Taraba Facts

A group of aggrieved aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Taraba State on Sunday, alleged that the primary election committee for Taraba state was nowhere to be found and so, no primaries were conducted in the state. Barr. Shitu Muhammed, Chairman of the group on behalf of other aspirants who disclosed this in a press conference at the party Secretariat in Jalingo, said the committee set up to conduct the exercise in Taraba was nowhere to be found. The aspirants while advising those parading as candidates to desist, called on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to urgently address the matter to avoid what may affect the party in the general election. “The APC in Taraba State is yet to conduct her primaries for all the positions. “The election committee for Taraba is nowhere to be found and we don’t know what is happening. This situation is capable of affecting the party in the 2023 general elections and we want the national working committe...

Bala Hamisu, popularly known as Wadume (Suspect) Barring any last-minute change, the Federal High Court in Abuja will on June 10 deliver judgment in the case of suspected Taraba State kidnap kingpin, Bala Hamisu, popularly known as Wadume and others charged with conspiracy and kidnapping. SaharaReporters was told that the trial judge, Justice Binta Nyako, fixed the date after counsel to the suspects had adopted his final address and submitted that there was no direct evidence linking his client to all the allegations. “Wadume, the kidnap kingpin would be going for judgement on 10th of June,” one of the officials informed SaharaReporters. The police had on February 3, 2020, originally filed 16 counts of terrorism, murder, kidnapping and illegal arms running against Wadume and the others. They were accused of conspiring to commit felony, to wit: “acts of terrorism, by attacking and kidnapping one Usman Garba, aka Mayo, at his filling station in Takum, thereby committing an of...

Gen. T.Y Danjuma The alleged imposition of a gubernatorial aspirant from the Southern Zone of Taraba state for the forthcoming Primary election of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), by former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma, has stemmed reactions and disappointments from the Patriotic Northern Taraba Elders Forum (PNTEF). This is contained in a press statement jointly signed by Elder Timothy Mazong, Alhaji Usman Adamu Mafindi and Alhaji Ali Lau and issued to newsmen in Jalingo. The forum said that Danjuma has shown total disregard to the existing zoning arrangement and is promoting tribalism and division in the state, to the disappointment of all who hold him in high regards.  They called on the retired General to work towards promoting the unity and stability of the state, rather than promoting tribal interest as that is capable of further breaking the fragile lines holding the unity of the state. While we were hoping that the Southern and Central zones, ...

  Jolly Nyame, Ex- Taraba State Governor (1999-2007) The National Industrial Court has fixed Tuesday to deliver judgment in an ex-governor, Jolly Nyame and three others’ suit for non-payment of their pension benefit arrears. The other judgment creditors in the suit are Uba Ahmadu, Abubakar Armayau and Bilkisu Danboyi. Through a garnishee proceeding, the judgment creditors had filed the suit against the judgment debtor, the Taraba State Government, and the garnishee debtor, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The matter brought up on Monday for ruling before Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae was adjourned for judgment to enable a pending application to be taken. The judge after that allowed the judgment debtor through its counsel, D. Sambo to take the application, which she said that judgment will be delivered on with the previous application that had been taken previously. The counsel informed the court that he had an application filed on Jan. 24, seeking the order of the court t...

After about four decades of foot-dragging, the long-awaited commencement of the 3,050MW Mambilla hydropower project is facing another setback as the 10 consultant land surveyors handling the demarcation and mapping of the project site for construction and other ancillary services say the refusal of the Taraba State Government to pay them has stalled the project. The representative of the surveyors, Mr Rotimi Apere-Akanji, who spoke on behalf of the nine others, explained that they had to leave the site because the project was no longer funded and several appeals to the state government to pay them were not heeded. He therefore called on Governor Darius Ishaku to use his good offices to ensure payment so they could pay for the expenses they already incurred and return to site to finish their work. Apere-Akanji told our correspondent that they were engaged by the Federal Ministry of Power in 2017, adding that since the project had to do with land, the ownership of which belongs to th...

  The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary elections in Taraba State has produced five candidates while one seat was declared inconclusive. The primaries for Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Constituency ended peacefully at the Jolly Nyame Stadium Jalingo, as Mohammed Ismaila beat his close rival former legislator, Ibrahim Imam. For Karim Lamido/Ardo Kola/Lau, Audu Lauya emerged the winner, beating an incumbent member of the House of Representatives, Charles Maijankai. Jafaar Chiroma won for Bali/Gassol while Rev. Joseph Nagombe emerged the winner for Gembu/Kurmi/Gashaka. Pius Sabo, a serving member of the House of Assembly won for Wukari/Ibi Federal Constituency. However, the elections for Takum/Donga/Ussa Constituency was inconclusive, as former Speaker of Taraba House of Assembly, Istifanus Gbana, tied with current Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, Douglas Yahaya Ndatse at 43 each. The election into the House of Assembly for Donga Constituency could not hold on Sunday ...

  Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha and his team A former deputy senate minority leader, Emmanuel Bwacha on Friday alleged that Taraba State was sliding to collapse and needed to be rescued and made a home for all citizens. Bwacha who is contesting for the governorship seat of Taraba on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated this in a press conference in Jalingo. He alleged that Taraba is no longer in the position to raise her head among the comity of states in Nigeria, noting that something was wrong and needs to be corrected. According to Sen. Bwacha, he is out to rescue the state from her sliding situation by focusing on infrastructure and making it a home for all citizens. “I am sincerely weak, my moral is low because it’s all about the future of our children. “Taraba can not raise its head among committee of states in Nigeria, something is wrong here, the state has lost her glory and we need to bring the state back to her fit and restore the lost glory. ...

The commissioning of a 40MW hydro power station in Kashinbilla, Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State two months ago was seen as a solution to the electricity needs of people in southern Taraba. However, the hope of over 900,000 people in the central senatorial zone comprising five local government areas, who hoped to be linked to the power station, was dashed. The five local government areas – Bali, Gassol, Kurmi, Gashaka and Sardauna are not linked to the national grid. Power transmission line that supply electricity from Kashinbilla hydro power station to Yendev in Benue State and southern Taraba. The population of the five local government areas stands as follows:  Bali 290,607; Gassol 337,515; Sardauna 308,941; Gashaka 120,039; and Kurmi 125,708. The power project was awarded by former president, Goodluck Jonathan, for many purposes including flood control in River Katsina Ala, irrigation, tourism and power. It has a capacity of generating 40MW. Part of the power li...

  By Charles Akpeji, Jalingo  Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State have warned the leadership of the party against the planned imposition of a gubernatorial candidate on them. The angry supporters who issued the warning via their social media handle also appealed to the former Minister of Defense, General Theophilus Y. Danjuma, fingered in the plan, to as a matter of urgency drop his alleged plans of bringing in the incumbent chairman of the party, Lt. Col Agbu Kefas (rtd) as the party’s gubernatorial candidate. Currently, tension is mounting among party supporters in the state over the proposed candidate, whom The Guardian gathered did not procure the nomination forms or appear before the PDP governorship screening committee in Bauchi State.  It was gathered that the elder statesman, who came into the state last week Thursday in a chartered flight, reportedly endorsed the chairman, whom many believed to be his godson as the party’s candidate. Con...

  I am privileged to have experienced the grace and mercies of the Almighty Allah who brought me from my community in Kakara, Taraba State to where I am today. Anytime I remember my noble background and how God used people from different creed, religion and ethnicity to support  my journey in life, my faith in humanity is renewed.   I believe that God has put the destiny of other humans  in our hands and whatever we do can make life either better or worse for them. It is this ideology that has shaped my life and perspectives. It's the reason why I engaged in humanitarian gesture, mentorship and empowerment of those I come across. I am a team player with a strong belief in teamwork and collaboration as a major catalyst for progress and development of our society, as against the commonly seen lifestyle of competition,  conspiracy, scheming and backstabbing around us. I believe that if human beings choose to work together for the betterment of the human race, ...

  Taraba state governor, Darius Ishaku, Monday, ordered immediate suspension of the ongoing recruitment into the state civil service. Ishaku, in a statement signed by his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Bala Dan Abu, and made available to Blueprint in Jalingo quoted the governor as stating that the list of appointees recently released by the State Civil Service Commission does not have his approval. “The governor has, therefore, ordered the immediate suspension of the exercise to allow for comprehensive investigation and re-dressing of all the anomalies complained of,” the statement noted