The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Taraba

  • Meningitis: Expert calls for effective response strategies

    “The committee should be responsible for reviewing the antibiotic vulnerability of Neisseria meningitis serotypes in the country.

    “Such committee can then use current trend and data on antibiotic resistance to formulate appropriate prophylaxis and treatment by state, zones or the country as a whole,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that there has been an outbreak of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) across 16 states of the country since November 2016, of which a new strain of the disease called “stereotype C’’ had emerged.

    As at April 3, there were 2,524 suspected cases with 336 deaths recorded in 90 local government areas in the affected states.

    The states included Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Nasarawa , Jigawa, FCT, Gombe, Taraba , Yobe, Kano, Osun, Cross Rivers, Lagos and Plateau.

    Meningitis outbreaks peak in the dry season in certain states in the Northern region due to low humidity and dusty conditions and usually end as the rainy season approaches.

    The bacteria that cause it can be spread through exchange of saliva, which can occur during common activities such as kissing, sharing utensils and drinking glasses.

    The risk factors for meningitis also include living in close quarters such as dormitories, sneezing and coughing as well as smoking or being exposed to smoke.

    Also, particular lifestyle such as staying out late or irregular sleeping habits could put people at greater risk for meningitis, by weakening their immune system.

    Some common symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, confusion, sensitivity to light, headaches and vomiting.

    According to the WHO, even when the disease is diagnosed early and adequate treatment begins, five per cent to 10 per cent of patients die, typically within 24 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

    Vaccination against the three types of bacteria that can cause meningitis still remains one of the most effective ways to be protected against certain types of bacterial meningitis, alongside avoiding the risk factors.

     

  • Governor Darius Ishaku’s unparalleled leadership in Taraba

    Governor Darius Ishaku’s unparalleled leadership in Taraba

    Unfortunately for ex-Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State, the plane crash accident which he miraculously survived from in 2012 led to his forceful sojourn outside the shores of Nigeria for medical assistance. Suntai’s long absence from home backfired when several political interests and forces in Taraba sprang up to make a point about the future of the state vis-a-vis the non-availability of the then democratically elected governor.

    Taraba State became constantly rolling on the national headlines when the frail looking, visibly unfit and tired Danbaba Suntai was made to return to Jalingo, supposedly to prove to doubting stakeholders that he could take back his exalted position. In the end, Suntai could not take over, obviously because the helicopter crash had mercilessly messed up his health and in the process he lost grip on power. One event led to the other, cropping up situation that engulfed the state, soaking it into needless political tension, bad blood and civil unrest.

    To put it in proper terms peace gradually eluded the state as pro-Suntai supporters and other political interest groups retreated into the ugly theatre of hatred and bitterness; as the then Acting Governor did not help matters because of his own peculiar selfish agenda. Then, in December 2014, a former university lecturer, ex-minister of state for Niger Delta affairs and a pragmatic politician having studied the unpleasant political situation in Taraba State decided to dare into the murky governorship race, in order to make a positive impact.

    Darius Dickson Ishaku had to abandon his lucrative political job by resigning from the ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s Federal Executive Council to slug it out with other aspirants, first within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). When architect  Darius Ishaku eventually travelled to Jalingo to obtain the PDP nomination form to indicate his absolute seriousness about his governorship ambition, he did not hesitate to declare thus: ‘‘What I intend to do is to change things. We want to bring back peace. We have to do things that would be of benefit to the state. We have to redirect things”.

    As a trained urban town planner, Darius Ishaku brought his vast experience to bear on his governorship aspiration. Before long, his mantra became: “Give me peace. I will give you development”. Because he had carefully studied the delicate situation on the ground in Taraba, he instantly won the hearts of his supporters within his party and his message of peace and development  became a tonic for universal acceptability, as he was eventually made the flag bearer in the April 11th Governorship Election.

    It was not surprising when the tested architect succeeded in winning the 2015 Taraba State Governorship Election in grand style, in the face of stiff opposition from Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan, popularly known as ‘Mama Taraba’. ‘Mama Taraba’ (now Minister for Women Affairs), is indeed a big political tiger who immediately took on Darius Ishaku. She claimed that he was not dully elected as the flag bearer of PDP in Taraba State for the 2015 Governorship Election. She asked the court to declared her as the authentic Governor of the State instead.

    Governor Ishaku, like a political Daniel fought the battle of his political life down to the nation’s apex court (Supreme Court), where the Justice Bode Rhodes-Viviour, leading other Supreme Court panelists in 2016 affirmed the earlier judgment of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court ruled that he was the true winner and elected Governor of Taraba State in the 2015 Taraba State Governorship Election. For a politician who had campaigned vigorously and indefatigably that he would replace crisis ridden Taraba with economic development if he was elected, the ultimate judicial clearance which he got from the Supreme Court against the All Progressives Congress’(APC) Senator Aisha Alhassan ,has afforded him the greatest opportunity to implement his  avowed message of ‘peace and development’.

    Given the extreme political currents, suspense and tension that were released across the polity while Mama Taraba was battling Governor Ishaku within the judiciary, it must be credited to the Presidency under Muhammadu Buhari, who unlike previous occupants of Aso Rock Presidential Palace, refused to manipulated ‘things’ to work in favour of a staunch member of the APC. Even as Governor Ishaku’s electoral fate was still being looked at within the first week of his assuming office in May 2015, he started tackling the perennial water scarcity in the capital city of Jalingo by releasing funds to the Taraba State Water Supply Agency.

    It is pathetic to state that Jalingo was without water for about ten months, but with prompt repairs of equipments and adequate refurbishment of existing facilities, dried taps hurriedly started to gush out with water in 2015. Governor Ishaku wasting no time extended the ‘running tap scheme’ to places like Pampetel, Garin Sule, Madashi, Bashom, Mishali and Bashin, where multiple bore holes were sunk for the people. Jalingo Motor Park and the Mechanic Village that experienced lack of water earlier were included in the ‘water rain’. With clever collaboration with the Africa Development Bank (AFDB), extension of water pipelines are being constructed and finalised in the entire State.

    Through partnership with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees ( UNHCR) and UNIDO the Lunga Nuri Hydro Electricity has been brought to life, which is now serving Kakara community. The resultant effect is that small scale businesses have sprouted in the area and adjoining suburb. A few months ago, Governor Darius Ishaku released N300 million to PW Nigeria Limited, and that has necessitated the opening up of the Ball-Serti-Gembu road that leads to the famous Chappal Wali Mountain Height (highest in the Federal Republic of Nigeria); Gashaka Gumti National Park (largest games reserve in West Africa); Mambila Plateau High Land Tea (the only Tea Plantation in West Africa).

    Not done yet, the governor has provided gigantic transformer with installed capacity of 7.5 megawatts in Wukari Business District, with 50 pieces of transformers also put to use across the state. Jalingo now enjoys 18 megawatts of electricity, thanks to the positive engagements the current State Government had with officials of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

    Taraba State Road Construction Maintenance Agency (TARCMA) has been repositioned also. The implication of this is that several roads/bridges are being built in the state by this agency. The Mambila Beverages Production Company has been revived.

    The current administration’s efforts in the area of Internally Generated Revenue is commendable with modern technological devises/facilities put in place to block previous leakages/corruption. This has impacted positively on the economic activities, most especially in the Mambila Plateau area.

    The present conducive political situation is encouraging investors to Taraba to engage in tourism, industrialisation, mining, agricultural activities etc. Above all, ‘peace’ which was one of the cardinal points which Governor Darius Ishaku promised in 2014 when indicating his interest to govern the people of Taraba has returned to the state.

    For the first time in the history of the state, Governor Ishaku succeeded in holding a peace meeting with people of Wukari and Takum; peace/security related meetings have being held (still) being carried out among communities/stakeholders in the grassroots/local governments areas with traditional rulers fully represented.

    Who says this state created on August 27th 1991 by General Ibrahim Babangida has not come of age with an urban town planner conveniently seated as the number one citizen? Who says this Fellow of Nigerian Institute of Architect (FNIA) and Member of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (MNITP) is not touching lives in Taraba with his daring positive people oriented mantra and unparalleled leadership?

    If you ask me, Architect Darius Dickson Ishaku has done well so far, and should be encouraged in any way possible never to deviate from his avowed peaceful strategy.

     

  • Gunmen kill boy, injure father, mother in Taraba

    The Police Command in Taraba on Friday confirmed the death of a two-year-old boy, Aondohemba Felix, in an attack at Maihula Ward in the Bali Local Government Area of Taraba.

    The Spokesman of the command, Mr David Misal, confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jalingo.

    Misal said the gunmen, who attacked Maihula around 10: 30 p.m. on March 30 also shot and injured the boy’s father, Mr Felix Mnguorga and his pregnant wife, Mrs Terwuese Felix.

    “The attack took place in the night of Thursday in Maihula area of Bali, where a two-year-old boy was shot dead.

    “The mother, Terwuese with nine months pregnancy and the father, Felix were seriously injured in the attack.”

    Misal said the command had deployed operatives to Maihula to hunt down the gunmen and bring them to justice.

    According to him, the injured husband and wife are currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Bali.

    Misal advised residents of Taraba to always assist security operatives with information on criminal acts in their areas.

  • Senator condemns foreign currency tuition fees in Nigerian schools

    Sen. Yusuf Yusuf (APC-Taraba) has described as unacceptable the use of foreign currency for the payment of tuition fees in Nigerian schools.

    Yusuf, who is Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    According to the lawmaker, it is wrong for any institution of learning in the country to demand tuition fee in foreign currency.

    “There is no support whatsoever for a school to demand any form of payment in Nigeria using foreign exchange.

    “For me that is an aberration and it shouldn’t be allowed in any way.

    “Cost your things in Naira and you will be paid in Naira; why would someone insist that he or she should be paid in dollars? Where would they get the dollars from?

    “ I do not think it is right. I do not think it is fair and we should go all out to stop this kind of practice,’’ he said.

    The senator said that a bill was already in place in the Senate to amend the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act in that regard.

    He urged the apex bank to closely monitor businesses in the country against using foreign currencies for local transactions.

    The lawmaker further noted that some individuals and companies in the country were equally guilty of the practice.

    “There are also claims that NNPC, that is government owned, pays pension and other forms of welfare packages in dollar. Do they have the right to do that?

    “The only body that has the right in terms of disbursement of foreign exchange in this country today is the CBN,’’ he said.

    On the recent appreciation of the Naira against other foreign currencies, Yusuf said that every bank branch must have foreign exchange window for selling forex to small buyers.

    “There are some big time buyers of foreign exchange that are paying lower than what small holdings are paying, so, the market is lopsided,’’ he said.

    He urged Nigerians to cut down on their demand for foreign exchange to acquire foreign goods in order to strengthen the Naira.

    “There is no cosmetics product or textile that we cannot produce in this country, but unfortunately so much is coming in from China and other places.

    “This insatiable taste for foreign goods is also affecting how much we can control the value of our Naira,’’ said the senator.

  • Reaping education harvest in Taraba

    For education in Taraba State, the harvest season is here. And it has never had it so good. One major signpost of the good times is the state’s performance in the West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE) last year. It scored 67.3 per cent, the best score recorded by the state in over 25 years of its history. It came on the heels of the magic touch which the educational sector in the state is currently experiencing under the leadership of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku. That this happened despite the dislocation caused to schools and life generally by the series of communal crises of the time previous to the coming of the present administration underscores the huge amount of effort that went into the revival of the educational system in the first one year of the Ishaku administration. It is also a signal of hope that greater things are in the offing for education and other areas of socio-economic development for the state.
    What was achieved last year is a big contrast with the situation the administration inherited when it came into office in 2015. In that year, the state had no WASCE result. The government of that time was unable to help its students settle their WASCE fees which it had promised to pay and the foremost examination body withheld the state’s results. In the years preceding that incident, the story was only slightly better. The state recorded low performances. At no point in time before last year did it record anything above 48 percent score in WASCE. But the new Ishaku administration rejected that annual ritual of dismal WASCE results and insisted that things must change.
    Things, indeed, changed but only after the Governor had read the Riot Act to teachers and school administrators in the state. He assured them that his administration had come with a more pragmatic attitude to the development of education and demanded that they played their roles with a greater sense of dedication and patriotism. He followed this up with series of workshops and training programmes for head teachers and later for teachers and administrators in the educational chain. The programmes exposed participants to modern methods of record keeping, tests and measurement of performances of teachers and students, how to organise result-oriented programmes and maintain discipline generally in schools.
    Teachers in Taraba State are now constantly on their toes and so are their students. The new attitude in education has become infectious. This has impacted positively in the number of indigenes of the state gaining direct admission into Taraba State University. Before now, the state could hardly fill its admission quota there. Most of the students had to take the longer route that remedial studies offered.
    The new attitude in education in Taraba is a product of the realisation that education is the cornerstone of human development. Jigem Johanes, Commissioner for Education in Taraba State, said: “It is my most fulfilling moment since I have been in the education sector. Governor Ishaku will be remembered glowingly in future as the Governor who made the most positive and remarkable contribution to the development of education in Taraba State.”
    Education in Taraba is a pleasant story of magical recovery from neglect and communal crises that had held the state prostrate. Many schools in Gasol, Wukari, Bali, Ibi and to some extent, Gashaka, were closed down for many months as a result of persistent crises. Teachers and students fled their towns and villages and education virtually collapsed. It took the pragmatic steps and effort of Governor Ishaku for peace to be achieved and for the schools to re-open. Governor Ishaku ordered the erection of security checkpoints on the roads to these towns and villages and even on roads leading to the educational institutions. Emirs and village heads were also drafted into the apparatus for the maintenance of peace and security in educational institutions in their domains at the instance of the governor.
    The Rescue Watch team, an innovative feedback mechanism created by the Ishaku administration for keeping the Governor constantly abreast of happenings in the local governments and rural communities has been outstanding in its contribution to the improvements in education. Johanes said the group moves from village to village to monitor developments in schools – the number of children enrolled, the reporting time of teachers, their attitude to work generally and the condition of schools. The Ministry of Education now has a comprehensive documentation of all schools in the state – primary and secondary – and their conditions.
    The state’s team of Rescue Watch contributed immensely to the preparation of this document. The exercise is preparatory to the imminent comprehensive renovation of schools. Governor Ishaku released about N900 million for the project from the 2016 budget and the bidding for the projects has been completed. In 2017 budget, 1.7 Billion Naira is allocated for the building of new classrooms, other school buildings, toilets, laboratory buildings and equipment, computers and computer accessories and furniture. The idea is to enhance the school environment and make it more conducive for teaching and learning.
    Governor Ishaku’s administration has always been eager to release government’s counterpart funds for all UNICEF educational programmes in the state to ensure that the state derives maximum benefits from them. In December last year, when 12 students from the state were stranded in Venezuela after completing their studies due to lack of money to pay their way back home, Ishaku played the fatherly role by giving N1.6 million to each of the parents to bring them back.
    The state government also paid WASCE fees for exchange schools in the state and special education centres in Mutum Biyu and Garbabi. Also, every term, the state government hires buses to take exchange programmes students from the state studying in the 19 Northern states to and from their schools. This costs the state millions of Naira each time but Ishaku believes that it is a sacrifice the state is making to ensure the safety and comfort of its students.
    Computer gift is also part of government’s annual package for students of Taraba State origin studying at the Taraba State University. Last year about 300 computers were distributed to the students through balloting. The gesture is aimed at making studies less stressful for the students. Also to reduce the stress suffered by WASCE candidates in the state, a branch office of the examination body has been opened in Jalingo. The building to be used was built and donated by the Taraba State government. With the opening of the WAEC branch office in Jalingo, candidates do not have to take the risk of going to Yola, Adamawa State, as it has been the case for many years, to register for the examination anymore.

  • Don charges Fed. University, Wukari on research, community service

    Prof Suleiman Bogoro has challenged scholars at the Federal University, Wukari in Taraba to embark on problems-solving researches toward tackling the issues facing the north-east region.

    Bogoro threw the challenge on Friday in Wukari, while delivering the maiden Convocation Lecture of the University.

    “Apart from being a centre of learning, the Federal University, Wukari should add value to the host and neighbouring communities through research and community service.

    “The school is well positioned to help the north-east because it is located in a state that is agrarian in nature, with the largest population of livestock and abundant water resources.

    “What remains is for the scholars to make use of these advantage to arrive at solutions to the myriad of problems that had kept the north-east permanently backward,” he said.

    He identified climate change and the consequent ecological challenges such as drought, desertification and insufficient water for agriculture, human and economic activities as vital areas for research.

    “Others areas could be appropriate irrigation technology to support food security and self-sufficiency, as well as marketing and post-harvest management,” he said.

    Bogoro also challenged the university to venture into aggressive peace building processes and intra-community reintegration so as to restore broken relationships along ethno-religious and icommunity lines.

     

  • Fed University Wukari to offer employment to 16 First Class graduands

    Fed University Wukari to offer employment to 16 First Class graduands

    The Federal University Wukari in Taraba has promised to offer automatic employment to all the 16 graduating students of the institution that came out with first class degrees.

    The Vice Chancellor of the University Prof Abubakar Kundiri who disclosed this during the maiden Convocation of the institution on Saturday in Wukari, also said that those who were willing to pick up the appointment, would similarly be trained up their 3rd level degrees.

    He said that the decision of the university in this direction was to encourage others to work hard to attain such heights and also to develop quality manpower for the new institution.

    In his remarks at the occasion the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof Abubakar Abdulrasheed commended the decision of the university to engage the services of the best graduating students.

    Represented by Malam Ibrahim Yakasai, the Head of Public Affairs of the Commission, the Executive Secretary said that the NUC would continue to support the institution in its manpower development.

    Also in his valedictory the best graduating student Mr. David Adashu, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, pledged to represent the good image of institution.

    He also enjoined his fellow graduands to remain calm in face of difficulties, seize the opportunity to do good, celebrate every achievement and give back to their communities, no matter how little.

     

  • Taraba: Unease as Ikenya defects to APC

    Taraba: Unease as Ikenya defects to APC

    Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya, the man who fought relentlessly to enthrone a PDP regime in Taraba State, and garnered the highest votes from his local government area, Wukari, for Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku in 2015 polls, has defected to the APC. His defection has caused apprehension in Taraba State PDP, reports Senior Correspondent Fanen Ihyongo 

    When a big politician defects from one political party to another, he creates a vacuity, a big wound and anxiety in his party of source, while adding force to his party of destination. That is the unembellished scenario that has played out in Taraba State. The defection of Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has left a deep cut in the soul of the PDP which has ruled Taraba State since Nigeria’s return to civilian government in 1999.

    In Taraba State politics, Ikenya is a household name as most analysts describe him as “a big fish” or a “political bulldozer.” He swags in the state’s mainstream politics. A former Labour Minister, Ikenya rose systematically from the State Assembly to the House of Representatives before becoming senator representing Southern Taraba from 2007 to 2011. He is a charismatic grassroots politician and crowd puller, with the spirit of camaraderie. He is known for his stubborn truth and indefatigability in political missions. According to an insider, his defection into the APC has done a big blow to the PDP because in the 2015 General Election, he fought inexorably to enthrone the PDP in Taraba State, garnering the highest votes from his local government area Wukari for Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku. He therefore described the defection as “a neck-breaker” for the Taraba PDP.

    Ikenya was one of the top leaders who were involved in all the PDP’s scheming during the 2015 polls. Now that he has decamped, there is no doubt that he has left with the party’s secrets. He collapsed his entire structures from the PDP, decamping with all his supporters. His cousin, David Sabo Kente, the flag bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has joined him in the APC. “The supporters are too many; I don’t even know the number  I can’t count them,” Ikenya told newsmen at his reception ceremony held in Wukari.

    The crop of political dignitaries at Ikenya’s reception in Wukari, penultimate Thursday, gave an insight into the onslaught against Governor Ishaku and the PDP ahead of 2019 General Election. The cream de la cream included: former National Assembly Deputy Speaker, Babangida Nguroje, former Deputy Governor, Uba Maigari, former House of Representatives member, Jalo and former State Assembly Speaker, Josiah Sabo Kente.

    Others were: Dr. Tor Agbidye, General Ishaya Bauka, Barr. Sam Ada, Orbee Uchiv, Jerry Dongonyaro, Dooga Gbashi and the APC deputy governorship candidate among others. The occasion took the form of a carnival, featuring cultural dances by the major ethnic groups of Southern Taraba a vastly fertile region, rich in solid minerals and tourism potentials.

    Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku and his administration came under heavy criticisms as the dignitaries made their speeches, which attracted thunderous cheers from a mammoth crowd that graced the event. The guests’ message was for the people of Taraba State to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption in his quest to fix a ruined country bequeathed to him by the previous administration; the message was for the people to cause a change in Taraba State by wrestling power from the PDP in 2019; and the message was that the Taraba State governor has failed to deliver on his campaign promises and therefore, there was need for a leadership change in 2019.

    Former Commissioner for Finance, Ahmed Yusuf, was the first to release the venom. He described Governor Darius Ishaku as “the worst performing governor, ever, in Taraba’s history, since 1991” when the state was created.

    Yusuf, an engineer, popularly known as Gamaliya, was the flag bearer of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 General Election in Taraba State. Yusuf said: “I have been part of all the administrations in Taraba State since 1991. And I can say with authority, after an honest assessment, that this is the worst regime, ever, in Taraba State.

    “We are passing through the worst time, where huge and colossal sums of funds are being wasted by the present administration.

    “But today marks a watershed in the political history of Taraba State, given the calibre of personalities who have gathered here today, to cause a change and move Taraba State forward.”

    Senator Ikenya, who attracted most of the attention, scored Ishaku’s performance “zero.” He said the governor has failed to deliver on his campaign promises.

    Ikenya said he was instrumental in making Ishaku governor at the prompting of former Defence Minister, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma.

    “But little did I know we had packaged cassava for the people, of which what the people wanted was yam.

    “We are the people who caught the lion from the forest; we are the ones to unleash it.

    “Education is the major weapon for development, but this administration (Ishaku’s government) is refusing to pay teachers their salaries.

    “A director in the civil service, who has put in 25 years, is no longer paid; he has been branded as a ghost worker.

    “Special Advisers in Taraba State have become revenue collectors.

    “The condition is so bad that people can no longer afford to even give offerings when they attend church, not to talk of paying school fees.

    “The people are complaining and crying everywhere in Taraba State that is why I have come back to the APC, with all my supporters, to see how we can fix the state,” he said.

    Ikenya harped on the religious dichotomy in the state which usually curves elections in the state along religious lines between Muslims and Christians. “The interest of the state surpasses any other individual interest, so let us work together with a common agenda, with one goal, one interest: Taraba,” he said.

    David Sabo Kente, the candidate of the SDP in the 2015 governorship poll, also threw vitriolic attack on Ishaku while fielding questions from newsmen at the end of the event.

    Kente said Southern Taraba was agitating for power shift in 2015, to also produce governor. “But while that has been achieved, the governor we have produced (Darius Ishaku) is somebody who doesn’t know the terrain; he is a novice; without experience he lacks the capacity and knowledge of governance; he was based in Kaduna most of his life. I don’t think he knows all his commissioners.

    “We would have cued behind to support him, but he is not doing well; he is not doing anything. That is why we want to bring change to Taraba State,” he said.

    Kente, of the famous DSK Foundation a charity organisation, is known for his philanthropy. Formerly of the PDP, Kente defected to SDP and became its standard bearer in the 2015 general election. He finished third position, alleging electoral rigging by the PDP. He said he has joined the APC to “align forces with other progressive minded personalities to reposition Taraba State on the path of development.”

    Former Deputy Governor Uba Maigari said the Ishaku administration has continued to lie to the masses.

    Another APC chieftain, Yakubu Tor-Agbidye, said Taraba and Gombe States, the only PDP states in the north, must be swept by the APC tsunami in 2019 polls.

    Governor Darius Ishaku, by every indication, is going to seek a second term in 2019, probably in the PDP. His kinsman, Danlami Ikenya, who assisted him last time is not just joining the APC, he is going to run for the state’s plum seat on APC’s platform. For many analysts, this is just the beginning of the governorship battle in Taraba State ahead of 2019.

  • Muslims, Christians, pray for Buhari in Taraba

    Muslims, Christians, pray for Buhari in Taraba

    Muslim and Christian faithful in Taraba on Saturday held a special prayer for the speedy recovery of President Mohammadu Buhari, who is on medical vacation in the United Kingdom.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that followers of the two religions held the prayers at the Jalingo Eid prayer ground.

    Speaking at the occasion, representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Rev. Baba Yerima , said praying for the well-being of Buhari was the duty of every “true believer”.

    He noted that the President had brought peace and unity to the country, and therefore urged the gathering to pray for leaders at all times.
    Ustaz Ali Babando , a Muslim cleric, said the President had been doing his best in tackling the country’s socio-economic challenges.
    He noted that it was in the interest of Nigerians to keep praying for  Buhari, to enable him return home to consolidate on the fight against terror and corruption.
    Alhaji Sani Tullu, Secretary, Taraba Chapter, Buhari Support Organisation(BSO), said the BSO had organised  prayer and rally in honour of the President whom he described as a visionary leader.
    “We salute the giant strides and landmark achievement of  Buhari’s administration in his efforts to reposition the country.
    “We are particularly impressed with the performance of the administration in anti-corruption fight, decimating insurgents, revitalising Agriculture, Education and Health sectors,” he said. (NAN)

  • Battle for soul of Taraba PDP

    Battle for soul of Taraba PDP

    In this piece, Inuwa Salihu examines the battle of supremacy between home based politicians in Taraba State and “Abuja politicians” and its implications for unity in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Every state in Nigeria has its own version of the problem foisted by a group of people that have gradually increased in number and become a lot more visible for their nuisance value over the years. They are the Abuja politicians. Their homes and villages in the states are the same as yours and mine but they don’t live there. They have not lived there for several decades. They don’t even visit there either as regularly as you and I do. Some of them do not even know the names of their local chiefs and community leaders and have never made any useful contribution towards the provision of those modest water and electricity facilities which members of their local communities are currently enjoying. But they claim to represent us – yes you and I – and they speak for all of us and about us as if they are our true representatives.

    The case of Taraba State with Abuja politicians is no less different. Many of them are spent political forces with expired home addresses and have no real electoral value. They have the best houses in Abuja, Lagos and Kaduna but have none they can be proud of back home in Taraba. Their investments are in ventures located in other Nigerian towns and cities but none back home in Taraba to provide employment opportunities and other ancillary benefits for our children.

    Yet their voices are loudest in condemnation of the government back home for not bowing to their whims and caprices in the decisions it makes or for not placing funds belonging to the state on the table to be shared by them.

    The government that does not enjoy the support of Abuja politicians is doomed to their political boxing ring. It will be pummelled beyond recognition. No project, no matter how relevant to the needs of the people and how well executed is recorded in favour of the government as an achievement unless it has the stamp of approval of the Abuja politician or made some personal financial gains from it. The government that insists on doing things the proper way is always tarred with the brush of blackmail. That is the way of the Abuja politician.

    To them, it means nothing if the state is eternally in crisis and the people are daily killing themselves. Why will it matter? They don’t visit the state. Immediate members of their families don’t live in the state either. They don’t have investments in the state that will be at risk in times of crisis.

    That is the reason they don’t consider the efforts of the government that have saved the state from the inferno of ethno-religious crises as an achievement. But millions of Tarabans who have experienced the fire of crisis, who have lost loved ones and valuable properties, experienced the social and psychological trauma from the unfortunate situation that prevailed before the coming of Ishaku as governor, have not stopped giving testimony in churches and mosques for the peace that God has used the governor to achieve.

    The state’s politicians in Abuja have, by choice, remained blind to the achievements of the administration in infrastructure development. They claim not to have seen or heard about the renovation and renewal of the Jalingo Airport which is now open to direct flights thrice a week from Abuja. Their eyes and minds are also closed to the expansive water projects in Jalingo and the provision of 100 water boreholes that have radically redressed the water supply situation in the town and many other towns and villages in the state. They also claim not to know anything about the numerous road projects of the Ishaku administration, either already completed or still on-going.

    They don’t know and, they don’t care either, that many hospitals and clinics in the state that were hitherto not functional due to lack of medicaments are back on track with good stuck of what they require, including drugs and running costs. They will also pretend that what the government is already achieving with the re-opening of the state’s School of Nursing and Midwifery which had remained closed for more than ten years before Ishaku became governor, hasn’t gotten to their attention. Many idle school secondary school leavers have been offered admission and will soon take their seats at the nurses’ stations in the various hospitals and clinics in the state to render the much needed medical help. They are also not impressed by the numerous efforts of Governor Ishaku in reviving several abandoned or ailing industries belonging to the government or in which it has an interest. The Kakara tea factory in Mambilla, is a living testimony. The tomato industry in Lau and several others are on line awaiting the remediation pill of the government.

    The problem with Abuja politicians from Taraba is largely their inability to subdue political sentiments in their assessment of the government of the day in the state. The tendency, unfortunately, has always been to subject every decision, action and inaction of the state government to the narrow prism of divisive and self-serving political sentiments.

    This must yield way for a more reflective attitude of appreciation for what is being achieved with the lean resources of government. Indigenes of the state living outside the state, particularly those of them who are politicians, need to kill the virus behind the “pull down syndrome” that makes them blind to the good job the government is doing in the state.

    The magic pill against this evil syndrome is empathy that is undiluted with toxic political sentiments. It is the only way government’s views, decisions and achievements can be understood from the correct perspective. It is no crime holding political views that are at variance with that of the government of the day. That, indeed, is the essence of democracy which we practice today. But that is not a license to denigrate and demonise every action of the government of the day. The peculiar character of our own Abuja politicians is not informed by lack of information about the laudable achievements of the present administration but by the deliberate distortion of such information to whip up negative and divisive sentiments for their selfish political gains. That attitude is political demagoguery and it is unacceptable.

    Taraba State is a state whose case is different from the others and, therefore, deserves the sympathy of all its indigenes. Many of its infrastructure and institutions have been in a state of decay for a long time before the Ishaku administration came on board less than two years ago. What the administration has been doing is to pull the state out of an abyss and lay a solid foundation for development at a time that resources are scarce.

    Despite this, the administration has made a lot of impact within a short time, in road construction, the provision of water, job creation, improvement of electricity supply and paid salaries of civil servants regularly.

    The huge spending on security as a result of the crises which the present administration inherited is hardly remembered by politicians on a mischief mission. Yet, the investment in the achievement of peace is unarguably the best thing the administration has done since coming into office. It is the reason the state is at peace today.

    Our Abuja politicians need to repent and renounce their ways. They must show more interest in the development of the state. Governor Ishaku, the man whom God has prepared for the remediation project in Taraba, wants all hands on deck to make the job easier. It is the only way the good things of life that our people need and are asking for can come easy and fast.