Birthday Tribute: The Rescue Captain is 65
By Bala Dan Abu.
A couple of weeks ago, I sought for and got an audience with my boss, Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku. The venue was his main office in Government House, Jalingo and my mission was to first remind him of his 65th birthday anniversary which was fast approaching and then seek his permission to make some elaborate arrangements for a befitting celebration in the media. What I got was an emphatic rejection of the celebration plan.
But he was quick in providing an explanation, perhaps, to assuage my feelings of disappointment. “How can I be celebrating my birthday when my people are being killed? That statement was both a question and an answer rolled into one sentence. And so, I needed no further explanation. I just took back my memo file and left.
That encounter says volumes about Ishaku, a renowned architect and town planner who has been in the saddle as Executive Governor of Taraba State since May 29, 2015. It says a lot about his humanity, the depth of his love, empathy and care for the people of Taraba, particularly, victims of the incessant herdsmen killings and kidnappings in the state and also of the communal clashes involving Tiv and Jukun living along the Taraba/Benue borders. It is also a loud statement of his abhorrence and rejection of violence as a means of dispute resolution.
These crises and conflicts have not only given Ishaku stressful days and sleepless nights but have created for Taraba State – our beloved “Nature’s Gift to the Nation” – the underserved image of a place that is perpetually in turmoil. That image is hurting social and economic activities and the development agenda of his administration in which foreign investors are expected to participate actively.
Crisis was strange to the boisterous culture of communal life that Ishaku was born into on July 30, 1954 in Lupwe in present day Ussa Local Government Area of Taraba State. Lupwe was then more of a missionary settlement where every person was the other person’s good neighbor. There was no discrimination on the basis of tribe, religion or occupation. The young then Darius imbibed that culture. His grandfather was a pastor and his father, a teacher. Both professions created an ambience of peace and love which brought the children of other parents to live and grow together under the care of the parents of the young Darius and his siblings. It also shaped the future attitude of Darius to people and issues. Even as governor, he has not stopped wondering why anybody would take up a gun or any offensive weapon to kill and maim a fellow human being.
School environment further widened the scope of the cross-cultural exposure for Ishaku. At St Bartholomew Primary School, Wusasa, Zaria, where his school career started in 1961, he met and studied side by side with children from different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. He left there in 1967 with a good School Leaving Certificate for the famous St Paul’s College, Kufena, also in Zaria, where he obtained the West African School Certificate in 1972. In the same year, he was admitted into Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a B.sc. and a Masters in Architecture aa well as a Masters in Urban Planning. He was a part-time lecturer and a doctoral student in the same institution before politics eventually took over.
Before he went fully into politics, Ishaku had made his mark as an architect and urban planner through his own private company. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, FNIA, and also a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, FNITP.
Despite his outstanding success in his profession, politics remained for him an irresistible attraction. In 2003, he took the plunge. He ran for a senate seat in his Southern Taraba constituency. He lost the seat but gained useful experience that was to help his political career years later. In 2011, he was appointed Minister of State for power under the Goodluck Jonathan presidency. Later he was deployed to the Ministry of Niger Delta Development in the same capacity. He also had the privilege of supervising the Ministry of Environment at the same time.
The experience he gained from these three key ministries and his professional calling as an architect prepared him adequately for exemplary leadership of honesty and service delivery which have been the hallmark of his administration as governor of Taraba State.
In 2014, Ishaku decided to try his luck at the polls once more but this time round, for the position of Governor of Taraba State. He voluntarily resigned from his job as minister. The contest was fierce but against all odds, he won at the polls. He also triumphed over his opponent in the litigation that came on the heels of that victory. His re-election in March this year for a second term was with a greater margin of victory. Support for him was massive. All the gubernatorial candidates of all the political parties in the election, with the exception of two, withdrew from the race and endorsed him for re-election. It was their own way of acknowledging the good job Ishaku is doing in the state. He was sworn in for a second term on May 29, 2019.
Ishaku’s background of a gentle and peace-loving person has immensely helped in his handling of the affairs of the state. At the time he took over as governor in 2015, Taraba state was in crisis. Communal and religious conflicts were rife. Basic infrastructure in the state were also in dilapidation and crying for urgent attention. His campaign trips round the state were an eye-opener on the level of decay of basic infrastructure and social services. Taraba was a state in dire need of rescue.
Ishaku put together a rescue team and assumed the position of the rescue captain. But peace must first be achieved before any meaningful development can be achieved. He coined his now very famous peace mantra – “Give me peace and I will give you development.” It was meant to appeal to the conscience of the people to stop fighting and embrace peace so that development which had eluded the state for many years could be pursued and achieved.
Four years down the line, the Ishaku administration has successfully given the state a new positive name. The people may not have fulfilled their own part of the bargain of giving him peace but he has succeeded tremendously in his rescue mission. Today more than 300 communities which previously had no good drinking water now do so, courtesy of the administration’s rural water development scheme. Most homes in Jalingo now enjoy water provided by the repositioned state water agency. Jalingo is looking up to the completion of the biggest water project in this part of the country for a lasting solution to water scarcity in the city.
The Ishaku administration is currently working very hard at it.
Education, health, power and transportation and many other sectors have all profited from the rescue agenda of the Ishaku administration. The WAEC scores by students from the state rose from less than 20 percent in 2015 to 75.3 percent in 2018 making the state the best in the entire northern states and number eight in the country. The state also now has three functional hospitals, renovated and equipped with state of the art facilities by the rescue administration. Governor Ishaku is also acknowledged as the governor in the North East zone who purchased and installed the highest number of transformers and thereby contributing the most in improving power supply in Taraba State. For this achievement, the Yola Electricity Distribution Company rewarded him with an award.
In four years, Governor Ishaku was honoured with not less than 20 awards by various local and international organizations for his achievements. His achievements in the health sector earned him an award of recognition by the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA. The Water Man of the Year award came from the Water Suppliers Association of Nigeria for his radical approach in the provision of water. The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Nigerian Union of Local
Government Employees, NULGE, also jointly gave Governor Ishaku an award for being the most workers friendly-governor. At that occasion, the two organizations acknowledged him as the best salary paying governor in the country. The Vanguard Newspapers Governor of the Year given to Ishaku in 2017 is an encapsulation of the achievements of the Rescue Captain and his rescue administration.
There may not be wining and dining today to celebrate the 65th birthday anniversary of Governor Ishaku but the people of Taraba State acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifices he is making for them to live in peace and to enjoy a new lease of life being provided through his administration’s numerous projects. Women and youths cannot but be grateful for the skills acquisition programmes of his administration and also that of his wife, Barr. Anna Darius Ishaku’s Hope Afresh Foundation. This twin programmes have taken more than 5,000 young men and women from the unemployment market.
Happy 65th birthday, Governor DDI.
Dan Abu is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media & Publicity
How Not to Treat a Governor
By Abdullahi Salisu
They came in several vehicles dressed in full battle gear. Sophisticated guns and bulletproof vests complemented their smartly ironed green-on-green police uniforms.
Their destination was the Abuja private residence of Arc Darius Dickson Ishaku, executive governor of Taraba State. And their brief was to obtain some incriminating evidence, no matter how little, against the governor for the purpose of framing him up as a gun runner.
All entreaties by their fellow police men on guard at the entrance to the house to tarry awhile for the keys to the apartments to be brought so that entry into the building would be easier and less destructive fell on the deaf ears.
They opted for the use of force, using heavy iron equipment they had brought with them. By the time they were through with their evil mission, the building had become a shadow of its former self.
Doors and windows were smashed, beds and tables were broken, air conditioners and refrigerators damaged while the ceilings were pulled down, all in their desperation to get “something” to take back to their masters for the purpose of nailing the governor and members of his family.
They found no such thing. It was, indeed a failed mission. I’m told that up till now, that is, over three weeks after the incident, the police high command and their masters are still leaking the wounds of failure of this outrageously embarrassing assault on Governor Ishaku’s privacy and his constitutionally guaranteed immunity as a sitting governor of a state in Nigeria.
The police authorities, according to reliable information, are so disappointed and embarrassed by the scandal that the failure of the invasion of the Governor’s privacy turned out to be for them. It was for this reason that they have been unable to issue a public statement to explain it. Truth is that they have no convincing explanation for this primitive act which has gone into the nation’s history books as one of the most arbitrary and obnoxious violation against the person and office of a state governor.
But information available to this writer is that the invasion was a premeditated action intended at “punishing” the Governor for his courage in defending his people against the incessant attacks and killings in the state by the Fulani militia men.
The police high command was said to have organized the invasion on the basis of spurious allegations that the Governor had a large collection of arms and ammunition and huge amount of money in the house.
The plan was that the items would be recovered and the news of the recoveries trumpeted even beyond the nation’s borders in order to humiliate the governor and project him as unworthy of his people’s respect and support. That was the architecture of the plot that eventually failed.
Surprisingly, the nation’s usually very active human rights clan has failed to raise a voice against this unlawful invasion of the privacy of a sitting governor. The press, too, has been curiously silent. We have seen no editorial comments condemning this outrageous act of humiliation of a very senior public servant – a sitting governor of a state who enjoys immunity under the constitution of the country.
So far only the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Governor Ishaku’s political platform and his colleagues in the PDP Governors Forum have condemned the invasion and demanded explanation. Yet, the police have offered none. They have just reluctantly ordered a probe which is being handled in a manner that will produce no useful results. They only intend to use it to exonerate themselves.
The police should show remorse. Governor Ishaku and his family deserve public apology. The police should organize a press conference to be addressed by the Inspector General of Police to publicly accept responsibility for the illegal invasion of the Governor’s house, give full explanation on their motive and exonerate the Governor and his family.
He should also publicly give an undertaking to guarantee the safety and life of the governor, that of members of his immediate family and his close aides.
This invasion by the police is a very serious matter, especial if taken alongside some other unsavoury developments that happened earlier and related to the Governor.
Shortly after Ishaku’s re-election for a second term, there was a threat to kill him. The threat was linked to a certain group that was also linked to the political opposition in Taraba State.
Then came the wicked rumours of the Governor’s supposed death, also packaged and orchestrated by people connected to the political opposition in the state. All of these point in the direction of an invidious agenda against Governor Ishaku that ought to be a subject of police probe.
Unfortunately, the police that are supposed to investigate these dangerous developments around the Governor are part of this intricate web of controversy and conspiracy. The invasion is a big evidence against their neutrality.
The public and the press must rise and ask the critical questions on this issue. Why is Governor Ishaku being targeted for humiliation, even elimination? What really is the offence of this man? Is it wrong of him to have opted to serve his people diligently?
I know he had always asked security agencies to show more commitment and become less bias in their handling of security issues in Taraba State. That was not too much of the chief security officer of the state to ask for. He never failed to express appreciation for the much that security agencies were always able to do towards the maintenance of law and order.
And he is on record as one of the governors in Nigeria who did the most to facilitate the job of the security agencies. Certainly, Governor Ishaku deserves better treatment from the police and other security agencies. Anything less will amount to an unfair treatment for the Governor.
An Inter-denominational Thanksgiving Service Mark’s Beginning of Gov. Ishaku’s 2nd Term
An inter-denominational thanksgiving church service was held in Jalingo yesterday, June 2, 2019, to mark the beginning of Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku’s second term.
The special church service took place at the CAN secretariat in Jalingo with many prominent people including Right Hon. Abel Peter Diah, Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly; Justice Josephine Tuktur, Chief judge of Taraba State; Anthony Jellason, Secretary to the State Government and Simon Angyu, Head of Service, in attendance.
The guest speaker was Bishop Timothy Yahaya who came all the way from Kaduna for the event.
He urged Governor Ishaku to continue to speak for the oppressed and provide for the poor.
Bishop Yahaya also advised the Governor to create more jobs for the youth to ensure that they do no get tempted to indulge in crime.
Also speaking, Gov. Ishaku assured that he would consolidate on the gains of his first tenure.
In doing so, he would ensure that he uses the right people with the expertise required for quick results. He called on Tarabans to embrace peace because without peace development would be elusive.
He thanked Tarabans for voting him massively in the elections and assured that he would not let them down.
Governor Ishaku Can Protect Tarabans
Again, mischief makers are back at their game. They have laboured within the past few hours to bend a statement made by Gov. Darius Dickson Ishaku during an interview with journalists yesterday in Jalingo after the flag off of the new farming season to suit their evil campaign.
The story as reported in the papers is being quoted out of context by an online evil campaigner and his internet boys just to cause disaffection between Gov. Ishaku and the people of the state. I’m sure the people of Taraba State know and haven’t forgotten why this guy is bitter and pouring out unnecessary venom at Gov. Ishaku.
What Gov Ishaku told the press during that interview is that Governors in Nigeria, including himself, have no constitutional powers to deploy security agencies to deal decisively with the security challenges currently facing the country.
He even went a step further to say that he could stop all the crises in Taraba State within a short period of time if he had control over the security agencies in the state. This was to further buttress his well known position on the need for a state police.
The interpretation of Gov. Ishaku’s observations on the constitutional limitations of state governors on the security challenges as an admission that he cannot protect Tarabans is wrong and mischievous.
I wish to urge the public to disregard this wicked and mischievous campaign and its sponsors.
Governor Ishaku is very passionate about peace in Taraba State. ‘Give me peace and I will give you development’ remains the slogan that has guided his peace campaign.
The state would have been on fire today but for the success of this campaign despite the constitutional limitations of the office of the state governor.
Bala Dan Abu
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity.
Nigerian Army Opens New Operational Base in Jalingo
General Officer Commanding 3 Division of the Nigerian Army Jos, Major General Nuhu Angbazo described Governor Darius Ishaku as an architect of peace.
The General stated this when he paid a working visit to the Governor at Government House, Jalingo.
He said steps taken by the Governor to maintain peace in the state through the provision of logistics and other support has made him stand out among fellow Governor’s in the Country.
The Major General assured farmers of absolute security during the farming season calling on them not to panic but to go about their farming activities.
He commended Governor Ishaku for providing office accommodation for the Nigerian Army, saying it would go a long way to assisting them in administration.
Angbazo, later introduced the new Brigade Commander of the 23 brigade Yola, Brigadier Mohammed to the Governor.
Responding, Governor Ishaku thanked the Nigerian Army for their proactive steps in tackling insecurity.
He revealed that initially the state was grappled with cattle rustling, Armed Robbery, Farmers and herders crises with kidnapping now staring the people at the face.
The Governor also notified the Nigerian Army of his efforts and that of his Benue State counterpart Samuel Ortom in ending boarder problems facing both states.