Senator makes case for inclusion of Taraba in northeast rehabilitation, reconstruction programme

Taraba state is now to be included among states that are to benefit from the federal government rehabilitation and reconstruction programme targeted at states in the northeast ravaged by Boko Haram.

Senate Adhoc Committee chairman on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Vice President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), African Group, Senator Kabiru Gaya stated this on Wednesday in Jalingo during an interactive session with heads of security agencies and community leaders at the EXCO chambers of Taraba government house.

Gaya who is the senate committee chairman on works led senators Emmanuel Bwacha and Shaaba Lafiagi on a fact finding mission in Taraba, following senator Bwacha’s motion on the floor of the senate on March 9, calling on the federal government to deploy special forces to flush out Boko Haram elements in the state and to rehabilitate those affected.

The chairman who commended senator Bwacha for his courage in sponsoring the motion said, from the evidence they gathered and the security reports from the Police, DSS, Civil Defense, Immigration and Prisons Taraba was indeed affected by the activities of Boko Haram.

“Before now, nobody was talking about Taraba as one of the states affected by Boko Haram until Senator Bwacha raised the motion. With useful security reports we have gathered from security agencies and our personal visits to IDPs camps, we can attest to the level of damage done to Taraba by Boko Haram elements.

“We are convinced that senator Bwacha is truthful from his heart when he was presenting the motion. We are going to report back to the senate and certainly Taraba will be included among states in the northeast that are going to get assistance from the federal government in terms of rehabilitation and reconstruction because of the lost of properties and other things,” he said.

He commended Governor Darius Ishaku for restoring peace in the state and urged the people of the state to support the governor, even as he said the senate would do everything possible to give traditional rulers a role in the constitution to enable them help in the fight against crime in the country.

Senator Lafiagi in his remarks commended senator Bwacha for taking up the matter that concern the entire Taraba and appeal to the people of the state not to play ethnic cards or petty politics with the issue.

“What is due to Taraba should be given to Taraba. If the people of Adamawa, Borno and others in the northeast are asking for what is due to them in terms of this problem of Boko Haram, Taraba should be given her own share too because Taraba has her own share of the crisis.”

During the meeting security agencies and community leaders of Fulani and Tiv ethnic groups made presentations and submitted memoranda to the senate Adhoc committee during the interactive session.

It could be recalled that Senator Emmanuel came under attack from his colleague, Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf who countered senator Bwacha’s motion that some Boko Haram elements were regrouping in the state.

Yusuf who described Bwacha as an alarmist warned him to be cautious next time as his findings indicated that there was no such development in the state.

But Bwacha who then decline to join issues with senator Yusuf said Nigerians would judge at appropriate time who among them was telling the truth.