Taraba Facts

On Wednesday last week, the Taraba State Executive Council passed a resolution directing the House of Assembly to constitute a committee of medical experts to make a determination on the health status of Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, who has been away from his duties for nearly two years now on medical grounds. Such a resolution should have been passed a long time ago, but given political and inter-communal sensitivities in the state, this issue was allowed to linger for this long. Governor Suntai was the pilot of a plane that crashed near Yola on October 25, 2012. He sustained serious injuries and has been undergoing treatment in hospitals in Germany and in the United States. After he had been away for 21 days, the state’s legislature acted according to the 1999 Constitution as amended and recognised Deputy Governor Garba Umar as acting governor. Suntai returned to the country after ten months’ absence and apparently wrote a letter to the House of Assembly announcing that h...

People in crisis ridden areas of Wukari and Ibi in Taraba State have fled to Nasarawa State, Daily Trust gathered. One of the displaced persons, who spoke to Daily Trust, said: "Returning to Taraba is like running back into a cave of vipers after one has safely escaped". Mohammed Madaki, leader of the displaced persons, numbering over 2,000, yesterday appealed to the Nasarawa State government to initiate modalities for them to participate in the forthcoming voter registration exercise in the state. He said at the palace of the Emir of Lafia, where displaced persons were presented with relief materials, by the emir, Alhaji Isa Mustapha Agawi I, and officials of the state government, that as Nigerians, they would not want to be disenfranchised in the coming elections. Secretary to the State Govern-ment (SSG), Hajiya Zainab Abdul-mumin, who represented Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, during the presentation, said the displaced persons would be provided with temporary shelter at...

PLANS to begin work on the 3050mw Manbilla Power Plant in Taraba State have reached advanced stage, Vice-President Namadi Sambo disclosed Monday.    The project, which will also power irrigation and serve as tourism site because of its proximity to the airport, the Vice-President said, would be one of the biggest power plants in Africa on completion. He stated government’s determination to ensure that the project is realised, as it would add more megawatts to the national grid and boost power transformation.    Sambo, who dropped the hint in Kaduna yesterday while inspecting the 215mw Kaduna Power Plant under construction, said the 3050mw Manbilla power project would commence soon, “as all necessary preparations are in place.”    According to him, the Ministry of Power has already concluded all designs of the project and as soon as other logistics are in place, work will resume at the site. Similarly, he expressed satisfaction wi...

Twenty-five people were on Tuesday night killed in a renewed crisis between the Jukuns and the Hausas in Wukari local government area of Taraba State. The crisis, LEADERSHIP learnt, was a spillover from the problem between the Tivs and Fulani herdsmen in Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states. An eyewitness who escaped the bloody attacks said over 200 houses in about four villages were razed down by the trouble makers, just as the roads leading from the north-east zone to the southern part of the country has been closed down by the military Joint Task Force. However, the police public relations officer (PPRO), ASP Joseph Kwaji, confirmed that seven people were killed during the incident. Other eyewitnesses told LEADERSHIP that the killings and burning had been on from 7:30pm on Tuesday to noon on Wednesday. Narrating the ugly incident, the chairman of the State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Hon. Ishaya Daniel Gani, who lost his elde...

Jalingo — THE Deputy Comptroller of Prisons in Taraba State, Magaji Jatau yesterday lamented the deplorable condition of prisoners as well as those still awaiting trials for various offences in Jalingo Prisons, describing the situation as terrible. Jatau spoke yesterday when the Chairman of DSK Foundation, Chief David Kente visited the prisons to donate some items to the inmates as part of the ceremonies marking his 49th birthday. According to sources the poor condition of the prisons had no source of water supply since the only pipe that connected it to public water supply had been earlier been damaged, adding that the situation had made it impossible for them to take their bath daily. The sources added that the prisoners also sleep in the over crowded cells for days now without food due to scarcity of water. Apart from water, the only one Black maria which used to convey those waiting trials to their various courts for prosecution of their cases had broken brok...

The Say No Campaign -Nigeria (SNC -Nigeria) has asked the acting Governor of Taraba State, Garba Umar,  and immediate family members of ailing Governor Danbaba Suntai to accept the offer by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) for an independent assessment of his health in the interest of the development of the state. Convener of the group, Ezenwa Nwagwu, who made the appeal yesterday in Abuja also urged the Inspector-General of Police and Director-General of State Security Services (SSS) to investigate the video interview on the internet allegedly granted by Suntai and make their findings public. He said the situation in Taraba State has further underlined the fear that Nigerian politicians value political power, its associated perks and privileges more than human lives. "The acting Governor of Taraba State and families of Governor Danbaba Suntai should with immediate effect accept the offer of NMA for intervention in this imbroglio. The IGP and DG of SSS should investigate th...

SAHARA REPORTERS: Brain damaged governor of Taraba state, Danbaba Suntai was brought before some reporters to speak about his mental and physical health status, the cabal using the governor to cause political crisis in the state had consistently prepped Mr. Suntai for the media appearance , but they did not bargain for what he said to reporters. Suntai confirmed to reporters that although he needs support to return to office hebwas not fit to return to work asbgovernor, a position that Saharareporters had consistently maintained in several reports through thisbplatform. Mr. Suntai was terribly injured in a plane crash near Yola airport in Adamawa state when a small Cessna plane he was piloting crashed as he approached landing. Mr. Suntai who was speaking in low and measured tone claimed he had been "drinking" before the crash. WATCH IT HERE >>>>  Governor Suntai Admits He Is Not Fit To Return To Office