Monarchs on peace trip to Rwanda, return to Taraba
OKERAFOR ATHANATIUS, JALINGO.
To complement his peace initiative to the people of Taraba State Northeast Nigeria, the State Taraba Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas in his magnanimity, recently approved the selection of Nine (9) Emirs and Chiefs from the three senatorial zones of the State to be part of a peace conference at Kigali, capital city of Rwanda, a country that borders the east and central African countries.
The Chief of Wurkum, HRH, Yakubu Abubakar Haruna Kirim, who stated this while interacting with the media in Jalingo shortly after returning to Taraba State, said the forum was successful.
He said the Chiefs and Emirs selected from the Northern zone of the State were; the Emir of Muri, HRH, Alh. Abbas Njida Tafida, the Chief of Bikwim chiefdom, HRH Tahiru Nyawo Kunini and himself, the Chief of Wurkum, Yakubu Abubakar Haruna Kirim.
Those from the Southern Taraba were; HRM, Manu Ishaku Adda Ali, the Aku Uka who doubles as the Chairman, Taraba State Council of Chiefs, the Chief of Ibi, HRH Alh. Abubakar Salihu Danbawuro and the Gara Donga HRH, Sanvala Varzoa Shimbura Gargbanyi II while the Emirs and Chiefs from Central Taraba were, the Chief of Mambilla, Dr. Shehu Audu Baju II, Chief of Dakka, Alh. Aliyu Yusuf and the Chairman, Traditional Institution of the Taraba State House of Assembly.
“We were selected by Governor Agbu Kefas to go and attend a Conference on Peace in Kigali a city in Rwanda so that when we come back, we demonstrate what we gathered from the facilitators before our people.
“Immediately we came back, we did as Governor Kefas directed by summoning our subjects and educated them on ways to live in peace with one another”,
“Before embarking on the Peace journey courtesy of Governor Kefas and as a peace advocate and peace expert, I have been talking to my people about peaceful coexistence, saying it to their faces that without peace, there wouldn’t be any meaningful development”,
“Without peace, you Journalists cannot come here to interact with me, we are always preaching peace and that has been our main focus”, he said.
The Chief who added that for the past one year, Gov Kefas has impacted positively on the lives of the people of the State, the traditional Institution inclusive said, “owing to the governor’s generosity to Taraba people, we as Traditional Rulers will give him a mandate for another four years”.
He further told newsmen that there are so many Wurkum sons and daughters spread across the 36 states of the Federation who he noted are doing very well in their various fields of endeavours.
While pledging to visit Wurkum people at various states to come back home to invest and support Governor Kefas in his developmental strides, the Royal Father opined that the Governor’s achievements for the past one year is enough for the people to ask him to take up another four years when his first four years expires.
The Chief of Kirim in another development told Journalists that he succeeded his late father, HRH Alh. Abubakar Haruna Kirim on 11th May, 2023, describing it as the day he was presented with a staff of office by the immediate past Governor, Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku.
“I was later turbaned as the 2nd Class Chief of Karim”, he said.
