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By Billy Graham Abel Yola
Adamawa community displaced by incessant onslought of Boko Haram attacks has erupted into dancing and celebrations following the selection and coronation of a new monarch, the District Head of Garkida, Birma Siman Ali Tarfa.
The event which took place at Garkida Town Square, attracted mammoth crowd and brought together prominent sons and daughters of the area from within and outside the state to witness the beginning of an amazing restoration of their home town from the wreckages of Boko Haram attacks.
Speaking at the event, the District Head of Garkida, Birma Siman Ali Tarfa, said the people of Garkida and its environs owe a lot of thanks and gratitude to Gov. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, for the outstanding work of ensuring security is restored to the community and for restoring hope to a community that was once neglected as the community is now secured against the incursions of Boko Haram insurgents.
Birma Tarfa siad, “Garkida community is ready and opened to work with the state government and security agencies to curb the menace of insecurity that has bedevilled the area.”
The monarch said, “Although we are thankful for the return of peace to our community and the subsequent return of most members of our community who fled the town as a result of incessant Boko Haram attacks, we are still calling on the federal government to come to our aid as our churches, mosques, schools, hospitals and homes, that were destroyed by the insurgents are still lying in a state of disrepair.
“Some of the members of our community have lost their livelihood in the wake of these attacks and most of them would need assistance to get back on their feet.
“Our land is blessed with body of water around us, so are encouraging our youths to take the courage to go back to land and farming.
“We have to give them options away from drugs by providing soft loans that will help them start their lives all over again.
“So, I am appealing to the authorities to come to our aid and help our young ones to shun the habit of drug abuse and other evil vices and be committed to productive living.”
Birma Tarfa used the occasion to call on the youths in Garkida to shun drug abuse and other social vices and embrace farming, businesses, trade and other productive ventures that will add value to their lives and the community so that Garkida will be restored to it’s former glory.
The chairman of the occasion and chairman of the North East Development Commission, (NEDC), Gen. Paul Tarfa, commended the new District Head Garkida for foresight and vision that has already began to trickle-in much needed development to the community after seasons of difficulties induced by the boko Haram insurgency.
While emphasising the unity of the community in the face of daunting challenges, Gen. Tarfa said, “It is important at this juncture to add that Garkida belongs to all of us that live it as there is hardly any clan in Garkida that is not directly or indirectly connected to the Tarfa clan. These are the attributes that have made Garkida strong and united as a home for us all.”
Gen. Tarfa who urged members of the community to strengthen the bond of unity among themselves as a result of the restoration of peace and hope to the community while urging that all hands need to be on deck to reclaim the lost opportunity stolen from the people of Grakida.
The representative of the Lamido of Adamawa, Daniel Bwala, while commending the Garkida community for it’s resilience said it is one of the most educated communities in Adamawa state saying it was an early precedent set by their forefathers.
Bwala however decried the negative trend of drug abuse among the youths of the community and that it is threatening the progress already made in the area. Bwala used the occasion to task members of the Garkida community to work together to curb the emerging negative trend of youths dropping out of school in the area as a result of frustration saying this trend if allowed will eventually impede the growth of the community and people of Garkida.
He also appealed to parents to take the education of their children seriously and urged all wealthy citizens of the area to always cultivate the habit of investing at home.
The event which was a civic reception in honour of the new District Head was significantly more than a reception but a celebration of the return of peace, tranquility and hope, to a community that has consistently been in the eye of the storm over Boko Haram incessant attacks
Garkida, after witnessing numerous Boko Haram attacks that left many dead and hundreds of infrastructure delapidated, are back, home again, to restart their lives and look forward for better things to come.
Garkida, is a town in Adamawa state, on the fringes of the Sambisa forest.
