors of those who buy his idea and keep telling him we shall make you governor. I tell you, just dress in elegant clothes and go to Jalingo. When you see the deputy governor, tell him you have finalised every preparation to remove Danbaba Suntai for him to take over as substantive governor. Begin to quote some names, I bet you will come back with millions of naira. So, the state’s resources have become business funds for Garba Umar to waste on his unsearchable ambition of taking over.
Some people still find it difficult to believe when people like you accused Umar of disloyalty. Because he always says he is still 100 percent loyal to Suntai and always referred to the governor as his boss. And again, he has not packed into the Government House and the portraits of Suntai still adorn his walls. So, what is this disloyalty that Suntai people keep talking about?
I don’t really know the best adjective to describe the degree of Umar’s disloyalty to Suntai. First and foremost, when his boss was flown abroad for treatment, he vacated the official quarters assigned to him by his boss. He moved to the Presidential Lodge on his own –without the permission of his boss. Two, Suntai has not put barricades where he stays, but Umar has erected barricades to block both sides of the road where he stays. The street where he stays is not passable now. Residents of the area are finding it difficult as they are not allowed to pass there. Three, Umar dislodged all the political structures of his boss, starting with the leadership of the House of Assembly to pave the way for him to become the substantive governor. Four, he removed the SSG and commissioners who refused, at his request, to raise a memo to the House of Assembly for the lawmakers to confirm him as substantive governor. Five, he has made several attempts, using money, to dislodge the party executives. He sent his allies to go round and collect signatures to dislodge the party structure that was put in place by his principal. Today he is working with Advisers that were not appointed by the governor. The SSG and commissioners working with him today are not Suntai’s appointees. I heard him said he appointed from Suntai’s family. He should name just one person in his cabinet that is from Suntai’s family. Which of the commissioners he has appointed visits Suntai when the governor is in Government House Jalingo? We go there daily to see and discuss with the governor but we don’t see any of them. He has used the state’s funds to buy the House of Assembly members who ceded the running of the state to him. Is that loyalty? Today, the Assembly is split into two factions, some for him and some for his principal. Is that loyalty? Has he forgotten so quickly how he came onboard? Did he contest any election? Or was he part of the team that accompanied Suntai round the state to campaign for the reelection of the governor in 2011? We don’t even know the party he is working for, because he seems not to be working for the growth of the PDP in Taraba state. So, where is the loyalty he has for Suntai? A man who had travelled abroad to see his boss on the sickbed, upon his return, he asked me to prepare a memo so that he could take over as governor of the state while I would be the deputy. Is that loyalty?
Do you think the plethora of crises affecting Taraba will affect the 2015 elections in the state?
Yes. Yes. The first to affect the election is the insecurity he has created in the state. He has dislodged Christian villages in Wukari, Gassol, Donga, Ibi and Bali. He tried to dislodge the Wukari town but it wasn’t possible. He has done all these things in a scheme to reduce the Christian population so as to enable him take over the state. It is very unfortunate. Taraba people will not vote on religious sentiments. We shall vote on the basis of competence and the will to serve and deliver democratic dividends. Don’t forget that the state is going to experience hunger by next year. After dislodging the Christian farmers, their farm crops were uprooted. Majority of those displaced are Tiv people. The Jukuns were not displaced much because they live in compact settlements unlike the Tiv farmers who dwell in isolated sparse settlements. No fewer than 700 persons have lost their lives in Taraba, many more were injured and hundreds of thousands displaced within the time that Umar has been in charge. He tried the official way without success and now he is trying to dislodge, maim and suppress the people, but I know he would not succeed. About five local government areas of Taraba state have not received their voter cards because of the insecurity. That tells you that the election is already affected by the crisis. We are aware of how hired insurgents came into the state, and we want the federal government to do something about it. There is no way insurgents could invade a state and the security council/agencies would not know. We are aware that all the local government areas in the state are being besieged by insurgents who are ready to strike. Will the chief security officer of the state and his government claim they are not aware of this development? He should fish out the culprits to prove his innocence, for Taraba to vote next year. But I want to assure you that the campaign for a credible candidate in Taraba state is going to be the easiest because people now know the man who is acting, such that if you give Umar the PDP ticket, the ruling party will lose Taraba. This is because his coming has been a disaster and nobody is willing to have him as governor for four years. It is not possible. The easiest way for PDP to lose Taraba state is to give its governorship ticket to Umar.
