Controversies surround Taraba Governor’s daughter, boyfriend’s peace concert

Daughter of Taraba State Governor, Mr. Darius Dickson Ishaku and her boyfriend, Mr. Simon Oshi are said to be embroiled in a scandalous act by duping internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the state.

Ishaku and three other sponsors it was gathered released the sum of two hundred and fifty million Naira to his daughter Mary and her boy friend Simion Oshi using the daughter’s company name, Mary and Prolifick Entertainment to stage a peace concert in the state.

According to a reliable sources close to the corridor of power in the state, Taraba state government contributed the sum of sixty million in the sponsorship deal, while the other sponsors, Dangote Foundation, Zenith Bank, MTN and Aitel Nigeria limited produced the remaining balance.

The first program of the concert which was donation of relief materials to IDPs champs  generated a lot of credibility questions as only seventy tubbers of yams were procured for one of the champs as well as  five bags of rice and a few crates of soft drinks.

Addressing journalists in Jalingo the Taraba state capital, Mr Simion who is speculated to be Mary’s boyfriend told reporters that the concert was to consolidate the peace the state government has achieved during the tenure of Ishaku.

He also said artists were going to be drawn from all over the country to be part of the concert and that the event was billed for 17th December 2016 at the Jolly Nyame stadium.

He however refused to talk on how much was involved in the event.

Contrary to claims by Mary and Prolifick Entertainment, the organizer of the event  that the peace concert was to promote and consolidate the peace initiative of the governor in the state, crisis broke out on the eve of the event Friday 16th December, 2016 in Dan-Anacha in Sabongida ward, Gassol local government area of the state which lasted till Friday morning.

The crisis which involved Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers left at least 24 dead and over 13 others seriously injured.

It could be recalled that the herdsmen/farmers conflict has been on long before Ishaku came to power, though it subsided afterwards.

Another  controversy, also sparked up with the mysterious death of one of the comedian involved in the local organization of the concert, Mr. Samuel Awar in a hotel room in Jalingo.

The corpse of the Jalingo base Comedian  Samuel Awar popularly called ‘Big shark’, was found in suit 103 of Jalingo Motel in Jalingo the state capital in the night of Thursday 8th December 2016.

The slain comedian it was gathered received the deposit of twenty five million Naira in his Dimond Bank account a few days to his death.

At the occasion of a dinner preceding the peace concert, Friday 16th December 2016 Governor Darius Ishaku confirmed that Samuel Awar lost his life in the course of the concert. He could not however explained how and why.

At the venue of the occasion, the six thousand capacity Jolly Nyame Stadium was virtually empty, the main organizer of the event Mr. Oshi had to get people to higher about three hundred unemployed youths in Jalingo to give the event life.

Mallam Abubarkar Sadiq from aungwa Gaadi,  Jalingo, said he was paid one thousand naira to go and be part of the occasion and that is what all the youths that agreed to enter the trucks the organizers brought were paid.

Mr. Oshi refuse to clear air on why the event was a failure stating that governor Ishaku directed him not to talk to the media after the event.

Senior special assistant to the governor Sylvanus Giwa confirm to journalists in Jalingo that the state government in partnership with other sponsors funded the event but however refuse to comment on how much was involved.

Giwa also confirmed that one of the contractors Miss Mary is the daughter of the governor and opined that there was nothing wrong with the governors daughter doing business in the state.

Police authorities in Jalingo have confirm both the death of the comedian and the outbreak of crisis in Gassol on the concert day,  but said the death tore is yet to be ascertained.

The police public Relation officer ASP David Misal told journalists that the autopsy of the slain comedian is yet to be released by the specialist hospital, but a hospital source said the autopsy was ready since last week.

But in what appeared to be clear lack of coordination between the Taraba state government and the police authority regarding the autopsy result, The senior special assistant  to the governor Mr. Sylvanus Giwa also confirmed to journalists in his office that the autopsy result has revealed that the comedian died natural death.

As at the time of filing this report there was an uneasy calm in the state over the sudden outbreak of hostilities in Dan-Anacha on the peace concert day, the town governor Ishaku is desperately trying to renamed it Kwararafa.

A resident of Dan-Anacha who pleaded not to be named told our reporter that apart from sponsored advertorials in national dailies on why the name has to be changed, the local government chairman under the directive of the governor erected a big sign post in the middle of the town just last week, adding that the sudden outbreak of crisis in the town may not be unconnected to the development.