Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku, has described the recent ransacking of his private residence in Abuja as unfortunate. He said that the action has forced one of his children that took him two years to convince to return to Nigeria, to flee the country.
The governor also said he would be working with his main political adversary and former minister of women affairs Hajia Jumai Alhassan, otherwise known as ‘Mama Taraba,’ for peace and development in the state.
He also spoke on other key national issues.
We hear Hajia Jumai Alhassan has extended a hand of fellowship to you, is that correct?
Jumai Alhassan was the governorship candidate of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in the last election and candidate on the platform of the APC in the 2015 general election, if you can recollect. We had election in 2015 and I defeated her. She went up to the Supreme Court where I secured the mandate to be the governor of Taraba State. In 2019 again she contested as the governorship candidate of the UDP. We had the election and she came third. I am gladdened today. I feel very happy for her coming to congratulate me. It gives me much joy because I see it as a good omen in our struggle for peace in the state. As you know, I have always asked for peace in turn to bring about development. This is a giant stride in this effort. In fact I can say that today marks the peak of this peace effort because with her coming, I think we will see peace in Taraba State completely because we are going to work together and it will be to the overall good of the state. So I am glad with the happening of today and I will make sure we translate it to the progress of our people.
What is your take on the Supreme Court verdict?
I thank God for the victory and verdict at the Supreme Court. As you know, I was not a party to the case, it was an internal issue which ended up against him that ab initio, he was not qualified to be a candidate and therefore the votes of the APC in the state in the governorship election were all wasted. I also thank God that this Supreme Court verdict came after the election had been conducted, otherwise, we would have been hearing stories of ‘if I had been left to stand this election,’ I would have removed DDI.
I am happy that he contested the election and I won with a landslide, with over a hundred thousand votes. I am also glad that the Supreme Court disqualified him on another offence entirely which tells you that God is not only a Nigerian but that he resides here in Taraba State because it is only in Taraba that whatever you come and do, God will punish you appropriately for it. I was not the one who went to the court. It was a case of their party and themselves but thank God that today I am the ultimate beneficiary. So I will say that I give gratitude to God and we will do our best to make sure these four years count better.
With the distractions over now, what should the people of the state expect for the next four years?
I will say that the people should expect much better things than they saw in the past. The good thing is that we have laid the foundation for most of the things and we just need to build on that foundation that is already laid. So the people should expect more from us. They should expect a more vibrant cabinet comprising of people who are more professionally inclined, people who can deliver and people we can live on their own to handle serious state’s businesses as it relates to their respective areas and I think we will be seeing a much better job than were handled before. There are so many areas that I will lay emphasis on like education, health, agriculture and restructuring the civil service among others. But like I said earlier, we have started already and it is just to consolidate. If you look at four years, it is just three sixty times four days, so we would be counting in days now. But I can assure you that a lot of things will happen in these days. All I beg from the people is to allow peace to reign.
What is your take on the suspension of Ruga by the Federal Government?
The whole Ruga scheme should be cancelled. You cannot do a RUGA across 36 states of the country. It is not workable, it is not acceptable and we would not allow it in Taraba State. Already I had in place the anti-open grazing law. It is a law in Taraba State that you’re not allowed to graze openly and we are making a lot of progress on the pilot ranches. I have even submitted a request for us to be given a loan for ranches but the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has refused to approve it for whatever reason. Otherwise, I would have showcased what it is to be doing ranching in Taraba State. It is the best form of practice and the only globally accepted form of cattle rearing, if indeed you’re talking about cattle, if indeed you’re talking about grass and if indeed you’re talking about cattle development. But I don’t think they are talking about cattle development. They are talking about a different thing. They are talking about something else and that is colonisation. It is totally unacceptable, intolerable and should be completely cancelled not just suspended.
Your private residence was recently raided in Abuja. Can you share your thoughts about the experience?
I feel very bad that the democratic government of All Progressives Congress (APC) is not leaving according to the tenets of the constitution. It is shameful, it is disgraceful, it is embarrassing, and it is insulting. I am shocked that only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) talked about it. The APC saw nothing wrong with it. Don’t they have governors? Can somebody walk into an APC governor’s residence and search it? They came in; broke the gate to my private residence broke my doors, turned my house upside down literally threw my children out of the house, children it took me two years to beg to come back to Nigeria. Now one of them has gone back and I’m still begging him to come back because of that shameful experience. It is nonsense. People should know that they would not always be in power forever. Posterity will judge them.
One of the major issues in the state now is the Tiv/Jukun crisis. What do you have to say about it?
It is not only the Tiv/Jukun crisis that is bedeviling the state. There are also crisis of herdsmen that are killing people. In Taraba North, there is Fulani herdsmen killings. In Taraba South, there is Tiv/ Jukun crisis. There is tribal bias and other issues. People are saying it is grazing but it is not just grazing. Some people would just come and kill those who are farming or staying in their homes without provocation. That is a different thing all together. For me, I am asking God to help us. We went for a meeting at Katsina Ala with the Tiv people and we are begging them to join hands with us. We are hoping that there would be peace. Here in the northern part also, we are begging, let them give us peace.
The police are not within my control. The soldiers are not under my control. If you give them instructions, they will ignore them and do what they want. You tell someone that they are fighting in a suburb, and he leaves the people that came from outside to come and kill people and the area there is fight to come and meet the people in the town and begin to kill them. Are you now doing the work of security or helping the attackers to do their work? I am asking you, is that the work of soldiering? I invite you as a soldier that they are fighting outside the town to come and secure people there and instead you left the area and come inside the town to kill people that are inside the town. Is that the right thing to do? They have stubborn ears. They don’t listen to the governor. Both the police and soldiers only take instructions from Abuja. May God help us.
