The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Taraba State

  • Atiku cautions security agencies on polls

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has cautioned the nation’s security agencies against interference with the electoral process in the upcoming general elections.

    According to Atiku, the electoral process is outside the constitutional mandate of the security agencies, adding that their duty is to ensure the safety of voters in a seamless process.

    Speaking at the party’s presidential campaign rally in Jalingo, Taraba State on Tuesday, the opposition presidential candidate also warned that any government that involves the military and paramilitary agencies in electoral matters did not mean well for the personnel.

    Atiku harped on the need for security personnel to remain neutral in the electoral process, saying such role is clearly outside their constitutional responsibilities.

    He said, “Our security services, you have no business to interfere with our political process, that is not your work. Your work is to make sure that there is peace, law and order. It is not your business to interfere in our political process; this is not your constitutional responsibility at all.

    “Your constitutional responsibility is to make sure that we are all safe. Any government that draws the security agencies, the Police, the Army, the Civil Defence, that government is doing more harm to your career, is doing more harm to your patriotism and more harm to yourselves.

    “Don’t accept that, don’t get involved, allow us to choose the leaders we want to choose and to elect the people we want to elect. It is not your business whom we elect at all. So I want to caution the security services not to get involved because there are many of us who were also security officers, so don’t come and tell us bullshit”.

    Atiku assured the Taraba people that he will tackle insecurity, which has become a major challenge in the entire Northeast zone.

    Read Also: Endorsement of Atiku, a fraud, says APC

    He also promised to complete the Mambilla Hydro Electric Power and to create the enabling environment for job creation.

    Continuing, Atiku said, “I want to promise you that the much awaited Mambilla Hydro Electric Power, we will complete it so that you will not have problem of power whatsoever.

    “I also want to promise you, that your federal roads will be taken care of. Taraba is one of the most endowed states in this country. We are going to exploit the natural resources which are in abundance in Taraba so that you can have prosperity, so that we can bring employment, so that we can create jobs for our teaming men and women”.

    Apparently referring to his presidential aspiration, Atiku told the crowd of supporters that the Northeast zone is closest to the Presidency now than ever before and charged them not to allow the opportunity to slip away.

    “And this is the first time since 1999, when you are going to have a President from this state, you are going to have a President from this zone. So do you want to take it to another state, to another zone. No! God bless you”.

    The PDP presidential candidate urged the people to vote and ensure their votes are protected and counted, even as he assured that their loyalty to PDP will never go unrewarded.

    Also speaking at the rally, the national chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus accused President Muhammadu Buhari of setting the military against geopolitical zones perceived to be against his re-election bid. He reminded the security agencies of their constitutional responsibility to defend the entire country.

    Secondus said, “We have issue of Boko Haram in Borno. They should tackle that issue. Buhari, don’t use the military to terrorise regions that you don’t like.

    “Enough is enough. The Nigerian military is to defend our territory’s integrity. We shouted aloud that foreigners were entering into our country. They have no response to it because we have evidence.

    “We will continue to hammer that the election must be free and fair. We will continue to address these issues until that day. We believe that when you conduct free and fair election and we elect a credible candidate, that is the only way to bring peace in this country.

    “We believe that anyone that wins from a free and fair process, that person will be the choice of Nigeria. But if you manipulate, if you rig this election, the PDP and others will not accept it. INEC, be warned”

    The Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku who hosted the rally said that Atiku has the solution to the problem of insecurity and unemployment that have ravaged the Northeast and assured that the state would be delivered to PDP in all the elections.

  • Ishaku: My first term was foundation laying stage

    Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, has described his first term in office as “a foundation laying stage,” saying he needs a second term to complete all that he started.

    After a successful campaign tour of Southern Taraba -his political district, Ishaku stated at the weekend that he was confident of sweeping the gubernatorial poll on March 2.

    The tour in southern Taraba took him to Ussa, Ibi, Wukari and Donga local government areas. He rounded up in Takum -his country home, where he told supporters he was thanking them ahead of the Election Day.

    He said he knows the people would re-elect him, because anywhere he stopped over to campaign, the people gave him the assurance that he was their choice.

    The rallies were done in open fields and in town-halls -in the form of meetings -to brainstorm on a strategy that would bring victory at the poll. Ishaku’s campaign team has adopted a strategy called: “Operation Win Your Polling Unit (OWYPU)” by all his influential stakeholders.

    During the campaigns, the people expressed appreciations for the numerous projects the Ishaku administration has provided, drawing the governor’s attention to what they expect him to do during his second term, if he wins.

    It was also an opportunity for the governor to talk about his achievements -the reason, he said, should be considered for him to return.

    Ishaku told the people his “Rescue Mission” has been a success story that has put Taraba state on a path to sustainable development.”

    “My rescue programme in education has raised WAEC performance of students in the state from below 20 percent in 2015 to 67.3 percent in 2017 and 75.3 percent in 2018.

    “My water projects, which include the Jalingo Primary Water Source, was designed to meet the needs of the city till 2035.

    “I sank 250 boreholes in 250 communities; I took safe drinking water to virtually all the communities in the state.”

    Ishaku added that the construction of numerous township roads and highways  and the completion of the Jalingo Airport and launch of commercial flight have eased movement in and out of the state and as well encouraged the coming of investors.

    “The main plank of the Rescue Mission in the health sector was the reconstruction and re-equipping of three general hospitals in Wukari, Gembu and Bambur with state of the art facilities. The Wukari hospital has been commissioned while the other two are soon to be completed.

    “We created more than 10,000 jobs through the skills acquisition programme executed separately by me and my wife, under her Hope Afresh Foundation.

    “We employed 3,000 teachers under the rescue teachers programme, revived seven government owned companies which when I took over, were in comatose.

    “I urge you to see these achievements as just the foundation-laying stage of the services I intended to deliver to Taraba state.

    “Reelect me so that the job I already started would be completed,” he said.

  • Ishaku presents N146.73b appropriation bill for 2019

    Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, on Monday presented to the State House of Assembly an appropriation bill of N146.73 billion for the 2019 fiscal year.

    Ishaku told the lawmakers that the budget estimate, tagged “Budget of Consolidation,” was to consolidate on his achievements in the past years.

    The budget has a capital expenditure of N72.8billion, representing 49.86 per cent and a recurrent expenditure of N73.24billion, representing 50.14 per cent.

    Of the total budget sum of 146, 737,268,82.50 Billion Naira, the ministry of Works and Housing has the lion share of 18.2 Billion Naira, representing 12.52%, while that of Environment has the least with N944million.

    Education has a total allocation of N8.11bn, representing 5.48%, Health N7.5bn, representing 5.17% , and Agriculture has an allocation of N6.5bn which represents 4.5% of the sum.

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

    Next year’s budget estimate of N146.73bn is 12.73 per cent higher than the 2018 budget of N129billion, including a N25 billion supplementary budget later passed by the Assembly.

    The governor lamented that the “2018 has been a turbulent year and a period of pain for the state, occasioned by incessant attacks by armed militia that left many of our people homeless and several others dead”.

    He commended the House of Assembly members for their support and the cordial working relationship they nurtured with the executive arm in the state.

    He pledged “accountability and sustainability” in the implementation of the budget for the good of the state.

    The Taraba State House of Assembly Speaker, Peter Abel Diah, commended the governor for the “achievements so far recorded in areas of agriculture, health, power, water supply, education and infrastructure.”

    “He (Ishaku) has brought governance closer to the people by appointing second class and third class chiefs. This has helped in addressing the security challenges facing the state.

    The Speaker also spoke on the forthcoming general election, calling on politicians to play the game according to the rules, by eschewing violence, mindful of their utterances during the campaigns so as to have peaceful elections.

     

     

     

  • Ishaku gets PDP flag, ready for 2019 poll

    Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has received the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to fly it at the 2019 governorship election.

    The governor, who clinched the ticket in landslide, was given the flag by the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Ishaku, who is seeking a second term, on Thursday showed the flag to the party stalwarts and supporters in Jalingo when he landed at the Danbaba Suntai Airport in the State capital.

    Read Also: Ishaku declares self only PDP governorship aspirant in Taraba

    He was accompanied in the Overland aircraft by senators Emmanuel Bwacha (representing southern zone) and Shuaibu Isa Lau (representing northern Taraba) among other dignitaries

    On arrival, the governor handed the flag to the PDP State chairman, Victor Bala, who together with the Deputy Governor, Haruna Manu, Speaker Abel Peter Diah, the governor’s wife, Anna Ishaku, and other government officials, received him.

    Ishaku is now ready for the 2019 governorship poll. His return with the PDP flag in the State capital heralded wide jubilation by the PDP supporters.

     

     

  • Buhari will win Taraba in 2019, says former acting governor

    A former acting governor of Taraba state and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Abubakar Sani Danladi, on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari will win Taraba State with a large margin in next year’s general election.
    Buhari lost to Goodluck Jonathan in Taraba State in 2015 presidential poll.
    Danladi, who briefed reporters in Jalingo, said he was the one who worked against Buhari in 2015 when he was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
    He added that he was reconciling aggrieved members of the APC who could not win the primaries so that they will form a formidable political force that will effectively deliver Buhari and all the APC candidates in Taraba State come 2019.
    “In 2015, I was the acting governor of Taraba State in PDP’s platform. I led the campaign that brought Darius Ishaku on board as governor. I also made sure our PDP presidential candidate, former president Goodluck Jonathan, won in Taraba.

    Read Also: Taraba governor’s wife honoured

    “Today, I am the governorship candidate of the APC in Taraba. I want to tell Nigerians in confidence that President Buhari will win Taraba in 2019.
    “I was the architect and head boy of the team that delivered Jonathan in Taraba state in 2015. Now, I have been promoted as the headmaster in Taraba APC, so Buhari will win without hitches. Those who will not join me will lose out in Taraba in 2015 general election,” he said.
    The Taraba APC flag bearer thanked President Buhari for awarding the Mambilla hydro power project in Sardauna local government area of the state, saying the contract alone is speaking for the president.
    Danladi criticised the Darius Ishaku administration on youth empowerment, saying not much has been done by Ishaku to empower the youth and take them off the streets.
    “God knows what I have for the youth in Taraba state -a programme to empower them in many ways. I will do that to reposition the State on the path of development,” Danladi said.

  • Gunmen shoot Taraba NUT Chairman

    Taraba State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Peter Julius, has been shot by unknown gunmen.

    Police said he was shot in Garin Dogo village of Lau local government area.

    Police spokesperson, David Misal, described the gun assault as “an assassination attempt on the life of the union leader.”

    Read Also:Gunmen kidnap six Osun College of Tech workers

    Misal, an ASP, told reporters that Julius is in a critical condition, receiving treatment at the specialist hospital in Jalingo -the Taraba State capital.

    Misal disclosed that the NUT chairman was with three other relatives before his attackers opened fire on their moving vehicle.

    The police command said it is investigating the attack to punish the perpetrators.

    “We received the report of assassination attempt on Mr. Peter Julius who is the state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Teachers in Taraba state.

    “As we speak, he is receiving treatment at the specialist hospital in Jalingo. He sustained gunshot injuries after his assailants opened fire on his moving car.

    “We are currently trying to establish the rationale behind the attack. We have gone all out to make sure we bring the perpetrators of the act to book.

    “Let me use this medium to call on members of the public who may have useful information to come forth with it, while we assure the good people of the state of our unrelenting commitment to the safety and wellbeing of the people at all times, especially during this Yuletide season,” Misal said.

  • EU, Oxfam, DEC inaugurate PROSELL to ensure food security in Taraba

    The European Union (EU), Oxfam in Nigeria, and Development Exchange Center (DEC) have inaugurated the  Produce and Sell (PROSELL) initiative with Taraba state government in order to increase productivity and and income of farmers in the state.
    The project which was launched in Jalingo, the state capital, targets about 300,000 people in 30,000 farming households in Donga, Wukari, Ardo Kola, Kurmi, Takum and Zing Local Government Areas of the state.
    Oxfam Head, Influencing and Public Engagement: Abdulazeez Musa, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the project was being funded by the EU and jointly implemented by Oxfam in Nigeria and DEC.
    According to him, the PROSELL project seeks to improve the resilience of small-scale farmers, fishermen and livestock owners in the face of shocks from climate change, such as changing rainfall patterns, drought and desertification.
    He explained that the implementation of the new project followed the success of another EU project named Pro-Resilience Action (PROACT), a similar EU-funded project that is currently reaching 35,000 farming households in Kebbi and Adamawa States.
    “PROACT has helped to increase farmers’ access to timely agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers; finance for farmer groups; knowledge on practices to improved their yield through farmer field training schools, and community-owned grain reserves to provide food in the lean season, tree planting for fight climate change and village savings and loans association to grow flexible financial services for the rural poor.
    “The net result of PROACT is at least 100% agricultural yield increase across Adamawa and Kebbi States and this is what is being replicated in Taraba State,” the statement said.
    The Head of the Health, Nutrition and Resilience Section at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Montserrat Pantaleoni, stressed the importance of the EU’s focus on women and youth not only in Taraba state, but for the country as a whole.
    Ms. Pantaleoni, who represented the Head of Delegation, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, said: “This project will target 50% women and 30% youth, and this is important. It is predicted that Nigeria will be the fourth most populous country in the world by 2050, it is essential that population growth is accompanied by sustainable economic development.
    “It is crucial that women and young people, who make up most of the country, are able to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
    “PROSELL will strengthen Taraba’s capacity to provide more jobs and more food for its people. We believe our investments will contribute to making not only Taraba’s economy great, but the whole Nigeria’s economy.”
    In his remarks, acting Country Director of Oxfam in Nigeria, Mr. Constant Tchona, explained that PROSELL would fulfill a strong need for agricultural and socioeconomic development in Taraba State.
    “77% of people in Taraba State are living in poverty in a state where vast majority of the people work in agriculture, so we know that there is a need to do agriculture better in the state.
    “Also, 43% of children in Taraba experience stunted growth due to malnutrition, which means that access to nutritious food is also a challenge.
    “There are also issues of conflict and natural resource management. All of this is why we believe that a project like PROSELL can make much-needed and visible impact in Taraba State and, by extension, Nigeria as a whole,” Tchona said.
    The state Governor Darius Ishaku, commended the EU for its ‘timely intervention’, which he said would immensely complement his administration’s effort in food resilience.
    He added that the PROSELL initiative was in line with his administration’s Agriculture Rescue Agenda, geared towards increased productivity and enhancing livelihood of small-scale farmers in the state.

  • PCN seals 358 medical facilities in Taraba

    The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has taken a bold step to sanitize Taraba state of illegal medical facilities. At least three hundred and fifty eight medical facilities in the state have been sealed by the Council.

    Sixteen others have been given “compliance directives,” failure to which the facilities will be sealed.

    The Director, Inspection and Monitoring of the Council, Mrs Anthonia Aruya, on Thursday briefed newsmen in Jalingo, after she and her team toured 539 medical facilities in the 16 local government areas of Taraba state.

    The PCN said it observed that “Many people in Taraba state go into the sale of medicines without due recognition of laid down guidelines for setting up such facilities.”

    “Some persons are out rightly not qualified to go into the business of selling medicines; they can neither read nor write,” Mrs Aruya said.

    She said: “At the end of our exercise in Taraba state, we visited 539 premises comprising of 52 Pharmacies and 487 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs).

    Read Also: Police kill three suspected robbers in Taraba

    “358 premises were sealed comprising of seven Pharmacies and 351 PPMVs.

    “16 Compliance Directives were issued to one Pharmacy and 15 PPMVs for various offenses, ranging from improper handling of controlled substances, unhygienic environment, poor documentation and dispensing of ethical prescription drugs without the presence of a pharmacist.

    “Our observation in the field reveal that many people in the state go into the sale of medicines without due recognition of laid down guidelines for setting up such facilities.

    “Others to not have the requisite knowledge or skills to handle medicines in their premises or are operating beyond their approved scope.

    “More worrisome is the fact that some could not even read or write or communicate in English at all. One would therefore imagine how they are able to handle medicines in their facilities, considering the implications on public health.”

    Mrs Ayuya said that this first phase of the council geared towards streamlining the drug distribution system in the state would be followed by further actions in due course.

    She assured that the “PCN is committed to providing good pharmaceutical services for the people of the state.”

    She urged Taraba people to always source for drugs from registered pharmacy outlets and PPMVs shops as drugs sold in unregistered outlets could not be guaranteed to be genuine.

  • 264 persons died in Mambilla Plateau crisis, says Ishaku

    Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku yesterday said 264 persons were confirmed dead and property estimated at billions of naira destroyed in the 2017/2018 crisis on the Mambilla Plateau in Sadauna Local Government Area.

    Ishaku, who regretted the casualty figure, said: “The Assessment Committee, which visited 53 communities in the area, discovered that 264 people were killed and not the over 1,000 reported in the media.”

    The governor said 209 residents were displaced, while 19,464 cattle, 6,071 sheep killed.

    He added that “a tea processing plant, among other valuable property, were burnt”.

    Ishaku donated N310 million to the victims.

    The governor presented cheques yesterday to the beneficiaries.

    Materials were also donated to reduce their suffering.

    The materials were given at Gembu, the headquarters of Sadauna Local government Area, through the Crisis Victims Support Scheme Phase I, which the governor initiated.

    Ishaku said: “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.

    “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 Mambilla and Taraba residents to “exercise restraint”.

    He urged all to be law-abiding and to always consult traditional rulers in case of a crisis.

    Ishaku noted that the creation of chiefdoms in the area was a deliberate policy to reduce tension.

    The governor advised the residents to reciprocate the good gesture Cameroonians offered them when they hosted them during their difficulties by accommodating them now that they (Cameroonians) are seeking refuge in Nigeria.

    He also hailed the President of Dangote Group of Industries, Alhaji Alike Dangote, for donating N50 million to the victims.

    Ishaku promised to use the funds to build a health centre in the crisis-hit area.

  • 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.