Unhealthy bickering in Taraba

The protracted political battle over the 2015 governorship election in Taraba State appears to have bred a lingering politics of bitterness which has become a threat to the welfare of the most vulnerable in society, the Internally-Displaced Persons (IDP’s) in the state. The government of Governor Darius Ishaku and the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan, are locked in a tug-of-war over which side has the right to distribute the relief items procured by the Federal Government for the displaced persons. While the state government charged Minister Alhassan of breaching protocal by failing to formally communicate with it when she arrived Jalingo in order for her to be accorded proper protocol as the minister representing the state at the Federal cabinet, the Minister accused the government of displaying hostility to the Federal Government by refusing to hand over the relief materials to her to distribute to the IDP’s. We believe that since the electoral battles between the two sides have long been concluded, it is childish and unfortunate for the governor and minister to continue to bicker, especially when the welfare of displaced persons is at stake. Only recently, Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) complained to President Muhammadu Buhari about the large number of malnourished children in IDP camps in the North East of which Taraba is a part. It is senseless that political leaders will allow their selfish interests to come between them and the urgent need to rush to provide succour to the helpless displaced persons. We call on Governor Ishaku and Minister Alhassan to take a cue from their neighbouring Adamawa and Borno States, where the state governments have worked harmoniously with the Federal Government through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to cater for the needs of the IDP’s. We also wish to draw their attention to the conduct of Governor Nyesom Wike and the Minister of Environment, Dr Amina Mohammed, when the Ogoni clean-up programme started. In spite of their political differences, the Minister paid the governor a courtesy call when she arrived in Port Harcourt, and the governor joined hands with her to make her official trip to Rivers State a success. The petty squabble is irrsponsible and a great disservice to the people of Taraba State, especially coming from politicians who, only some eighteen months ago, travelled all over the state to plead for their votes. We hope the Presidency will wade into this matter to ensure that its efforts to assist the vulnerable IDP’s are not torpedoed. It is unfortunate that foreign humanitarian interest groups have shown more empathy with the plight of displaced persons than those elected to provide good governance. Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/unhealthy-bickering-taraba-state/